Study

As part of the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, we offer a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes as well as short courses.

Explore the study options that work for you.

MSc Clinical Trials (Online) – Our online MSc in Clinical Trials provides an excellent grounding in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials, and will enhance the knowledge and understanding of those already working in the field.

MSc Statistics for Clinical Trials (Online) - Our online MSc in Statistics for Clinical Trials will develop your knowledge and know-how of statistics in clinical trials. This training is relevant for future clinical trial statisticians, and as well as clinicians and other health professionals who have a strong quantitative interest in trials.

To find out more about the Postgraduate courses, visit the ICTM Postgraduate Taught page.

If you have any questions, contact us.

Our MPhil/PhD Clinical Trials and Methodology programme aims to train and mentor the next generation of trialists and methodologists, allowing them to develop their scientific research skills and expertise. Students commonly work on a project within one of our research themes and they can choose to be full-time or part-time PhD students.

Current PhD Studentships at the MRC CTU at UCL.

For more information on entry requirements, how to apply and fees and funding, visit the Clinical Trials and Methodology MPhil/PhD page.

If you have any questions, contact us.

We offer a number of short courses throughout the year, to ensure that staff working on clinical trials are properly trained. These courses tackle key aspects of designing, running and analysing results from clinical trials, covering topics such as sample size calculations, independent data monitoring committees, statistics for non-statisticians, platform trials and methods for handling missing data. Most of these courses are open to internal staff and members of the public.

To find out about upcoming courses, visit the ICTM Short Courses page

This iBSc allows current UCL medical students to learn the important concepts and practices underpinning appropriate clinical trial design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of trials. This is the first iBSc in clinical trials in the UK, and it’s open for entry for 2024-25.

iBSc Clinical Trials ICTM webpage.

Learn more about the iBSc Clinical Trials from our staff in the video below.

Since 2019, we have been taking part in In2ScienceUK, a programme that tackles the national challenge of educational inequality and the STEM shortage by providing young people from low-income backgrounds with the skills, placement opportunities, and confidence to successfully progress to exciting STEM degrees and careers.

During the placement, students meet with our staff to learn more about the different aspects of designing a clinical trial. The students work alongside researchers and professionals to design a clinical trial, giving the students practical experience and the opportunity to get advice from our staff about different science degrees and careers in science, and get advice they may not receive at school or at home.

For more information about the programme, visit the In2ScienceUK page.

 

Careers

At the MRC CTU at UCL, we are committed to helping our people make the most of their abilities and potential. We do this through ongoing training and development, day-to-day workplace experience and supportive line management.

We are dedicated to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to ensure our people feel valued and are able to thrive in a great work environment.

To find out more about our commitment to EDI, visit the ICTM EDI pages. 

There are frequent opportunities for clinical fellows to join our team at the MRC CTU at UCL. This role is suited to clinicians who want to develop their research careers with a special interest in clinical trials in the areas of cancer, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. Our clinical fellows often combine clinical experience with research and have a unique opportunity to work with multidisciplinary clinical trial teams, lead their own research projects and contribute to peer-reviewed publications.

If you are interested in a clinical fellow position with us, there are two main routes to apply for it. One is through our job vacancies, as we advertise clinical fellow positions that might be of interest. The other route is by securing a supervisor (should be one of our senior staff members) and work together on a funding application. There are several funding opportunities for clinical fellows, including:

For neurodegenerative disease projects, our MRC CTU ACORD Fellows Academy provides mentorship, training and support to early career researchers involved in platform trials in this field.  

Find out more about our clinical research fellows: Hannah's profile, Sophie's profile.

If you have any questions on how to apply for a clinical fellow position, contact our clinical fellows in infections (Conor Tweed) and cancer (Sophie Merrick)

What does it mean to work in clinical trials?

Hear from some of our people working in different roles and talking about what they do and what’s like to work here.

Visit our Meet Our People pages.

Many universities and NHS Trusts are currently recruiting people to work in academic-led, non-commercial clinical roles, including trial management roles. The UK Trial Managers' Network (UKTMN) and the UKCRC-Clinical Trials Unit Network have developed some resources to highlight the advantages of working in academic clinical trials, and the types of jobs on offer within them:

Find out more about available roles in clinical trials on the jobs.ac.uk website

Find more details about current vacancies, and how to apply at the UCL jobs webpage.

If you are looking for a specific job, go to UCL Jobs and enter the reference code into the 'Ref No.' field of the Search Engine.

Our employees receive a competitive salary and numerous benefits, including:

  • 27 days annual leave each year, plus six closure days and bank holidays (pro rata for part-time staff)
  • Pension Scheme
  • Flexible working options
  • Season ticket loan
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • UCL facilities including bars, cafés, gym, museums, student union card, and other discounts