Doctoral study programme

At the Business School you can choose from one of our wide selection of research areas. The programme is spread over three years and the programme structure is detailed below. 

Research Training

Research training is offered in the first year of the Doctoral programme which provides training in research design and methods.  Specialist courses in the student's chosen area are also offered which  include taught courses.

Thesis research

Students start working on their own thesis research as soon as they enter the programme and have to meet formal deliverables and deadlines throughout the course in order to ensure their thesis work progresses smoothly.

Six-week research plan

During the first six weeks, students work with their supervisors to refine their initial plans, defining the research question and outlining the core literature of their research area.

First year review

Once the initial research plan has been submitted, students continue to work on their chosen topics. During the first year, along with their course work, students (apart from finance and economics students) undertake a systematic review of the literature of their subject to identify alternative research questions and refine their research plans.

Students make a formal presentation of the results of this work to an internal review committee, where they are expected to have achieved good knowledge of their subject, as well as to outline a realistic research plan covering both theoretical and empirical work.

Second year review

Armed with feedback from the first annual review, students work intensely on their thesis plans. This phase involves theoretical and empirical research design, culminating in a formal transfer report, presented to the thesis committee for review. An unsuccessful review may result in the student being relegated to an MPhil (Master’s) track.

During the second and third years of their thesis research work, students normally collect and analyse empirical data. Most of the empirical work should be completed during this period in order to allow sufficient time for analysing the data and writing up the thesis.

Years three and four

The formal write-up stage normally begins during the third year of PhD studies. During the third and fourth years, students will write up and submit the thesis and sit the viva voce examination. All theses must be submitted within four years of starting the programme.

Please note that it is not possible to enrol on the doctoral programme on a part-time or distance learning basis - students must be in attendance in the UK throughout the course of study.