The MD degree – on a par academically with the PhD – is aimed at medically qualified clinicians working in Cambridge who hold suitable research appointments within Cambridge University Health Partners (i.e. the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust).Research projects, allied to the area in which the candidate is currently employed, can be undertaken across the whole spectrum of medical science from basic biology to clinical therapies. All applicants must be employed by CUHP at the time of their application and have sufficient dedicated research time (full- or part-time) to complete the proposed research.Applicants are asked to submit a detailed research proposal with their application. If accepted, University supervisor will be appointed and the candidate will be expected to work on the project part-time (usually alongside their clinical commitments within CUHP), and to submit their thesis within a maximum of six years. Like the PhD, the work is examined by thesis and viva. As registered part-time students of the University, MD candidates will have access to a wide range of library and computing facilities, as well as social and pastoral resources in their Colleges.AssessmentThesisThe MD is assessed by thesis and viva. The requirements for the thesis follow those for the PhD: maximum of 60,000 words.