Primary Health Care

The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences’ primary research focus is on the prevention, early diagnosis and management of common illness in general practice - particularly childhood infection, cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Graduate destinations

Alumni from the DPhil have gone on to careers in national and international primary care research and management, as well as taking up lecturing positions at various universities around the world.

Several alumni have chosen to pursue a career practising medicine as General Practitioners.

Applicants are strongly advised to visit the Medical Sciences Graduate School website to help them identify the most suitable course and supervisors.

The department has recently developed a new stream of clinical research which seeks to improve the conceptual understanding and use of monitoring in a number of chronic diseases. The department has an international reputation for developing innovative methods of research synthesis and research use to ensure that research findings change clinical practice.

Admission to the DPhil is highly competitive. The DPhil programme provides you with a strong training environment and a broad range of research areas and supervisor expertise. Previous research topics include:

• Cardiovascular disease risk factors, weight and the strategies to tackle future risk in school-aged children
• Developing paediatric quality indicators for UK general practice
• The evaluation and expansion of methodologies relating to the reporting and analyses of intermediate test results: improving the clinical utility of diagnostic research
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Bordetella pertussis in patients with persistent cough in primary care
• Incidence, prevention and treatment of acute coronary events in the elderly
• Infertility in the internet age: how women and men find information and support during treatment for infertility and sub-fertility
• Predictors of virologic treatment failure to Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) for HIV infection in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
• A primary care based intervention to improve participation in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
• Predicting serious bacterial infections in children in primary health care

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in a relevant subject.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree, a GPA of at least 3.7 out of 4.0, or the equivalent.

A previous master's degree is desirable.

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Research proposal: Two pages
• Written work:Two essays of 2,000 words each
• References/letters of recommendation:Three overall, generally academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships