Management PhD

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Research activities within the Business School at Brunel cover a wide-ranging and diverse field of topics from accounting, through HR, to strategy. Academic staff involved within these programmes investigate corporate governance and social responsibility, employment relations, information systems, corporate brands, marketplace cultures, international business and entrepreneurship and much more. Our research drives forward global business and societal transformation and is applied to many areas, such as NASA’s mission to Mars, humanitarian relief in Iran, biobank network across Europe, British Monarchy brand in the UK, to innovating the public sector in Saudi Arabia. 

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in this area.

PhD Community in the Business School

Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in-depth and contribute new knowledge to your discipline. Here at BBS, we have five key subject areas:

• Marketing and Corporate Brand Management
• Organisation and Human Resource Management
• International Business and Entrepreneurship
• Operations and Information Systems Management
• Accounting and Auditing  

We are one of the largest PhD student cohorts in the UK. We have approximately 160 students based in the UK and around 25 based in Bahrain. Our student cohort is culturally diverse, with students from 34 different countries.  The male to female ratio is at 47% to 53%. We have 4 self-elected student reps and they discuss PhD students’ comments and issues with the PGR director regularly. There are dedicated, high spec PhD areas in the Business School with all the equipment you need for your studies. 

Message from the PGR Director

“The Business School community of doctoral students is going from strength to strength. We work closely with our PhD candidates and supervisors to ensure that our PhD students get exceptional experience and achieve excellence in their research. We particularly welcome students who have a solid academic background in relevant subject fields, evidenced by their past grade performance.” 

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team.

You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.

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Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

How to apply

Click the 'Apply now' button on this page. You’ll be prompted to tell us the module you’d like to apply for in your application form. Make sure you tell us about your module choice so we can make a decision on your application more quickly. You’ll be able to find the details of the different modules you can apply for on this webpage. Once we have received your completed application we will assess it and contact you by email with the outcome.

If you have enrolled on a CPPD course previously and would like to join another module, there is no need to submit another application. Instead, you should contact the Taught Programmes Office for the department you want to join and provide them with the details of the module you want to study. They will be able to provide you with more information on what you need to do.

Research support

Excellent research support and training

The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme. The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.

Library services

Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.

Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.

Find out more: Brunel Library

BBS PhD Developmental Programme

This opportunity focuses on training students to become future HE teachers/lectures. The students are paired with their academic mentor and join them as a supporting tutor for a number of seminars over one term. Students undertake workshops about facilitating learning and teaching in higher education before and after acting as a support tutor. Students submit a 500-word reflective report and receive verbal feedback from their mentors. On completion, students are awarded a certificate and the hours count towards their Brunel Volunteer contribution.       

Business Life Programme 

Business Life, a programme of professional training and development events, is available to all students in the Business School and has been developed and delivered in association with professional institutes, leading employers from industry, alumni and the public sector. 

You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.

In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.

Find out more.