| Qualification | Start dates | Entry requirements | Full- or Part-time | Assessment | |
| Master of Philosophy (MPhil); Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) | January April July September |
First or Second Class Honours Degree | Level of English required | Full-time / Part-time | Written assessment (dissertation) |
Course Outline
We offer two different levels of postgraduate research, each in either full-time or part-time mode. These degrees by research require an original contribution to the body of knowledge in a particular academic or professional discipline.
- DPhil -3 academic years of full-time study or 6 years of part-time study.
- MPhil -2 academic years of full-time study or 4 years of part-time study.
Normally, postgraduate students wishing to register for our DPhil programme must first register for the MPhil and seek conversion at a later stage. The School operates a system of preliminary registration for all research degrees so as to allow students to prepare a formal proposal during their first two terms of study. All research students must also subject their work to an annual progress review.
Postgraduate research is not to be taken lightly! Above all, we seek to achieve an acceptable match involving a capable and well-motivated student, an appropriate research topic, and a member of faculty able / willing to supervise the research. A limited number of scholarships are available.
We currently have 12 research students registered in the Business School. Over the past five years, we have had 9 successful DPhil candidates with a similar number of successful Masters candidates.
Teaching Method
Candidates spend the aforementioned time period undertaking supervised research, at the end of which they submit a thesis embodying the results of that research. This thesis must demonstrate familiarity with, and an understanding of the subject, its principal sources and authorities. It should display critical discrimination and a sense of proportion in evaluating evidence and the judgements of others. The subject should be dealt with in a competent and scholarly manner.
Research Options
Recent examples of doctoral work include dissertations on:
- transformational management in Eastern Europe
- the role of knowledge management in creating a customer-driven service organisation
- the development of effective call centre agents.
- the professional service firm: designing delivery systems
- the effective call centre employee
- pricing decisions and the neo-classical economic theory of the firm
Research proposals are invited from areas of marketing, accounting, finance, strategy, organisational behaviour, service management and social and economic transformation.
