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Doctoral study in the Business School

We offer doctoral programmes across all of our departments, and support to help you develop original research.

About our research degrees

Our doctoral programmes will help you advance or change your career, deepen your expertise in a topic, and expand your research and practical skills.

You’ll join our doctoral students who work closely with businesses and communities on impactful research at a regional, national and international level.

Through these collaborations, our doctoral students are finding fair, productive solutions to today’s technical, commercial and strategic challenges.

Reasons to study a doctoral degree in the business school

Immerse yourself in our research culture

Our doctoral students are an integral part of our thriving community.

Prepare for a career in academia or industry

Whatever your plans, we’ll equip you with the skills you need to make an impact.

Complete our extensive research training programme

Develop subject-specific and transferable skills.

Attend seminars, symposiums and networking events

You’ll have regular opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons.

Explore our doctoral programmes

Visit our doctoral programme pages to discover our academics’ research interests and areas of expertise.

Please contact the doctoral research degree coordinator for your subject area to discuss your projects and ideas.

Training and development for doctoral students

Doctoral Research Training Programme

In the first 18 months of your doctoral programme – or two years for part-time programmes – you’ll complete the Doctoral Research Training Programme.

This will develop your skills in research methodologies as you begin your doctoral study. You’ll develop as an independent doctoral student, in line with the training guidelines suggested by the Economic and Social Research Council.

The training programme includes three online units:

  • Literature Reviewing

  • Principles of Research Design

  • Data Collection and Analysis

For each unit, you’ll complete an assessed piece of work which will directly support the development of your research milestones.

Faculty of Business and Law Doctoral Symposium

At this annual event, you can share, discuss and explore ideas in a supportive environment. It’s a great opportunity to develop your presentation and critical evaluation skills. The symposium follows the format of an academic conference.

Development opportunities

You’ll get regular opportunities to engage with the wider doctoral community and develop your research skills. These include:

  • the three-minute thesis competition

  • the Annual Doctoral Research Conference

  • an active programme of supplementary research skills training, offered by the The University’s Doctoral College.

  • advanced doctoral training, offered by the Northern Advanced Regional Training Initiative.

Fees and funding