PhD in Management

Unleash your curiosity and develop key skills to support a career in academia, industry, consultancy or research.

International fees

	Length	Start dates (semester dates)
PhD	3 years full-time 6 years part-time Apply for PhD	September

Length

Start dates (semester dates)

PhD

3 years full-time
6 years part-time

Apply for PhD

September

Our PhD programme offers high-quality training and a supportive collegial environment in which to pursue your passion for research.

Study for your doctorate in a professional and challenging school, where academic rigour and excellence is at the heart of everything we do. You will have the opportunity to work with leading academics and be part of a growing and vibrant community of doctoral scholars.

We welcome applicants who share our vision and want to undertake innovative and exciting research as part of our academic community.

Join researchers from across the globe, who are building new understanding of business and management.

Contact us

Your research

As a doctoral student, the focus of your work will be an independent research project. We provide training which will equip you with skills in a wide range of research methods to support your growing expertise.

Your research will culminate in a thesis which, to successfully pass the programme, will represent an original contribution to knowledge and have the potential to influence practice, policy and understanding in your field of interest.

We welcome applications from students interested in undertaking management research in the following areas:

Actuarial science
Accounting
Finance
Employment relations
Human resource management
International business and strategy (including business history)
Marketing
Operations management
Organisational behaviour

Research excellence

Our management research is a UK top 30 research discipline, and 100% of our research environment - the support we give to researchers - is rated 3* or higher. (REF 2021).

Culture of inclusivity

At the School for Business and Society, we offer dedicated in-house student support for our students and we're proud of our two Bronze Athena Swan Awards, recognising our work to promote gender equality.

Great facilities

Church Lane offers a modern setting with bespoke areas for study, student exhibitions, collaboration, interaction and social engagement as well as a large cafe.

Funding

Explore Business and Society funding for MPhil/PhD researchers and wider postgraduate support. We also have ESRC White Rose Social Sciences scholarship funding available for research students.

Supervision

You will be supported by two academic supervisors. Supervisors will normally share or complement your research interests.

Training and support

You will have at least one meeting with your supervisory team every six to seven weeks. You will also interact with your supervisors and colleagues across the School at research seminars, conference events and informal gatherings.

In your first year you will have a Training Needs Assessment with your Supervisor and Advisory Team, they will recommend additional training areas for you and possible courses to audit.

You'll also take compulsory training modules covering Methods for Critical Literature Reviewing and Dissemination, and Philosophy and Process of Management Research. These modules include assignments which you must pass in order to progress.

Researcher development

Throughout the course you will have access to training from the University's Building Research and Innovation Capacity Team, who will help you develop your professional skills and career profile. You can also take advantage of the following opportunities for learning:

White Rose Doctoral Programme Advanced methodology training
The Northern Advanced Research Training Initiative (NARTI) Doctoral Conference
European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management & Business Administration (EDAMBA) training and conference opportunities
University of York School for Business and Society events and various other engagement activities

Teaching opportunities

A PhD helps you to develop the skills you need to work in academia - including teaching. There are opportunities for paid teaching in the Management School and across the University. Postgraduate tutors receive training and support. There are opportunities for you to gain accredited teaching qualifications.

Course location

This course is run by the School for Business and Society.

You will be based in the Church Lane Building on Campus West. Most of your training and supervision meetings will take place here, though your research may take you further afield.

You should live in or near York during your PhD programme, whether part-time or full-time. We do not offer distance learning arrangements.

Entry requirements

For entry to the PhD programme, you should have (or expect to obtain) a minimum of a 60% average on a Masters-level programme, with a good mark on your dissertation.

If you haven't completed a Masters degree or appropriate research training, you may wish to consider our MA Social Research.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your ability.

English language requirements

Applying

Apply for the PhD in Management

Take a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.

Find out more about how to apply.

Identify a supervisor

You should identify a potential supervisor in our faculty whose area of research overlaps with yours. We encourage you to contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply.

Find a supervisor

Submit your application

We require you to submit the following documents:

You can apply and send all your documentation electronically through our online system. You don’t need to complete your application all at once: you can start, save, and finish it later.

We will respond to your application in four to six weeks. You may track the status of your application and view any official correspondence online. If you have applied for an advertised scholarship or Graduate Teaching Assistant position, decisions on funded places may take a little longer.

Interview

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to attend an online interview. It is important that you demonstrate an understanding of your topic and its supporting theories.

Careers and skills

Your PhD will help to develop your qualifications alongside your research and critical thinking skills. You will further gain transferable skills around communication, project management as well as critical and creative analysis and problem solving, preparing you for the next stage in your career.

Our dedicated careers team offer specific support including a programme of professional researcher development and careers workshops and 1:1 career support sessions. They will help you to build up your employability portfolio and to engage in activities that will build up your skills and experience within and outside of your research work.