Hospitality and Tourism Management PhD

Why choose this course
We have an outstanding reputation in the sector and run the largest hospitality, tourism and events PhD programme in Europe. As a Department, our undergraduate courses ranked in the top 10 for hospitality and leisure management in the QS World University Rankings 2019.

Our academics shape the agenda for scholarship and practice in hospitality, tourism, events and transport, and carry out cutting-edge research in topics ranging from lifestyle, travel, food and culture to the digital economy and artificial intelligence. We will challenge you with new ideas to develop you as a critical researcher, as well as helping you build a solid grounding in research methodologies. 

We see doctoral students as important collaborators and aim to connect you with senior executives and policymakers from around the world, offering opportunities for future learning and valuable connections.

What you will study
Our Ph.D. program takes around three years of full-time study. You’ll take on a structured, supervised program of scholarly research, leading to a thesis that makes an original contribution to the field and is suitable to be published in a series of high-quality, refereed journal articles. 

You’ll be assigned two supervisors with expertise in your area: normally one who is an expert in your subject, and one who is an expert in methodology. Your supervisors will guide you through your PhD, from developing your project through to your analysis and writing your thesis. You’ll normally meet with your supervisor every four to six weeks. 

There’s no formal teaching as part of your PhD programme, but you’ll benefit from a range of support and learning opportunities in addition to your supervision meetings. These include a tailored weekly programme of formal research training in research methodology and career development. You’ll have the chance to present and discuss your research at our weekly research seminars. You’ll also be able to take any of our MSc modules, and join our range of interactive workshops that run throughout the year, exploring topics such as personal effectiveness, information skills, presenting research and job skills. You’ll also be able to as qualify as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy by completing the Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching.

We encourage our students to attend international conferences and training courses, and can support your travel to these events.

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

• Sustainability and wellbeing in the visitor economy
• Competitiveness in the visitor economy
• The digital visitor economy.