Women's Health PhD / MPhil / MD
Women and Children’s Health research in Liverpool has an international reputation for excellence. The Department of Women’s and Children’s Health incorporates obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology and medical and surgical paediatrics.
Why study with us?
Being a PhD student in Women's Health at the Institute of Translational Medicine is so stimulating, I love it. I have interacted with different groups from lab experts to bioinformaticians, and all focused around the important clinical problem of preterm birth.
Angharad Care - Women's Health PhD student
100%
4* and 3* in Clinical Medicine research environment REF (2014).
309
academic members of staff.
359
registered postgraduate research students.
Overview
The Department of Women’s and Children’s Health is internationally renowned for its research covering obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology, and medical and surgical paediatrics.
The Department offers some of the most extensive facilities for research in this area in Europe, providing excellent bases for patient-orientated translational and clinical research.
Our main research facilities are integrated with two of the largest specialist Women’s and Children’ hospitals in Europe – Centre for Women’s Health research within the Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Institute in the Park within the Alder Hey Hospital.
The Centre for Women’s Health Research is jointly funded by University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s NHS Trust and houses the following:
Harris Wellbeing Preterm Birth Centre
- This Wellbeing of Women funded centre pioneers vital research into premature birth, focusing particularly on the development of personalised treatments for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth.
Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group
- This is one of the most productive Cochrane review groups with enormous impact globally on clinical practice in obstetrics and midwifery.
The Sanyu Research Unit
- Set up in 2011, this unit promotes improvements in maternal and child health in low resource settings through high impact, inter-disciplinary research. The unit helps generate sustainable improvements through the development of appropriate technologies for clinical care with on-going projects funded by WHO, MRC, DFID, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Research themes
Our research themes in Women’s Health are:
- Translational perinatal medicine
- Clinical trials and research synthesis in pregnancy and childbirth
- Endometrial stem cell research.
Facilities
The Centre for Women’s Health Research is a research facility jointly funded by University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and opened by Dame Sally Davies in 2014. The Centre includes bespoke laboratory facilities with state-of-the-art accommodation and equipment. It provides an environment to develop, attract and sustain staff and collaborators and provide an important international focus for further growth in the following key research domains: clinical trials and research synthesis in global maternal health, endometriosis; perinatal and neonatal personalised medicine, smooth muscle physiology.
Research groups
- Translational perinatal medicine
- Clinical trials and research synthesis in pregnancy and childbirth
- Endometrial stem cell research
Study options and fees
The fees below reflect one year of study during the 2024/25 academic year
| MPhil / PhD / MD | Duration | UK students | International Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full time | 2-4 years | £4,786 |
|
| Part time | 4-6 years | £2,393 |
|
The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.
* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.
^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.
Entry requirements
Applicants for postgraduate research study at Liverpool are normally expected to hold a UK first degree with a First Class or Upper Second Class degree classification, or a Second Class degree plus a Master’s degree. Equivalent international qualifications are also accepted, and their equivalence will be evaluated on the basis of the information provided by the National Academic Recognition and Information Centre (NARIC) as well as internal guidance based on our experience of a qualification’s suitability as a preparation for our programmes.
English language requirements
| IELTS Academic requirement - SELT and non-SELT | Overall 6.5 no band below 5.5 |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT requirement | Minimum 88 overall with L 17 W 17 R 17 and S 19 |
| C1 Advanced CAE requirement | Overall 176 with no less than 162 in any paper |
| PTE Academic requirement | 61 with minimum scores of 59 in each component |
| Trinity College London, Integrated Skills in English (ISE II) | ISE II with an overall pass with merit in components |
| Cambridge IGCSE as a First Language | Grade C |
| Cambridge IGCSE as a Second Language | Grade B |
| Cambridge English Level 3 Certificate in ESOL International (Proficiency) | Overall 176 with 162 in components |
| Cambridge English Level 3 Certificate in ESOL International (Advanced) | Overall 176 with 162 in components |
| Cambridge English Level 2 Certificate in ESOL International (Advanced) | Overall 176 with 162 in components |
How to apply
Research degree applications can be made online. You'll also need to ensure that you have funding to cover all fees.
Applications are open all year round.
More about applying for research degrees
Before you apply, we recommend that you identify a supervisor and develop a research proposal
Find a supervisor
View supervisors in this area
Need help finding a supervisor? Contact us
- ILCaMS PGR Administrator
- Email: ilcamspgradmin@liverpool.ac.uk
- Phone: +44 (0)151 794 5455
Related studentships: self-funded and funded PhD projects
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