PhD without residence - Ahlia

• It represents a unique opportunity for anyone who is unable to spend three years abroad – maybe due to work or family commitments – to be awarded a PhD by a UK university with an international reputation
• It has been judged to meet the standards set by the UK's Quality Assurance Agency (the organisation responsible for upholding academic standards and quality of higher education in the UK)
• You can choose from a wide range of research topics – research interests of academic staff span all the main areas of business and management research (for further information, please download the brochure)
• You will have access to the research expertise of Brunel Business School academics without having to leave Bahrain: members of Brunel Business School have published extensively and are recognised as leaders in a range of research fields
• You will receive support from academics at Ahlia and be entitled to make full use of Ahlia's excellent facilities

• You will be based for your studies at Ahlia University and have full access to all of Ahlia's facilities including its extensive library
• You will be assigned two academic supervisors who will support and guide you over the course of your PhD: your first supervisor will be based at Brunel University and your second/local supervisor will be based at Ahlia University, Bahrain.
  
• You will be nominally attached to a [research centre] within Brunel Business School
• You will also be encouraged to attend conferences and to disseminate your research
• Brunel Business School regularly runs seminars and workshops in Bahrain to help you with your study and research skills
• You are strongly encouraged to visit Brunel wherever possible throughout your studies, your Viva will take place at Brunel University.

Applicants are normally expected to hold a good honours degree in a relevant academic discipline. Ideally you should also have successfully completed a Master's degree. Applicants who do not meet these academic requirements but who have significant occupational experience will be considered on a case by case basis.

If English is not your first language you will be required to demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency. Anyone who has not studied for either of their degrees in English will need to be achieved an IELTS score of at least 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in the written subject and 5.5 in each of the other sub-tests or the equivalent TOEFL or BrunELT scores.

Please note that in order for your application to be considered, you will need to have already met the Business school’s English language requirements at the time of application. Should a candidate submit an application without having already achieved the English language entry requirement, the application will be declined automatically. For further details, visit: www.brunel.ac.uk/international/languagerequirements

Full-time only. You will be expected to complete your PhD in 3 years. Assessment is based on your submitted thesis and its oral defence in a viva voce. This will be held at Brunel University in the UK and will be conducted under Brunel regulations.

The fees are shown here www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/pg/postgraduate-fees. Fees are reviewed annually and are likely to subject to a small increase each year. Details of any sponsorship arrangements are required prior to enrolment.

Fees are payable to Ahlia University prior to enrolment in full and are still subject to a capped increase each academic year.

To support your application you should include a research proposal. This should detail the proposed area and structure of your research and should extend to about 1,000 words. Your proposal will be used to assess how consistent your research interests are with the School's current research activities, to judge whether the research is possible, necessary and timely and to decide whether you have the appropriate skills to carry out your proposed study.

Please describe your research area and research issues of interest and also the rationale for your research. You should also identify the relationship between the literature and your proposed research and discuss the importance of your research interest: is it something that is absent from the current literature or something that needs further development? Please also provide information about your proposed methodology and specify any conceptual or technical limitations.

Research Proposal (289KB PDF)

Please visit www.brunel.ac.uk/international/applying-to-brunel/i-have-not-yet-applied/postgraduate and download and complete the application form for international applicants (please note we only accept applications via this PDF form). You will need to support your application with a detailed research proposal (see left) and two references.

Once you have completed your application form (please take particular care to ensure that your personal statement (Section 19) fully explains why you are interested in studying for a PhD, how a PhD will contribute to your future career plans and why you have chosen Brunel's PhD without residence programme at Ahlia University), please send it together with:

• Your research proposal (see left)
• Your CV
• Authenticated copies of your academic qualifications
  (Master's and Bachelor's degree certificates and transcripts)
• Proof of English Language proficiency
• Two references, one of which must be from an academic

to:

S. Gowrishankar
Manager,
Business Relations,
Ahlia University, Bahrain.

Tel: +973 (0)17 298973, +973 (0)17 298999.
Mobile: +973 (0)3 988 7612.
Email: gowrishankar@ahliauniversity.edu.bh
Website: www.ahliauniversity.edu.bh

Please note the application deadline of 30 April each academic year for enrolment in the following October;
ie you will need to apply by 30 April to begin your PhD in October.