Clinician Scientist Track: MD-PhD and MD-MPhil

All UQ medical students are welcome to consider the Clinician Scientist Track as an option to their MD degree.

Student eligibility into the Intercalated MD-PhD or Intercalated MD-MPhil is determined by criteria set out by the Faculty of Medicine and the UQ Graduate School.

Please read the Graduate School's eligibility requirements for entry into the MPhil or the PhD. It is the student’s responsibility to:

• understand all the eligibility requirements for enrolling in and undertaking the PhD or MPhil degree at UQ.
• understand the Faculty of Medicine Progress Review process.  See HDR Student Support page. 

What is a PhD at UQ: DOCTOR OF Philosophy

What is a MPhil at UQ: MASTER OF Philosophy

The Faculty of Medicine’s selection criteria for the Intercalated MD-PhD or Intercalated MD-MPhil are the following:

• ensure you are progressing satisfactorily in the MD degree. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their performance in all areas of medical program.
• understand the timeframes for the Clinician Scientist Tract (CST) and all details of what is required to complete an Intercalated MD-PhD or MD-MPhil (on this web page)identify a research project and a potential principal supervisor, and
• obtain permission to enrol in the Intercalated MD-PhD or MD-MPhil through an interview with the Medical School’s Director of MD Student Research.

*If your academic performance falls below satisfactory:

• a meeting with the Director of MD Student Research will be held to discuss reasons that may be responsible i.e., personal, or academic, and offer advice accordingly, 
• the discussion also clarifies that the student needs to refocus entirely on their MD requirements and show improvement by the subsequent semester,
• if academic performance does not improve, the student may be required to interrupt the PhD or MPhil until MD academic progression improves. 

Please remember, interested students must first obtain permission from the Medical School to apply for the PhD or the MPhil. See 'First Steps to the CST' below.

1. Ensure you understand all of the information provided on this webpage i.e., FAQs, Timeframes, Eligibility and selection criteria and links to The Graduate School regarding what a PhD or MPhil degree entails.
2. Ensure you are eligible to apply for a PhD or MPhil according to the rules set out by The Graduate School, and that you understand the Progress Review (PR) requirements (see Faculty of Medicine HDR Support)
3. Ensure you are progressing satisfactorilu in all academic areas of the MD Program and are confident you can maintain satisfactory progress through to MD graduation.
4. BEFORE the 1^st May of MD Year 2 contact the Director of MD Student Research, Professor Di Eley [d.eley@uq.edu.au] with an informal expression of interest in the CST, including your CV, your proposed Principal Supervisor and project.
5. NOTE: An expression of interest does not commit you to the CST but the earlier you discuss your interest the better.

Please refer to the CST FAQs for more details

View UQ Ochsner FAQs

There are two pathways to undertake an MD-PhD or MD-MPhil.

Pathway 1:  For current MD students - Intercalated Option

Current MD students may begin the Intercalated PhD or Intercalated MPhil after completion of MD Year 2, as described above.

Pathway 2:  For future MD students – MD Defer Option

Students who have a current offer to enrol in the UQ MD program, may wish to consider deferring the start to the MD in order to begin or complete a current or proposed PhD or MPhil. 

Categories of students who may consider Pathway 2 are;

1. Provisional entry undergraduates who are in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree or Honours.

2. Graduate entry (via GAMSAT) students, who are currently working with a research group or supervisor with the intention to pursue a HDR.

3. Current UQ PhD students who are progressing satisfactorily and in their final stages of their research may defer the MD to allow completion of a UQ PhD or MPhil.

Preference will be given to students who are already working in the area of research related to their proposed UQ PhD or MPhil, and have already established a research relationship with their proposed supervisor. 

Future MD students interested in Pathway 2 and believe they qualify, should contact the Director of MD Student Research d.eley@uq.edu.au to discuss.

*IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING ELIGIBILITY FOR AUSTUDY: Austudy applicants who have previously completed a Doctorate level (i.e. Doctor of Philosophy/PhD) course in Australia, or a qualification of the same standing from an overseas institution, are not eligible for Austudy. This may be a consideration for students who defer the MD to progress their PhD because it is more likely that they will finish the their PhD before they graduate their MD and may lose Austudy when their PhD is conferred. Students are advised to contact Centrelink to confirm their individual situation. It may possible to delay your Higher Degree conferral to avoid this. Please contact the Director MD Student Research for advice at d.eley@uq.edu.au.

Once enrolled in the HDR, all information for MD-PhD and MD-MPhil students about managing your candidature is here: MD-HDR student support page