Since 2019, the Medicine Section of the Faculty of Science and Medicine of the University of Fribourg offers a doctoral programme leading to the academic degree of Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med./MD).

Research areas
PhD students generally form part of a research group in the Medicine Section. The Medicine Section is made up of five departments at several locations (mainly the university's Pérolles site and Fribourg Hospital) with a broad range of different research activities. These are:

• Endocrinology, Metabolic Science and Cardiovascular System
• Neurosciences and Movement Science
• Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Medicine and Public Health
• Medical-Surgical Specialties

The Institute for Family Medicine and the National Reference Centre for the Early Detection and Monitoring of Antibiotic Resistance (NARA) are also affiliated to the Medical Section.

With the agreement of the Faculty, research work may be carried out at other universities, research centres or university hospitals, as well as at industrial companies, provided the appropriate research infrastructure, competent people available to supervise the research project and an academic environment (access to academic colloquia, seminars and conferences, other researchers in related fields, etc.) are available on site.

Content of the doctoral programme and learning outcomes
The doctoral programme focuses on high-quality, independent research work. This personal research project is carried out over a period of up to four years. Students' research projects must be embedded in a research programme of the supervising professor.

The students acquire in-depth knowledge of medical science. In addition, they learn how to plan and conduct theoretical and practical work, apply methodological concepts and analytical methods and critically assess scientific results and communicate them by means of presentations and publications. More generally, scientific flexibility, teamwork and a sense of responsibility are encouraged. Students will take part in lecture series, vocational continuing education courses and the activities of the responsible research group.

Research supervision
Theses are usually supervised by professors from the Medicine Section. With the consent of the Faculty of Science and Medicine, external professors, appropriate members of the university's non-professorial teaching staff or senior doctors from Fribourg Hospital or external hospitals may supervise a thesis. In the latter cases, there must be supplementary supervision by a Faculty professor.

List of research groups: See Contact