Three students at Oxford Brookes University chatting and smiling while walking down the stairs in the new teaching building.

Built Environment

MPhil, PhD, PhD by Published Work

Pursue independent research in built environment, developing specialist expertise and contributing to knowledge in your field.

How to apply

Research proposal guidelines Doctoral Training Programme Brochure

Key facts

Duration: Full time: 1 - 3 years; Part time: 2 - 6 years
Starts: January 2027, June 2027, September 2027
Level: PhDs and postgraduate research
Funding status: Self-funded
Location: Headington
School: School of the Built Environment
Application deadline: It is recommended that you apply at least 6 months in advance to allow adequate time for your application to be processed (in the case of UK/EU applicants no less than 4-6 weeks).

Overview

The School of the Built Environment has a dynamic and thriving research programme within a research environment that is internationally recognised for its quality and impact.

Research students play a vital role in the school and are integrated into all aspects of academic life, through:

Research groups
Involvement in research projects
Seminar series
Teaching.

Applications are welcomed from students whose research interests complement those of the research groups. We are particularly interested in applications for:

Planning
Real Estate
Construction.

Research expertise

Staff in the School engage in a continuous stream of interdisciplinary cutting-edge research and scholarly activities designed to meet the current needs and anticipate future requirements of the built environment. The School has an impressive list of funders and clients covering UK and EU government, research funding councils and industry. Links with universities worldwide provide exciting opportunities for collaborative research, exchanges and overseas study.

Key areas of expertise and scholarship in the school are centred around the following research groups. Applications are welcomed from students whose research interests complement those of our research groups.

Research Groups

Land, Design and Development (LDD)
Smart Construction and Impact Assessment (SC&IA)
Planning, Policy and Governance (PPG)
Co-Creation
Healthy Urban Mobility (HUM)
The Effect of Offshore Wind on the Human Environment (THEOW)
Spaces of Hope: Hidden Histories of Community Planning in the UK

Entry requirements

Qualification	Typical offer
IELTS	IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in all skills. For more information, please see our English language requirements.

Please see the specific entry requirement details in the degree route section above.

Applicants should normally hold a 1st or Upper Second Class Degree (or recognised equivalent qualification).

Appropriate applications will be considered from outstanding candidates with substantial prior experience at an appropriate level.

Degree routes

All students enrol as probationer research students. During the first year you will formally register your research proposal for one of the below routes.

The degree for which you register will depend on your academic qualifications and research experience.

If you undertake an MPhil you will:

critically investigate and evaluate an approved topic
demonstrate understanding of research methods - appropriate to the chosen field
Present and defend a substantial thesis by viva.

Entry requirement: The minimum entry requirement for an MPhil degree, or an MPhil with the intention of transferring to a PhD, is a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree or equivalent qualification.

Applications are also welcomed from those holding qualifications other than the above and will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed. You will be required to provide the names of two academic referees.

The degree of PhD on the basis of published work may be awarded to candidates whose submitted work:

reflects the same academic standards as those which operate for a traditional PhD based upon an approved programme of supervised research
forms a coherent programme of research
demonstrates the use of appropriate research methodology
and makes an original and sufficient contribution to the present state of knowledge in a particular field to the satisfaction of the examiners.

Applicants should normally have had some prior association with Oxford Brookes University. The submission for examination comprises the published work on which the application is based, together with a supporting critical appraisal of this work.

Length of study:

Part Time: 1 year

Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement is:

a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree
a relevant master’s qualification
or an equivalent qualification.

Applications from those holding qualifications other than the above will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed.

You may undertake a programme of research in which your own creative work or practice forms the most significant part of the intellectual enquiry. These creative work degrees may be in any field but must be undertaken as part of a registered research programme.

Length of study:

Full Time: min 2 years, max 3 years for MPhil component only; for MPhil/PhD, min 3 years, max 5 years.
Part Time: min 3 years, max 4 years for MPhil component only; for MPhil/PhD, min 4 years, max 6 years.

Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement is:

a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree
a relevant master’s qualification
or an equivalent qualification.

Applications from those holding qualifications other than the above will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed.

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees
Fee types	2026/27
Home full-time	£5,338
Home part-time	£2,669
International full-time	£18,300
International part-time	£9,150

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

Additional Costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Compulsory additional costs
Compulsory	Amount
Continuation fee The continuation fee, where it is payable is compulsory, but not applicable to Masters by research or PhD by Published Work, detailed as follows: • All MPhil/PhD full-time students are required to pay the full-time fee for three complete academic years before they are eligible to pay the continuation fee; • All MPhil/PhD part-time students are required to pay the part-time fee for six complete academic years before they are eligible to pay the continuation fee. • All PhD Direct full-time students are required to pay the full-time fee for two complete academic years before they are eligible to pay the continuation fee; • All PhD Direct part-time students are required to pay the part-time fee for three complete academic years before they are eligible to pay the continuation fee.	£1,455

Optional additional costs
Optional	Amount
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online.	From £30
You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand.	£20 - £60 per book
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills)	£107 - £301 per week
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs)	£139 - £248 per week
Fines are payable on items returned late although we will give you 5 days to return an item before fines are payable. Find out more about how to borrow and return items.	£1 per book
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes with single bus fares in the UK currently capped at £3. Oxford Brookes has committed to offering heavily discounted bus travel for students for at least three years from July 2026 with further information on our Travel webpages.	From £3
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41.	Typically £0 - £200
Resubmission fees If following viva, examiners recommend that a student is required to revise and resubmit their thesis for re-examination, they must pay the resubmission fee for the duration of that period.	£1,455
Bench fees for full-time study will be calculated on an individual basis and the amount will depend on the subject and project. In some cases no bench fee will be charged.	£5,000
Bench fees for full-time study will be calculated on an individual basis and the amount will depend on the subject and project. In some cases no bench fee will be charged.	£2,500

Learning and assessment

As signatories to Vitae Oxford Brookes fully supports the rounded development of research students. Your research will be supported by your supervisory team who are all experts in their fields and have experience of working closely with postgraduate students.

The School’s Postgraduate Research Tutor (PGRT) also ensures that you receive a stimulating and appropriate programme of wider support. Our Graduate College organise and support a variety of events for research students; training and networking sessions to bolster skills, develop concepts and share ideas.

The Faculty’s Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) brings together staff and students from the Schools of Architecture, Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, and Art for bespoke training sessions contributing to your development as a researcher. Students are also encouraged to join at least one of the University’s seven research networks. These provide opportunities to develop collaboration that strengthens multi-disciplinary research undertaken by Brookes academic staff and research students.

Assessment

Assessment and monitoring of progress takes place through a number of key stages from the formal registration of your proposal, gaining of ethics approval if required for fieldwork, transfer from MPhil to PhD and the final examination by viva. These are all supported by your supervisory team and the PGRT.

Careers

Career development is a key part of the research student journey at Brookes. The University provides an excellent programme of career and professional development training which can be found on the Programme for Researchers page.

How to apply

Please check that you meet the entry requirements, financial requirements and English language requirements of the programme.
Explore our research groups and supervisory staff pages to see how your chosen field of study aligns with the research portfolio within the school.
Agree your research
At this stage, you should contact Dr Richmond Ehwi at rehwi@brookes.ac.uk or +44(0)1865 534014. Advise Dr Ehwi that you are considering making an application.
You are also welcome to contact particular academics to help you develop your ideas.
Formulate your proposal. You can indicate any staff members whom you would like to work with, or the Tutors will circulate your proposal to the most appropriate staff to get their comments.
If the proposal is accepted the Tutors will ask you to make a formal application, or give you advice on how the proposal may be improved. For guidance on writing a PhD research proposal see our Guide to writing PhD Research Proposals.

Our MPhil/PhD programme requires additional supporting documentation to be submitted as part of the application process.

research proposal
scan of your passport - to confirm your name and date of birth. We will then ensure that any offer letters issued to you correspond with your passport name, this will help when applying for a Student visa.
IELTS Certificate or equivalent (if required) – no older than two years from the proposed start date of your programme.
scan of your final degree certificates already awarded
scan of transcripts
two references (at least one academic). Your references must be on institutional headed paper and be dated and signed by referee(s).
evidence of funding – (if sponsored by an employer or government, you must provide evidence in the form of a recently dated sponsorship letter on official headed paper. If supporting your studies from private funds, you must provide a recently dated bank statement).

After your Oxford Brookes online application has been submitted, these documents can be e-mailed directly to the Research Administrator in the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment at tde-researchpgr@brookes.ac.uk.

How to apply Research proposal guidelines Doctoral Training Programme Brochure

Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)

Built Environment

Key facts

Overview

Research expertise

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Degree routes

MPhil

PhD by Published Work

PhD by Creative Work (PhD by Design)

Fees and funding

Fees

Fees

How and when to pay

Questions about fees?

Funding and scholarships

Additional Costs

Learning and assessment

Assessment

Careers

How to apply

Supporting documents