Overview
- Degree awarded
- PhD/MPhil
- Duration
- 3-4 years PhD, 1-2 years MPhil
- Entry requirements
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We require applicants to hold, or be about to obtain, an Upper Second class Honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in a related subject area for entry to a PhD programme. A Lower Second class Honours degree may be considered if applicants also hold a Master's degree with a Merit classification.
- How to apply
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Before applying you must:
- Choose a programme or find a project you want to apply for and check you’re eligible.
- Speak to the listed supervisor about your suitability for their project or programme.
- Understand how your project is funded and, if it is self-funded, consider how you plan on funding it.
- Read our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.
Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out more.
Programme options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Y | Y | N | N |
| MPhil | Y | Y | N | N |
Programme overview
- Undertake research in a field you’re passionate about and join a project addressing leading challenges in the area while working with some of Europe's leading researchers and academics.
- Choose to research at a university ranked and 6th in the UK (QS World University Rankings, 2025) and 2nd in the world for social and environmental impact (THE Impact Rankings, 2024), where 93% of research activity is ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (Research Impact Framework, 2021)
- Access some of the best research facilities in the world at the University, through our industry partners, and at hospitals around Greater Manchester.
- Benefit from dedicated support throughout your PhD journey, from pre-application to graduation and everything in between, through our Doctoral Academy
- Undergo training in transferable skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals through the Doctoral Academy's training programme and progress into a career in research, academia or industry.
Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out more.
Open days
Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out about upcoming open days and events.
Fees
Fees for entry in 2024 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2023 were as follows:
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PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £9,250
International, including EU, students (per annum): £27,000 -
PhD (part-time)
UK students (per annum): Standard £2,356, Low £5,000, Medium £8,750, High £11,250
International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £13,250, Low £13,750, Medium £17,250, High £19,750
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
- Contact name
- Doctoral Academy Admissions Team
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 275 5608
- FBMH.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/
- School/Faculty
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Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
English language
For applicants whose first language is not English, or if you have not studied recently in the UK, you must provide evidence of how you meet the English Language requirement.
We mainly accept IELTS or TOEFL tests. Please note IELTS and TOEFL are only valid for two years.
We require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall or TOEFL (iBT) 90. Each component of the English test should meet the minimum requirement of IELTS 5.5 in all components, TOEFL (iBT 22). For the writing component , we expect you to have achieved a minimum of 6.0 (IELTS).
If your IELTS or TOEFL expires before the start of your programme, you will need to take another official English test before we can issue you with a CAS for your visa application. This is a requirement of UKVI.
For more information about English language tests see English language requirements .
Please contact us at FBMH.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk for further information.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Before applying you must:
- Choose a programme or find a project you want to apply for and check you’re eligible.
- Speak to the listed supervisor about your suitability for their project or programme.
- Understand how your project is funded and, if it is self-funded, consider how you plan on funding it.
- Read our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.
Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out more.
Advice to applicants
Before you start your application, you should:
- Identify the programme or find the specific research project you'd like to apply for.
- Contact the listed project supervisor and speak to them about your suitability for the project.
- Understand how your project is funded or, if you are self-funding, you should have an idea of how you are funding your project and have discussed this with your supervisor.
If you already have funding:
- Find a specific self-funded project and contact the project supervisor to talk to them about your suitability for the project; OR
- Determine your own research project and title, find a potential supervisor in this research area and contact them to discuss supervising your research.
Supporting documents
You'll also need to make sure you have the following documents before you apply:
- Personal statement
- Certificates and transcripts
- CV
- Confirmation of funding (if you are self-funded)
- English language ability
- Names and details of two referees to support your application
Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more about the information required for each of these supporting documents.
Any missing information may delay the processing of your application.
Application deadlines
You must submit your application for a postgraduate research programme before the relevant deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these deadlines have passed.
- January entry: 15 October (of the year prior entry)
- April entry: 15 January (year of entry)
- September entry: 15 June (year of entry)
Interview requirements
Candidates will be required to attend an interview with their prospective supervisor as well as an independent Postgraduate Tutor. If it is not possible for you to attend in person, we are able to interview by Zoom/video conferencing.
Disclosure and Barring Service check
Programme details
Programme description
Our PhD/MPhil Immunology programme enables you to undertake a research project that will improve understanding of Immunology.
Appropriate control of the immune system is essential for a number of reasons. In the context of infectious disease and cancer, it is important to generate immune responses to counter these threats.
Excessive immune responses against infectious agents, however, can themselves be a cause of pathology. Other causes of immune mediated pathology are immune responses against self, which lead to autoimmunity, or against harmless antigens, which lead to allergy or hypersensitivity.
It is therefore important to understand how the immune system is regulated. A multitude of different cells of the innate and adaptive immune system act together to co-ordinate immune responses.
Understanding the interactions of these elements will not only help in the development of approaches to manipulate the immune system to induce the appropriate responses against infectious agents and tumours, but also to prevent inappropriate responses against self and harmless chemicals.
For more information on the Manchester Immunology Group please see http://www.mig.manchester.ac.uk/
Visit The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation to find out more about immunology research at The University of Manchester.
Special features
Training and development
All of our postgraduate researchers attend the Doctoral Academy Training Programme delivered by the Researcher Development team . The programme provides key transferable skills and equips our postgraduate researchers with the tools to progress beyond their research degree into influential positions within academia, industry and consultancy. The emphasis is on enhancing skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals, whether they relate to effective communication, disseminating research findings and project management skills.
Teaching and learning
Applicants are specifically matched with a Primary Supervisor and individual project based on their research interests and background.
International applicants interested in this research area can also consider our PhD programme with integrated teaching certificate .
This unique programme will enable you to gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, whilst also carrying out independent research on your chosen project.
Scholarships and bursaries
Funded programmes and projects are promoted throughout the year. Funding is available through UK Research Councils, charities and industry. We also have other internal awards and scholarships for the most outstanding applicants from within the UK and overseas.
For more information on available the types of funding we have available, please visit the funded programmes and funding opportunities pages.
What our students say
Facilities
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate. Find out more on the Careers page.