Consider yourself a chocoholic? Well perhaps you might consider taking your dedication to the next level by continuing your chocolate education and getting a Master’s degree on the subject.

A fully-funded PhD studentship in the field of chocolate is currently being offered by the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at The University of the West of England.

Yes, successful applicants will actually get paid to research in-depth one of life’s earthly pleasures, receiving an annual tax-free stipend of £14,296 – just think of how many bars of Cadbury’s that could buy?

Those who are seriously thinking of applying to the sexily titled “Metagenomic Studies of the Microbiota of Fermented Cacao Beans – Application for the Chocolate Industry” must be ready to do more than sample chocolate however.

The core course goals are to study the genetic factors that influence the flavour, specifically evaluating “how the microbiota involved in the fermentation process lead to specific chocolate flavor” and “identifying farm-specific DNA markers characterising the microbiota on the surface of fermented cacao beans” to help track certified cacao products.

If you are interested in becoming a Doctor of Chocolate it’s time to put down that chocolate bar and get started on the application form, which are only being accepted only until February 27th.