Marketing
MPhil or PhD
Key facts
Start dates
September 2023 / January 2024 / June 2024
Application deadline
Applications must be received in full by:
- 15 June 2023 (for September 2023 entry)
- 15 September 2023 (for January 2024 entry)
- 15 January 2024 (for June 2024 entry)
Course length
Full time: minimum 3 years
Part time: minimum 4 years
Department
Funding status
Self-funded
Overview
Marketing is a highly dynamic and wide ranging subject area and we welcome doctoral students who wish to critically investigate both marketing theory and practice through questioning established thinking to create progressive knowledge. We value and encourage diverse methodologies and engagement with different types of organisations and contexts.
Our doctoral supervisors in Marketing are recognised experts in consumer psychology digital marketing, social media adoption and usage, sustainable and societal marketing, non-profit marketing, marketing strategy and brand management.
The Marketing subject group and researchers provides a vibrant and supportive community in which to immerse yourself, including collaborative events, as well as opportunities to publish your research and gain teaching experience.
If you study for a PhD in Marketing you will normally be linked to either the Centre of Business Society and Global Challenges (BSGC) or Oxford Regions Innovation, Enterprise Lab (ORIEL) depending on your chosen topic within Marketing.

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.
MPhil
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 oral examination.
Thesis: 50,000 words
Length of study: Full-time: 2-3 years. Part-time: 3-4 years.
PhD
The criteria for a PhD are similar to those for an MPhil, with the key difference that:
- the research carried out will result in an independent and original contribution to knowledge.
Thesis: 100,000 words
Length of study: Full-time: 3-4 years. Part-time: 4-6 years.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
You will benefit from:
- a supervisory team of two to three supervisors who can provide the best combination of expertise to support your work
- training courses in research methods provided by the Business School and wider University
- regular seminars and learning activities at department, school and university level
- experience of presenting work to different audiences
- opportunities to network and discuss your work with staff and fellow students.
- engage with our entrepreneurs in residence and visiting entrepreneurs
- Work with local businesses
- collaborative opportunities, including receiving industrial funding and sponsorship.
You will be supported in developing and sharing your expertise through:
- opportunities to present at internal seminars and conferences
- dupport in attending, and ultimately presenting at external conferences (some financial assistance is available)
- training as an Associate Lecturer and the opportunity to engage in teaching activity on appropriate modules offered by the Business School.
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.

Students

Junior Oliveira de Almeida
Online engagement among child consumers of child-produced YouTube content

Luiza Gaysina
Gift-giving: A consumer-resource framework for understanding consumer gifting behaviour around gift cards in two capital cities, London and Moscow

Saptaparni Chaki
Evaluating empowered personhood among young Indian women: A case study of skin lightening creams marketed in India

Kumar Shrayamsa
Product Placement in Mobile Games: An exploration of the impact of game enjoyment and congruency on product placement recall and recognition for female Indian gamers
How to apply
Entry 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.
Application process
- Complete your research proposal
- Gather your supporting documents (listed below)
- Make a direct application.
If you have any difficulty completing your application, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Supporting documents
When applying for this programme of study please upload all of the required supporting documents listed below to the online application portal.
We suggest merging your supporting documents into a single PDF file. Please note there are two specifically designated options for you to upload your two references to.
- 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 letter from funder if being sponsored)
- international students must also provide an English Language Certificate with an IELTS score of at least 7.0.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees
Fees increase by approximately 4% each year and apply to all MPhil, MPhil/PhD, PhD, MA by Research, MSc by Research and LLM by Research programmes.
If you have any questions about fees, get in touch with the Research Degrees Team at rdt-researchdegrees@brookes.ac.uk.
Compulsory costs
Additional costs | 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:
|
£1386 |
Optional costs
Additional costs | 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) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £8 |
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. |
£1386 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.