Timelines & Benchmarks
While we take great pride in our ability to provide NIH-Oxford-Cambridge program participants an expedited and dynamic training experience, we are also mindful of our mutual and significant responsibilities to ensure that students fulfill all program requirements in a timely manner.
- Throughout the course of your engagement as an NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholar, it is crucial that you remain attentive to timelines and benchmarks established for your benefit.
- By clicking on each year listed below, you will find material drawn from our NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Handbook which prescribes by month what you may expect to produce as a doctoral student. By maintaining clear focus on these expectations, you will find yourself at the end of four years enjoying a successful matriculation from the program and transitioning into the next exciting phase of your career.
Four-Year Pathway for Doctoral Study
First 2 Years for MD/PhD Students
For MD/PhD students enrolled in the Oxford-Cambridge scholars program, the curriculum is designed to accelerate the process of mentor selection and laboratory rotations so that the student is ready to begin Ph.D. thesis work in the fall of the third year of study, as much as one year ahead of most programs. Due to the compressed nature of the mentor selection process that occurs during the first summer preceding medical school admissions, students should be aware that there is minimal time for personal vacations during this period. Accommodations will be made for individuals depending on medical school schedules. CLICK here to view the timeline.
Tips and Tools
As you progress toward the development, submission and defense of your dissertation, we will share with you featured tips and tools like those below. Enjoy!
Exploring Ways to Shorten the Ascent to a Ph.D.
Oxford University Notes for the Guidance of Graduate Students [2.4 MB] 
Cambridge University Code of Practice for Graduate Research Degrees
