A 2:1 or a Master's in a related field
UCL lists an upper second-class UK Bachelor's, or a UK Master's, in life or physical sciences or engineering.
Doctoral · UCL Biochemical Engineering
UCL Biochemical Engineering PhD: a life-science or engineering degree, industry partners
The UCL Biochemical Engineering PhD takes an upper second-class UK Bachelor's, or a UK Master's, in life or physical sciences or engineering, and says relevant industrial experience can also be considered. Its research centres are partnered with more than 80 bioprocess companies, and applicants are told to identify and contact potential supervisors before applying and to provide two references. For an engineering or life-science graduate, the decision is whether your degree fits and which supervisor and research area you would approach. This guide sets out what UCL says for 2027/28 entry, marks Avandy's judgment separately and ends with next steps.
Official information · last verified for 2027-28 entry
What UCL asks for in UCL Biochemical Engineering PhD
Taken from the UCL Biochemical Engineering MPhil/PhD course page (2027/28 entry), supplied as full text in the Central evidence handoff and read on 1 November 2026. The page describes 2027-28 entry. For a 2028-29 start, applied for in 2027-28, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; UCL's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
Industrial experience can count
Relevant industrial experience can also be considered.
Industry partners
UCL says its research centres are partnered with more than 80 bioprocess companies and organisations.
Contact supervisors first
In most cases UCL says to identify and contact potential supervisors before applying.
Two references
The course requires two references.
Official sources
Read on 1 November 2026 on the UCL Biochemical Engineering MPhil/PhD course page (2027/28 entry), supplied as full text in the Central evidence handoff, which describes 2027-28 entry. Imperial's deadline, fee and funding tables, scholarship pages, the department's research pages and the University's application guidance were not used and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does your degree route and plan fit what UCL lists?
This guide concerns only the UCL research degree. The reading below is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the course page says.
It fits if
you hold an upper second or a Master's in engineering or a life or physical science and want research connected to industry.
Think again if
you have no supervisor in mind. UCL says that in most cases you should contact potential supervisors first.
Check the page
UCL's course page is the source; module and fee details change by cycle and are not stated here.
How the application is read
What UCL says about entry and applying
UCL says applications are considered throughout the year, that deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements and that in most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors before applying. The course requires two references, and you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses in any application cycle.
How the degree runs
Structure and working pattern
UCL describes doctoral researchers at its Industrial Doctoral Training Centre, with many research degree opportunities funded by UKRI and EPSRC and projects aligned with themes such as sustainability, genomics, affordable therapeutic outcomes, complex biological materials and process development. Research areas include industrial biotechnology, macromolecular medicines and cell and gene therapy bioprocessing. This is the 2027/28 page and may change.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not UCL rules and carry no probability.
Applying without a supervisor
UCL says that in most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors first.
Over-applying
UCL limits applications to two graduate courses per cycle.
Assuming funding follows entry
UCL says deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements.
Late references
The course requires two references.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Check your degree route
Compare your degrees with the stated entry requirement.
Define the research question
Write down the biochemical engineering question you want to pursue.
Find a supervisor or group
Read the department's research pages and identify who could supervise.
Plan the application
Read UCL's application guidance for the cycle you apply in.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
UCL's course page describes entry in 2027-28. A start in 2028-29 means applying in the 2027-28 cycle, under rules UCL has not yet published. Each item below is either last verified for 2027-28 entry, which means UCL published it for the previous cycle and it may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the route and the application
The entry standard, the application items and the research-degree structure are described on Imperial's pages for the 2027-28 cycle. Imperial has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Imperial publishes them per cycle; read them again when they show 2028-29.
What to do now
Check your degree route against UCL's entry requirement, define your biochemical engineering research question and identify a supervisor.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with University College London or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does the UCL Biochemical Engineering PhD ask for?
The entry requirement is an upper second-class UK Bachelor's or a UK Master's in life or physical sciences or engineering, or an overseas equivalent.
How is the degree structured?
Doctoral researchers work at UCL Biochemical Engineering's Industrial Doctoral Training Centre.
Does UCL state a deadline here?
This guide states no deadline, fee or funding, because UCL publishes them per cycle. Check the course page for the cycle you apply in.
Does the degree include funding?
This guide did not use UCL's fees and funding section and states no funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the UCL Biochemical Engineering PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.