Research degrees at Nottingham Business School PhD
About this course
Nottingham Business School’s (NBS) purpose is to provide research and education that combines academic excellence with positive impact on people, business, and society. As a world leader in experiential learning and personalisation, joining NBS as a doctoral candidate is an opportunity to achieve your research and academic potential. We have an unrivalled level of engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations and hence NBS is known as the "business school for business".
We are accredited by EFMD and AACSB, which are internationally recognised organisations championing excellence in business education. NBS is one of only six UK business schools recognised as a PRME Champion, and as such an exemplar in embodying the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education. We are committed to excellence in research that combines academic rigour with beneficial impact on social, economic, and societal welfare, an aim which is facilitated and defined by our research centres.
The Nottingham Business School (NBS) offers a robust research-led doctoral programme that is embedded in a highly dynamic and supportive research environment for our large and diverse doctoral community. As a PhD candidate you will have the opportunity to pursue original research and make a significant contribution to your chosen field.
Our PhD Programme offers a bespoke Doctoral Training Course (consisting of two levels: introductory and advanced) and monthly research workshops that offer unique opportunities to engage in specialised training and development to help you advance in your area of interest and topic. You will have the opportunity to grow and develop as a researcher in an inclusive and supportive environment and receive feedback from peers and subject experts during your doctoral journey. In addition, we recognize the importance and significance of having a doctoral community one can belong to, and we are pleased to have a large, vibrant, international PhD community which meets regularly, and where new candidates will feel very welcomed.
For further information about the NBS Doctoral Programmes or to discuss any aspect of it, please contact the Director of Doctoral Programmes: Dr. Chunping Liu
Pathways:
Standard PhD route
This programme can be undertaken either full-time or part-time, where the maximum registration period for a full-time PhD student is four years, and part-time students may be registered for a maximum of eight years. Please note, part-time option is available only for home students.
PhD via Published works
For this pathway, you must already have published 4-6 journal articles in top peer reviewed academic journals. Candidates must complete this programme in 24 months.
Executive PhD
This pathway is our ‘at-distance’ mode and aimed specifically at industry professionals, managers and business leaders who wish to pursue doctoral research alongside their job. Candidates will be encouraged to apply their research to their professional work, and to contribute to the advancement of their fields, and aims to inspire leaders and managers to develop new perspectives and approaches towards managing and leading change in a unique and innovative way. Under this pathway, candidates are expected to complete their PhD between four to seven years and must spend a minimum of 2 weeks every academic year on campus to undertake research training, to establish personal relationships with supervisors and benefit from in-person participation in the academic community. After successful completion of the course, candidates will be awarded with the degree of a ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ and can use the post nominals ‘PhD’. For more information, please visit our Executive PhD page.
Bursaries:
Applicants have the option to either apply for the Studentships (opens each year in November and covers tuition fees and stipend). Only exceptional candidates are considered for full studentships or for tuition fee waivers.
Entry points:
Currently we have only one starting date: October. However, in exceptional circumstances, we may allow for applicants to start in January too.
What you’ll study
We will support you from the time you make your initial enquiry, through the application process and the various stages of your degree, until your viva voce examination and subsequent graduation. Once you begin your studies, induction sessions will introduce you to the programme and its various stages, expectations, and milestones, and help introduce you to our thriving community of research students in NBS. You will find a very welcoming and supportive environment that places highest attention to student wellbeing and mental health.
You will be allocated a supervisory team consisting of your First Supervisor (also known as Director of Studies) and a co-supervisor. You would be expected to attend mandatory monthly supervision meetings. Your DoS will usually have expertise in your subject area, and at least one other supervisor selected for their complementary expertise, such as relevant research methods. Additionally, independent assessors will be appointed to give you, and your supervisory team, support, and guidance at certain key stages during your studies.
PhD Course learning outcomes*:
- The creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research … of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication.
- A systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge.
- The general ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge
- Make informed judgements on complex issues in specialist fields, often in the absence of complete data
- Able to communicate their ideas and conclusions clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
*Adopted from QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, section 4.18
NBS Research Training Programme
We place particular emphasis on helping students to develop the academic and practical elements of know-how that encourage initiative, innovation, and academic excellence. Our research degrees incorporate a programme of supporting studies designed to develop knowledge of and skills in all aspects of the research process, including the dissemination of research. This will ensure that you have the necessary expertise to both complete your doctoral programme and to lay solid foundations for your future career. We also encourage participation in academic conferences, seminars, and external networks to cultivate the contacts, skills, and knowledge essential for successful research practice. These abilities are transferable to a wide range of other careers.
We offer a robust and bespoke doctoral research training programme that has been carefully curated to covers a wide range of topics. This is covered over two terms as part of the ‘introductory modules’ which covers topics such as introduction to research philosophy, research paradigm and research design, critical thinking and academic writing, introduction to literature review and research methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods), research ethics, what is theory, and what makes research interesting. Term three focuses on ‘advanced modules’ which covers advanced methodological topics such as econometrics, behavioural economics, advanced qualitative methods, such as storytelling approaches and fsQCA etc. This is complimented by several workshops that runs throughout the academic year on helping candidates develop their research skills and professional development. An overview of activities includes:
- NBS PhD Training Programme (Introductory level workshops with modules over Term 1 and 2 and Advanced level workshops in term 3)
- Monthly NBS Doctoral Research Workshops
- Monthly NBS Brown Bag seminar series
- Termly ‘NBS Doctoral Away Day’
- Annual NBS Doctoral Symposium & Research Festival
- NBS Bi-annual doctoral writing retreats
- Annual international doctoral research symposium
- Monthly NBS Doctoral Clinic
- NBS PGR Socials and PGR Breakfast Club
For further information on the NBS Research Training Programme, please contact Dr. Ishan Jalan (ishan.jalan@ntu.ac.uk)
NBS Research centres and research groups
You will be encouraged to join one of our NBS research centres/groups based on your subject area. The centres will also help support you with subject specific wider engagements through research seminars, workshops, and networking events. Our PhD programme is supported by 9 internationally leading research centres and 3 research groups comprising the expertise of world class academics across a breadth of subject expertise such as Management and Organisation Studies, Marketing, Accounting and Finance, Human Resource Management, Economics, Sustainability, International Business, Entrepreneurship, Behavioural Sciences, and Health & Wellbeing. They are:
- Responsible and Sustainable Business Lab (RSB Lab) Research Centre
- Centre for Business and Industry Transformation
- Centre for Finance, Technology and Society
- Centre for People, Work and Organisational Practice
- Centre for Economics, Public Policy & Management
- Centre of International Business Strategy and Decisions
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences
- Centre for Work, Informalisation and Place
- Centre for Marketing & Consumer Studies
- Innovation, Digitisation, Entrepreneurship and Operations Research Group
- Accounting & Finance Research Group
- NBS Health and Wellbeing Research Group
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
An opportunity for both industry professionals and academics
Careers and employability
There are many opportunities for research students who may wish to prepare for an academic career by undertaking part-time teaching duties or work as research assistant for colleagues working on research projects in NBS. You may also take part in the Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education training programme. Furthermore, although formal placements are not a requirement of PhDs, the University has strong links with professionals in business and industry. Several of our recent PhD graduates have taken up academic positions at NTU and other top universities, alongside senior industry positions.
Campus and facilities
We are continually investing in our facilities, and transforming our learning and teaching environment to create an inspiring and innovative atmosphere.
The School is based in the impressive Newton Building on NTU's City Campus.
Postgraduate Centre
A short walk from the Newton building and Boots library, the Postgraduate Centre facilitates on-campus teaching for Nottingham Business School’s postgraduate and executive education courses.
Dryden Centre
Benefit from the newly built NTU Dryden Enterprise Centre that provides dedicated support for entrepreneurs, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Fantastic facilities
- You can take advantage of the Link Lounge, a space dedicated to Business School students, located on floor zero of the Newton building.
- Explore your career prospects with the help of the University's Employability Team.
- You will benefit from spacious teaching rooms and lecture theatres.
- We provide students with a variety of social spaces.
- Your studies will benefit from the £13 million Boots Library.
- You can take advantage of our 24-hour IT facilities.
- Our Student Services Centre will also be on-hand should you need support.
- sports facilities
- shops
- student accommodation
- music venues
- cafés.
Entry requirements
Successful applicants for the PhD in Nottingham Business School normally hold a first or upper second-class honours degree from a UK university or an equivalent qualification. Candidates with a lower second-class degree may apply if they hold a Master’s degree at Merit level or higher.
Further guidance on entry requirements is available in NTU’s Quality Handbook Section 11 - Research Degrees.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
Successful applicants for the PhD in Nottingham Business School normally hold a first or upper second-class honours degree from a UK university or an equivalent qualification. Candidates with a lower second-class degree may apply if they hold a Master’s degree at Merit level or higher.
International students will also need to meet the English language requirements - IELTS 6.5 (with minimum sub-scores of 6.0). Applicants who have taken a higher degree at a UK university are normally exempt from the English language requirements. Applicants who do not meet the English language proficiency requirement will normally be asked to complete an English Language course.
Further guidance on entry requirements is available in NTU’s Quality Handbook Section 11 - Research Degrees.
Fees and funding
How to apply
To apply for a PhD please submit a research proposal (maximum of 1500 words) which addresses the following points:
- Provisional title and summary
- Introduction:
- Overview of the topic or the subject that you are going to investigate.
- What is the proposal about? Why is it important?
- Main Body:
- The research questions, including clear research objectives.
- An indication of the contribution to knowledge that the thesis is anticipated to make (what you hope to find out)
- The relationship of the proposed research to the published literature and to current research in the field (how your project relates to other work)
- What is your theoretical framework?
- Methods:
- The methods and techniques to be used in the research (how you propose to go about the research)
- What is your unit of analysis?
- Do you have access to your data already?
- Bibliography of sources already consulted or identified as of relevance to your proposal
- Plagiarised research proposals will not be accepted for review.
- Please attach the proposal as a separate word document with your application.
How to apply
Visit the Doctoral School's step by step guide to make an application.
To apply for a PhD please submit a research proposal (maximum of 1500 words) which addresses the following points:
- Provisional title and summary
- Introduction:
- Overview of the topic or the subject that you are going to investigate.
- What is the proposal about? Why is it important?
- Main Body:
- The research questions, including clear research objectives.
- An indication of the contribution to knowledge that the thesis is anticipated to make (what you hope to find out)
- The relationship of the proposed research to the published literature and to current research in the field (how your project relates to other work)
- What is your theoretical framework?
- Methods:
- The methods and techniques to be used in the research (how you propose to go about the research)
- What is your unit of analysis?
- Do you have access to your data already?
- Bibliography of sources already consulted or identified as of relevance to your proposal
- Plagiarised research proposals will not be accepted for review.
- Please attach the proposal as a separate word document with your application.
How to apply
Visit the Doctoral School's step by step guide to make an application.
