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

Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management

MPhil, PhD

Pursue independent research in hospitality, tourism and events management, developing specialist expertise and contributing to knowledge in your field.

Start your application

Apply direct

Key facts

Duration: Full time: minimum 3 years; Part time: minimum 4 years
Starts: September 2027, January 2027, June 2027
Level: PhDs and postgraduate research
Funding status: Self-funded
Location: Headington
School: Oxford Brookes Business School

Overview

Our research in hospitality, tourism and events encompasses work on:

sustainable planning and development
experience design and customer experience management
organisational behaviour
digital marketing
dark tourism
revenue and financial management strategy
entrepreneurship
consumer behaviour
stakeholder engagement and
social impacts.

The distance learning mode involves regular online sessions and intensive 3-5 day blocks of sessions each semester. You can attend the intensive blocks via online synchronous links or by coming to campus (using visitor visas where necessary to visit the UK).

Relevant research centres to this programme:

Centre of Business Society and Global Challenges (BSGC)

Oxford Regions Innovation, Enterprise Lab (ORIEL) International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies (ICCAMS).

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.

There are two routes toward obtaining a PhD.

MPhil/PhD route

By far the most popular and common is the MPhil/PhD route. This entails students initially registering for the degree of MPhil/PhD, before transferring to full PhD status, should sufficient progress have been made with their work. Transfer to full PhD status normally happens after 18 months for full time students and after roughly 24-26 months for part time students.

Thesis: 100,000 words.

Length of study: Full-time: 3-4 years. Part-time: 4-6 years.

Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement for the MPhil/PhD route 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.

PhD Direct

The alternative route toward obtaining a PhD is known as a PhD Direct in which the student registers directly to study for a PhD. Accordingly, the student does not need to undergo a formal transfer assessment and the minimum period of study is shorter compared to the MPhil/PhD route.

Thesis: 80,000 - 100,000 words.

Length of study: minimum of two years full time and three years part time.

Entry requirement: This is the same as for the MPhil/PhD route, except that the student must demonstrate an exceptional level of preparedness and aptitude for PhD study, for instance in the form of an MPhil degree or an outstanding performance at Masters level in an area very closely aligned with the PhD.

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

Learning and assessment

While every candidate’s exact experience will vary according to their particular discipline, topic and methodology, there are a number of common elements that all students will undertake:

critically investigating and evaluating an approved topic
undertaking an analytical review of the existing literature in your topic area to set the theoretical context for your work and help demonstrate the gap in knowledge you will address
developing and then 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.

Your progression 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.

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.

We require the following supporting documents for every candidate making an application to study a research degree:

copies of your previous degree transcripts and certificates (both undergraduate and postgraduate)
a scan of your passport
two academic references
a 2,000-word Research Topic Proposal
evidence of funding (we require evidence of personal funds or a letter from a funder if you will be sponsored)
international students must also provide an English Language Certificate with an IELTS score of at least 7.0.

We suggest merging your supporting documents into a single PDF file. Please note there are options for you to submit your two references.

Start your application Apply direct

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)

Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management

Key facts

Overview

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Degree routes

MPhil

PhD

Fees and funding

Fees

Fees

How and when to pay

Questions about fees?

Funding and scholarships

Additional Costs

Learning and assessment

How to apply

Supporting documents