Ph.D. Program Description
Each NIH/Oxford/Cambridge Scholar is given the opportunity to work with at least two different research supervisors — one at the NIH and one at either Oxford or Cambridge — on a project that involves a collaborative undertaking by the two laboratories (visit the collaborations page of this web site for further information). Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and hold or be on track to receive a bachelors degree by matriculation date. The program also attracts individuals already enrolled in a graduate program or medical school. Students carry out research with a goal of earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D. or D. Phil.) which requires spending roughly equal amounts of time at the NIH and at the chosen University.
During their time at the NIH, students become members of one of the NIH Institutes and also join a vibrant graduate student community of more than 400 students overseen by the Graduate Partnership Programs. Most doctoral study programs in the UK do not require the completion of formal coursework, and the doctoral degree can be completed in three to five years. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded a doctorate by either Cambridge or Oxford University.
A class dean works with each admitted individual to ensure the student achieves satisfactory progress while pursuing his/her research goals. During the first six months after matriculation into the program, all new students develop a detailed research proposal and an individualized training plan that outlines goals and a personalized plan of study. This requirement launches students and their mentors on an accelerated plan of research linked to program timelines and benchmarks designed to track the student's progress closely. In this way, problems may be addressed quickly. Check out the hyperlinks below for very useful information about the program.
