Business and Management
MPhil, PhD
Pursue independent research in business and management, developing specialist expertise and contributing to knowledge in your field.
Key facts
- Duration
- Full time: Minimum 3-4 years
- Part time: Minimum 4-6 years
- Starts
- January 2027, September 2027, June 2027
- Level
- PhDs and postgraduate research
- Funding status
- Self-funded
- Location
- Headington
- Distance Learning
- School
- Oxford Brookes Business School
- Application deadline
June 2026 Entry
All application materials must be completed and submitted online by:
- International students: 20 February 2026
- Home, EU with Pre-settled or Settled Status, and Distance Learning students with no visa requirements: 1 April 2026
September 2026 Entry
All application materials must be completed and submitted online by:
- International students: 19 May 2026
- Home, EU with Pre-settled or Settled Status, and Distance Learning students with no visa requirements: 17 June 2026
Overview
Our research in Business and Management encompasses work on:
- organisational behaviour
- leadership
- entrepreneurship and Innovation and
- International Business.
Doctoral students can explore innovative research topics of diverse thematic, spatial, and temporal contexts.
The distance learning mode involves online sessions and intensive 3-5 day blocks of sessions each semester. You can attend the intensive blocks via online synchronous links or on campus (using visitor visas where necessary to visit the UK). You will be supported by a Director of Studies and a second supervisor throughout your studies.
As a doctoral student in Business and Management you will be supported to pursue and publish original research, combining your empirical enquiry with a theoretical contribution to knowledge. You will also be invited to a range of training workshops and speaker events organised by the university, joining a vibrant community of students of diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
Research expertise
Oxford Brookes Business School boasts a diverse team of expert supervisors in variety of areas including Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Diversity and Equality, Coaching and Mentoring, Business and Organisational History, amongst others. Regardless of the disciplinary focus, our supervisors strive to promote responsible business and managerial practices that have a positive societal impact.
If you study for a PhD in Business and Management you will normally be linked to one of the four research centres depending on your chosen topic within Business and Management: the Centre of Business Society and Global Challenges (BSGC); the Oxford Regions Innovation, Enterprise Lab (ORIEL); the International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies; or the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| IELTS | IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in all skills. For more information, please see our English language requirements. |
Applicants should have a good honours degree and a good master's degree at merit level or above that includes a thesis component.
Applicants with equivalent experience will be considered.
Degree routes
All students enrol as probationer research students. The degree for which you register will depend on your academic qualifications and research experience. During the first year you will formally register your research proposal for one of the below routes.
Fees and funding
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?
Learning and assessment
While every candidate’s experience will vary according to their particular discipline, topic and methodology, there are several elements that all will undertake:
- investigating and evaluating an approved topic
- undertaking a critical review of the existing literature in your topic area to set the theoretical context for your work and help demonstrate a gap in the existing body of work
- developing and implementing a rigorous and appropriate methodology for researching your topic
- demonstrating that your research conforms to all relevant ethical codes of practice
- extensive primary field research, analysis and evaluation.
You are supported in your studies through a series of workshops, available on-campus. These workshops include:
- Newcomer and progression registration workshops
- University Research Ethics approach workshop
- Beginning and developing your evaluation of the literature
- Qualitative/Quantitative research approaches workshops A and B
- Completing your first draft and viva preparation sessions
Assessment
Your progression on the full-time doctoral award will be monitored through an annual process undertaken at the end of each academic year, and through two key progression points after approximately six months and eighteen months of study respectively. Equivalent progression points are identified for part-time candidates.
Formative assessment is ongoing through engagement with deadlines set with your supervisory team, and feedback from OBBS research panels.
Summative assessment takes place through the submission of a 80,000-100,000 word thesis and oral examination (viva voce) with internal and external examiners appointed by the University.
Careers
Our PhD alumni go on to work in a variety of different settings including academic, government and related agencies, multinationals and small and medium-sized enterprises.
A doctoral award allows you to demonstrate you have the highest level of critical analysis and thinking skills which can be applied to a range of organisational settings. Where and how you apply these advanced research and knowledge insights will depend upon your research topic and aspirations for making a difference to organisations and communities.
Many of our alumni have published from their doctoral studies, in practitioner as well as peer reviewed journals. In addition, many doctoral alumni contribute book chapters or complete books based on their research.
Graduate careers
- Business
Oxford Brookes Business School Doctoral Programme Overview
How to apply
- Complete your research proposal
- Gather your supporting documents (listed below)
- Make a direct application.
When applying for this programme of study please upload all of the required supporting documents listed below to the online application portal. If you have any difficulty completing your application, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
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)