Dual-award between The University of Manchester and Tsinghua University

The University of Manchester and China's Tsinghua University have come together to offer a unique dual degree PhD programme, with successful applicants spending four life-changing years across Manchester and Beijing.

At Manchester and Tsinghua, you'll benefit from the excellent research infrastructure and academic supervision of not one, but two world-leading institutions.

A female scientists uses a pipette to drop liquid into a series of test tubes.

Why undertake the dual degree PhD programme

  • Embrace the challenge of living abroad in one of the world's most famous cities, in a country with the world's fastest-growing economy.
  • Develop a global perspective and international fluency to benefit your future development, opening the door to exciting new job opportunities.
  • Boost your intercultural skills and become part of a talented pool of prospective employees for UK academia and industry.

About the programme

The first-of-its-kind dual award PhD programme brings together two globally-renowned institutions at the forefront of research.

This dual PhD programme will develop world-class research outputs, while at the same time providing PhD training and skills to support a transition from a fossil resource to a bio-based system.

"It promises to be a fantastic programme and will provide a unique educational experience for the next generation of scientists. The strengths of Manchester and Tsinghua together will provide an excellent environment for PhD students to grow and blossom." - Dr Neil Dixon, former Programme Director.

"This Tsinghua-Manchester dual degree PhD programme will provide unique opportunities for students to experience various research environments of both universities, to learn great sciences across national borders and to become more culturally open. More importantly, the students will exploit complementary strengths of both sites." - Professor George Guoqiang Chen, Programme Director of Tsinghua University.

A double helix of DNA

Life at Tsinghua University

As part of this programme you'll spend two years at Tsinghua University – one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Its campus is also considered one of the world's most beautiful, and is the site of the former imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty.

Spending so much time abroad can seem daunting; but everything is in place to ensure a wonderful, life-changing experience in Beijing.

Many international students attend Tsinghua, and you can find out more about activities and events on the University's website. You can also discover more about opportunities for UK students in China through the British Council campaign Generation UK.

Funding

Recruitment for 2025/26 is now closed, please expect a call for 2026/27 to be live in the late summer / early autumn 2025.

Fees at both institutions are covered as part of the studentship package, and other fantastic funding opportunities include an annual stipend at the minimum UKRI rate (around £20,780 for 2025/26) that will be paid to students while in Manchester, and a commensurate stipend while at Tsinghua. 

You'll also receive an annual Research Training Support Grant towards project running costs/consumables while in Manchester, and a return flight and visa costs between Manchester and Tsinghua will be provided. 

The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology building at The University of Manchester.

Contact us

If you have any queries about the programme, please don't hesitate to get in touch: