King's offers an extensive range of postgraduate-level qualifications. Our courses encompass pioneering research and world-class teaching and takes traditional subjects forward through interdisciplinary approaches such as business and cultural links, and the use of digital tools in the humanities.

Whatever your reasons, King's offers an extensive range of postgraduate research qualifications. 

PhD and MPhil

Increasingly, a PhD is recognised as the first step in an academic research career and as a qualification valued in many professional areas as an indication of academic excellence and high level skills. Our PhD courses provide you with a unique and academically rigorous experience whilst equipping you with the skills you need for your chosen career. We aim to have an appropriate research supervisory framework, together with training and development to support you throughout your PhD so that you can get the most from our postgraduate community.

Whether you study full or part-time, your PhD will require enormous commitment from both you and King’s: we therefore strongly encourage you to contact the department or research division in which you wish to study, and discuss your research aims in-depth, before you apply.

All students register initially for the MPhil course and are then permitted upgrade to the PhD course usually within three to five terms of work. To achieve upgrade:

• Submit at least two substantial pieces of written work (thesis chapters)

• Presenting an aspect of the research at a seminar

• Succeed at upgrade interview.

Usually this means that a student registering on to the MPhil/PhD will aim to complete their PhD within three to four years (if full time).

Professional doctorates

If you want to continue your postgraduate study to doctoral level, have a master’s level qualification and several years’ professional experience, one of our professional doctorates will allow you to enhance and integrate your professional practice with academic work. Academically equivalent in level to a traditional PhD, King's currently offers:

• DClinPsy Specialist Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Professional doctorates vary in length and study mode, but last a minimum of three years. All except the DClinPsy are studied part-time.

Please browse our postgraduate research courses for more information about the individual courses offered at King's.

MD(Res)

The MD(Res) degree is aimed specifically at students in clinical practice, undertaking research in any branch of medicine, or surgery or medical science, within King's.

As with other research degrees, the MD(Res) is assessed on the basis of the submission of a thesis, however, there is the option for King’s students to submit the thesis in the form of a series of publications, supplemented by an introduction and conclusion. Students wishing to opt for this format would need to specify this prior to registration.

Please browse our postgraduate research courses for more information.

MPhilStud

The Department of Philosophy offers MPhilStud for students who have an undergraduate degree in which philosophy was a major component and who want to research further.

The MPhilStud lasts for two years full-time (between three and four years part time), and involves studying three areas of philosophy in depth.

Joint / Dual PhD

King’s partnerships with world-leading international universities provide a number of joint PhD courses. These enable research students to embark on joint degrees (conferred by both institutions) that considerably enhance their research and employment opportunities on an international scale. Students are registered at both institutions and usually divide their study period equally.

A list of current courses and frequently asked questions can be found on the King’s Worldwide webpages.

You can also browse our postgraduate research courses for more information on application procedures for these courses.

Our postgraduate courses are as flexible as possible and, where appropriate, are timetabled on a particular day or days so you can plan attendance to fit in with other commitments.

Start dates

It is possible to start a PhD at different points throughout the year although most students start in the autumn.

Full-time courses

Full-time PhD degrees generally extend for three years, with some disciplines offering four-year courses.

Part-time courses

Part-time courses generally last twice as long as the full-time equivalent. Some postgraduate courses run in the early evening. Please browse our postgraduate research courses to find out if a course is available part-time, and/or by distance learning.

Distance and e-learning

King's also runs distance and e-courses in: 

• War Studies

Many courses at postgraduate level include an element of blended learning to aid study. Please browse our postgraduate research courses for more information on study mode, and the format and assessment of each course.