Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The Doctor of Medicine is a flexible, variable intensity, clinical research-based doctorate. You will pursue research that is in synergy with your medical practice. The degree will provide you with research skills, in-depth knowledge, understanding and expertise in your chosen field of research. To apply to this course you must be medically-qualified (registered with the UK General Medical Council) and employed at the time of application at ST1 grade or above (including those who have completed their training) within the University of Oxford, in Primary Care within Oxfordshire or in an approved NHS Trust (see Entry requirements). The Doctor of Medicine is a highly distinctive degree. It is flexible enough to allow you to study part-time for some parts of your degree and full-time for others, to balance time for Doctor of Medicine degree work with your professional duties (milestones will be set accordingly). Your Doctor of Medicine project will be in synergy with your clinical work, but may be undertaken across the whole spectrum of medical science from basic biology to clinical therapies. Prior work, judged to be of adequate academic rigour and coherence with the Doctor of Medicine project by the Doctor of Medicine committee, may be included in your thesis. At the start of the course, you will be placed in a host department within the University's Medical Sciences Division depending on the match between your research and the departmental expertise. Your admission to the Doctor of Medicine degree will be overseen by the Doctor of Medicine committee. At the commencement of the degree you will be expected to establish a clear work plan and timeline for your research. You will be encouraged to attend lectures and seminars related to your programme of research and make the most of the doctoral training and research methods provision available across the Medical Sciences Division. The aim is to tailor this training to individual needs and bring all students up to a satisfactory level in background knowledge. Your later training is focused on the skills required for a successful career in independent clinical research. You will need to ensure that your available time for study not only allows your research to progress but also permits you to attend any training that may be necessary for your research (or desirable for the development of transferable skills). As an alternative route to undertaking research work, the Doctor of Medicine committee may, exceptionally, permit applicants to present an integrated thesis with an introduction and conclusion, drawing together a series of publications that represent a substantial body of original research, and submit this to be considered for the award of the degree. In exceptional cases, if progress towards the Doctor of Medicine degree is inadequate, students may be admitted to study for the MSc by Research degree following initial assessment for Transfer of Status from probationary to DM status (see the Assessment section below for further details). Doctor of Medicine students will be exempt from residency requirements. These are replaced by the employment requirements which are deemed to allow access to appropriate supervisory arrangements.