Management and Business PhD

Why choose this course
Surrey Business School is internationally recognized for interdisciplinary, international and applied research. As a Ph.D. student, you will receive rigorous training in research methods, outstanding supervision and mentorship, and coursework that will give you both in-depth and broad subject-specific knowledge. You could also benefit from our choice of writing a traditional dissertation monograph or by following a three-paper dissertation model, so your work suits your interests. 

Our researchers work closely with industry and pursue a variety of approaches with staff across the School, often leading to innovative new thinking. Two-thirds of our research outputs were ranked as either ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the UK Government’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). 

The Surrey Business School is a member of the Association of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and is accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).

We are ranked in the top 10 for business and economics in the United Kingdom by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.

What you will study
Our PhD in Management and Business will train you in critical and analytical skills, research methods, and in discipline-specific knowledge that will give you the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for a career in academia, or as a researcher in a wide variety of settings. 

We offer a three-year, full-time (and, in exceptional cases, part-time) program. The programme has a dual-focus on subject-specific knowledge and methods training, which will give you the intellectual foundation to ask cutting-edge questions and then conduct high-quality research to address those questions. 

You’ll receive an induction by the University of Surrey’s Doctoral College, as well as a bespoke one-day induction programme from the School. This induction will introduce you to the School and the Faculty, outline the relationship between you and your supervisor, and discuss the structure of the program. 

We consider doctoral students to be junior academics or researchers, and an integral part of the school. Your supervisor will provide in-depth knowledge through their own reading module, as well as serving as a mentor as you progress through your PhD. 

In your first year, you will receive instruction in subject-specific knowledge and training in research methods. This will form the foundation of your doctoral research.

Once you’ve got the foundation for your doctoral research and passed your confirmation exams, your second year will be spent conducting doctoral research. Students conducting primary research tend to spend the year away doing field research. 

Your third year will then be devoted entirely to data analysis, writing up, and submitting your dissertation. You’ll have intense and frequent interactions with your supervisor. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend professional development workshops in preparation for the academic job market. 

If you’re not able to complete and submit your dissertation within the three-year period, you’ll have the option to enrol for a fourth year. To enrol for a fourth year, you’ll be required to apply for and be granted a ‘completing status’. University regulations mean that you must complete your programme over a maximum of four years.

Research support
The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College, which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate Careers and Employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your Ph.D.

Research themes
We have key research themes in:

• Business transformation
• Digital economy
• Finance and accounting
• Marketing and retail management
• People and organizations
• Strategy and entrepreneurship.