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The mission of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Nagasaki University (NU) is to improve global health through the pursuit of excellence in research, postgraduate education, advanced training and consultancy in international public health and tropical medicine.
Both Universities believe that this mission is best achieved through international collaboration. By working together for a common purpose, whilst valuing differences, they can draw on a wider range of human and technical resources to tackle the major global health issues.
Nagasaki University is renowned for its work and research into infectious diseases and has a long history of collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In 2015, the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) was established to expand the global health research and teaching and accelerate collaboration with international researchers. Through working with researchers in the UK and Japan and studying within a community of global researchers, research students will have opportunities to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of cultures and approaches to improving global health.
This joint PhD programme aims to support the mission of both universities to improve global health by offering a unique environment to students to acquire:
- competency as independent researchers;
- expertise in core research concepts, methods and skills;
- key transferable skills; and
- ability to work effectively within international collaborative groups
History
Nagasaki University
The history of Nagasaki University goes back to 1857 when Dutch naval surgeon Dr Pompe established Igaku Denshusho, which was the oldest medical school of western style in Japan. Although Nagasaki Medical College Igaku Denshusho was completely demolished in 1945 by the atomic bomb, it has now grown into an important university that comprises seven graduate schools (Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Global Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Economics, Engineering, Fisheries and Environmental Sciences and Biomedical Sciences) and nine faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, affiliated hospitals, libraries, the Institute of Tropical Medicine and the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute.
Nagasaki University is the only university in Japan with an Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN) since 1947, and is considered the leading university in the field of Tropical Medicine and Global Health in Japan, with overseas research stations in Kenya, Vietnam and the Philippines.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Founded in 1899, LSHTM is renowned for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health, with over 4,200 students and more than 3,300 staff based all around the world with core hubs in London and at the MRC Units in The Gambia and Uganda, which joined LSHTM in February 2018.
LSHTM is working closely with partners in the UK and worldwide to address contemporary and future critical health challenges. It has a diverse and truly global community dedicated to quality cross-disciplinary research and is involved at every stage of the research pipeline, from basic science all the way through to evaluation of health interventions, providing a firm foundation of evidence for improving health.
Its mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
2025-26 September entry: research topics
The programme is offering the following potential projects for the 2025/26 application round. We also encourage you to propose your own research project idea in the field of global health. The research idea should not only be novel but also capitalise on the strengths of the partnership between LSHTM and NU. If you are proposing your own idea you will need to identify supervisors in each institution who would supervise your PhD if your application is successful. Please see the "How to apply section" for further information.
Lead for each project is shown in bold.
Current PhD research projects
About 25 students are currently registered in the Joint PhD Programme.
In January 2023, Nagasaki University hold the WISE/Sakigake Symposium in Nagasaki. Most of the current students gave a talk at the symposium, and the recordings are available at the symposium website. See the list of the students and other speakers in the Symposium Programme (pdf).
The recordings of the students’ turbo talks given at the 2022 Bridging Japan-UK Online Symposium are also available on demand (See the recording on the WISE&LSHTM-Nagasaki Joint PhD Day on 7 March 2022 on the website)
The PhD Programme is based on completion of an independent piece of original research. The research will be carried out under the guidance of supervisors from both Universities, with additional support provided by members of an advisory committee.
Students will have at least one named supervisor from each University. A Lead Supervisor will be identified, which will determine the Lead University for the research student.
Research students will be registered directly for the Joint PhD award, without a preliminary period of registration for the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree. Normally, research students will spend at least six months at each of the two Universities. The timing, and possible subdivision, of these periods of residence will be aligned to the needs of the individual research degree study. There will also be opportunities for research students to undertake research in resource-poor settings around the world.
Qualifying Examination
A Qualifying Examination (QE) Panel will review the progress of each research student after 7-11 months of full-time registration. All QE requirements (including any resubmissions) must be completed by 18 months (maximum). The QE consists of a written report (max 7,500 words), an open seminar, and a closed meeting with an assessment panel. The QE provides students with feedback to improve the design of their research and identifies students who are struggling with progress and unlikely to complete a PhD successfully. Continuation in the Joint PhD programme will be allowed only if the QE Panel is satisfied that the research study and the research student’s progress are sufficiently advanced to indicate that the PhD standard will be reached within the permitted period of registration.
PhD Research Thesis
Students complete a written research thesis for the PhD degree which must be written in English with satisfactory literary presentation, and include a full reference list. The thesis should not exceed 100,000 words in length.
PhD duration
Research students will be registered at both universities in late September or early October, enabling them to access the resources of both universities, subject to the relevant regulations, policies and procedures at each university.
The minimum and maximum periods of registration for the Joint PhD programme will be as set out below.
| Minimum | Maximum | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 24 months | 48 months |
Part-time is not offered in the Joint PhD Programme.
Nagasaki University Application & Admission fees 2025-26
- Application Fee: JPY 30,000
- Admission Fee: JPY 282,000
Applicants who pass the preliminary shortlisting will be invited for an interview. These applicants are required to pay the Nagasaki University application fee by 3 March 2025. Please note the followings and refer to the application guidance for payment instructions.
Applications will not be considered in the following cases:
The applicant does not pay the application fee; the applicant fails to provide the transfer payment certificate on the Nagasaki University’s transfer payment certificate attachment slip; or submit the transfer payment certificate.
The application fee is not refundable except in the following circumstances:
The application fee was paid but the application documents were insufficient or they accidentally paid the application fee twice. In principle, the refund charge must be borne by the applicant and request for a refund must be made within 14 days from the last day of the application period.
The Nagasaki admission fee is for successful candidates who are offered a place on the Joint PhD Programme. Details on how to pay will be given in the offer of admission letter.
LSHTM and Nagasaki University Tuition Fees
The table below shows the annual tuition fees for each University in their own currency. These are reviewed annually and subject to change. In order to calculate the full 2024/25 fee for the Joint PhD Programme, you will need to add together both. Further information on LSHTM’s tuition fees can be found here.
| 2025/26 | Full-time (all students) |
|---|---|
| Joint PhD fees | |
| LSHTM | GBP 3,535 |
| Nagasaki University | JPY 267,900 |
| Writing-up fee* | GBP 680 |
* Full-time students pay the relevant full-time rate for the first 3 years of study, and then a flat 12-month writing-up fee for year 4.
Funding opportunity
Nagasaki University was awarded the Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education (WISE), offered by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2018. The Nagasaki University WISE Programme for Global Health established a support scheme to provide financial support towards living costs for the selected grantees and a research grant for the grantee’s supervisory team to support the grantee’s research project in global health. Students accepted onto the Joint PhD Programme can apply to the Nagasaki University WISE Programme.
Applicants who are selected as a WISE Programme Student will receive the financial support towards living costs (last year this was approx. JPY 200,000 per month ), and the Nagasaki University School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) supervisor will receive a research grant to support the grantee’s PhD research project (last year this was approx. JPY 2,000,000 per annum). The amount maybe subject to change for this year but further information can be found on the Nagasaki University Wise Programme website.
The WISE programme does NOT cover tuition or admission fees therefore students are responsible to pay all tuition and admission fees by themselves. In addition, the awardees of the financial support towards living costs who have residential status in Japan are required to file on income tax return. For further information about living costs in London, please refer to our Study with us section, and in particular the Cost of living section.
For WISE funding enquiries, please email to: tmghadmin@ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Academic requirements
The programme (and the funding award) is open to any candidate who can satisfy the entrance requirements.
A student must normally satisfy entrance requirements as follows:
The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration is at least one of the following:
- a master’s degree in a subject appropriate to the course of study to be followed (recommended)
- a qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
- an upper second-class honours degree from a UK or Japanese university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject.
Applicants should have evidence of an aptitude for research.
Desirable but not essential is knowledge of the Japanese language and an awareness of Japanese culture.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you will need to meet these requirements: Band B
Please see our English Language Requirements FAQs for information.
The application deadline for 2025/26 is 10 January 2025, 23:59 GMT.
Applying for a doctoral degree can be a lengthy process and requires some preparation. Please read the following two documents before you apply to ensure you send in a completed application with the correct supporting documents.
- Joint PhD Application guidance (September entry)
- Joint PhD supporting documents
To apply, you may either apply for a project from the project list, or you can apply with your own project idea. You can apply for up to 2 projects. A research proposal is needed only for your first choice.
To apply for a project from the research project list:
- Read our Joint PhD application guidance and Joint PhD supporting documents;
- Select topic(s) from the research topics list;
- Contact the lead supervisor(s) of your choice to discuss the project and your interest in it;
- Prepare the application and supporting documents for your application - we strongly recommend that you discuss your application with the listed supervisor; and
- Submit your application through the LSHTM online application portal
To apply with your own project idea: We also encourage you to propose your own research project idea in the field of global health. The research idea should not only be novel but also capitalise on the strengths of the partnership between LSHTM and NU. If you are proposing your own idea you will need to identify supervisors in each institution who would supervise your PhD if your application is successful. If you would like to propose your own idea:
1 - Read our Joint PhD Application guidance and Joint PhD supporting documents
2 - Contact potential supervisors at NU-TMGH and/or LSHTM
3 - Identify one potential supervisor from each university. You may find it helpful to contact the Joint PhD Programme Coordinator, Kazuyo Machiyama and the NU-TMGH admin office to help you identify potential supervisors.
Use the websites to look at research taking place across the Universities and identify the members of staff who would be most appropriate for your area of interest.
LSHTM potential supervisor
There are three main ways to identify an appropriate supervisor at LSHTM to contact
- Browse LSHTM’s Faculties or Centres pages to find the research we do in your area of interest. Our research is multidisciplinary and it may be that your area of interest is represented in more than one Faculty. Centres are cross-Faculty and multidisciplinary. Click through to the department or centre website to find staff profiles.
- Look on the LSHTM People Search database where you can search for potential supervisors by keyword, research areas or region. Not all academics are listed in the people search but it is a good place to start.
- Search our online research resources, LSHTM’s open access repository, including journal articles, theses and videos by School authors. If you identify a research paper that particularly interests you it is likely that one of the authors would be a suitable research supervisor.
See the " before you apply" section of our website for information on finding and writing to a prospective supervisor.
Nagasaki University potential supervisor
To find NU supervisor’s contact details, please visit the TMGH website and faculty contact details can be found under the top bar “About TMGH – Faculty”. If there are no contact details on the faculty page, please email to TMGH admin office: tmghadmin@ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
4 - Prepare the application and supporting documents for your application in discussion with the potential supervisors. In your research proposal, you are expected to describe the roles of LSHTM and NU in your project and explain why the collaboration is helpful, and indicate that you have the approval of the potential supervisors.
5 - Submit your application through the LSHTM online application portal.
After submission of your application:
Applicants who pass the preliminary shortlisting will be invited for an interview.
September 2025 entry:
- Interviews will be held on 13 March 2025.
- Results and notification for successful candidates: JST 10am on 25 March 2025.
1 - Applications
- I am currently a master's student and will not complete it before the deadline, am I still eligible to apply?
If you are graduating before the programme starts, you will be eligible to apply for the Joint PhD programme. As it’s mentioned in the list of supporting documents for application, if you are yet to complete your highest academic qualification, you will need to submit an interim transcript (an up-to-date copy of your results so far) along with your next highest qualification.
- Does my degree certificate need to be translated into English?
Yes. We only accept degree certificates and academic transcripts (and qualification document(s) if relevant) in English.
- What are the English language requirements?
Please read the English requirement FAQs carefully. If English is not your first language, you will need to meet the Band B English language requirements for the Joint PhD Programme.
Applicants who are a national of a majority English-speaking country or who have successfully completed an appropriate academic qualification (at least equivalent to a UK Bachelor’s degree), which was taught in a majority English speaking country from the UKVI approved country list, automatically meet the programme’s English language requirements.
- What if I don't meet the language requirements by the application deadline?
Any applicants who do not meet the Band B English language requirement or are not exempted from providing an English language test score will be required to fulfil this requirement, should an offer of admission be given. If they fail to meet the English language requirement by August, their offer of admission for the year will be rescinded.
- Is the start date flexible for the Joint PhD?
Because Nagasaki University takes students only once a year in October, all joint PhD students must commence the course at the start of an academic year, in late September.
- Is there an intake quota for the Joint PhD programme?
Approximately 5 students will be offered a place.
- How do I pay the application fee?
Only shortlisted applicants who proceed for the interview will be asked to pay the Nagasaki University application fee. Further information about how to pay the application fee will be given to shortlisted applicants. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable except when the application fee was paid but the application documents were insufficient or they accidently paid the application fee twice. In principle, the refund charge must be borne by the applicant and request for a refund must be made within 14 days from the last day of the application period.
- Can I still apply if I don't speak Japanese or have never visited Japan?
It is desirable for applicants to have some knowledge of Japanese language and culture though it is not mandatory. As long as they hold the normal minimum entrance qualification, they can apply to the programme. In your application it is important to show how the link with Japan is relevant for your research.
- Where will the interview take place?
The interview will take place online using the web conferencing system such as Zoom.
2 - Joint PhD Programme
- Is the degree issued and certified by both Nagasaki and LSHTM?
The research degree will be awarded jointly by Nagasaki University and the University of London.
- Do I need to spend 6 months at each University?
Students are normally expected to spend 6 months in each institution during the study. This is to enable students to benefit from the institutions’ academic environment and gain any training required for successful completion of their doctoral work. In some cases, a request can be made to reduce this minimum residency period if students and supervisors can demonstrate that they will receive the necessary training and support, or if personal or financial circumstances make residency challenging.
- Can I study part-time?
NU-LSHTM Joint PhD degree programme is offered as full-time registration only and the students cannot engage in full-time work whilst studying full-time.
3 - Fees & Funding
Please see the general FAQs on fees and funding on the LSHTM website and the Nagasaki University’s WISE website.
- How are the current students paying the tuition fees?
The current students pay the fees from personal savings, family support or other scholarship awards which only cover tuition fees. Nagasaki University runs a competitive waiver scheme for its tuition and admission fees which all successful candidates are eligible to apply for. The decisions on applications for the waivers are made by the Nagasaki University Student Support Department and only a limited number of student(s) who both demonstrate the academic excellence and bear financial hardship shall be considered for the fee waiver.
Please note that the fee waiver is very competitive and the acceptance rate for the admission fee waiver is very low. Please prepare to pay the admission fee and tuition fee in case your fee waiver application is rejected. If the admission or tuition fees are not received by the stipulated deadline, your registration will be terminated.