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The University of Worcester welcomes applications to undertake research towards MPhil and PhD degrees in Business.

Research at Worcester has grown significantly in the last 10 years as the University itself has expanded. As a research student you will join a vibrant student community in our Research School and become part of our dynamic research environment.

The Business School hosts the Sustainable Organisations Research group, The Participant Centred Learning in Management Education Research Group (ParCeL), The Digital Innovations and Intelligent Systems Research Group and two themes within the Interpersonal Relationships and Wellbeing Research group: the People and Work Research Theme and the Customer Interactions Research Theme. We particularly welcome MPhil/PhD applications that align with these groups' interests. Details of areas they are particularly interested in are on their websites.

On our Business MPhil/PhD, you’ll be taught by staff from across a broad range of business and management expertise. You'll also benefit from access to our dedicated quiet work space and research student office in our Business School, located in the heart of the city centre.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Available as a full-time or part-time degree, completed over a maximum of six years
  • You will be allocated to one of two pathways depending on your experience and knowledge as a researcher
  • You'll be offered a wide range of optional training workshops throughout the programme, focused around a wide range of themes
  • The opportunity to join one of our research groups
Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry qualifications

For MPhil

  • First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or an approved equivalent award

or

  • Research or professional experience which has resulted in appropriate evidence of achievement

For PhD

  • Postgraduate Masters Degree in a discipline which is appropriate to the proposed programme of study

or

  • First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or equivalent award in an appropriate discipline

or

  • Research or professional experience at postgraduate level which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of achievement

International applicants

International applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have the appropriate level of written and spoken English.

For MPhil/PhD this is an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0 in every component.

Programme structure

Programme structure

PhD year by year

After receiving your application, we try to establish if we have the necessary expertise to supervise your project and we begin to form a supervisory team for you. This will normally consist of a Director of Studies (DoS), who will be your lead supervisor, and at least one other supervisor, who will offer you additional support and guidance throughout your studies. If, following a successful interview, you are offered a place as a full-time student, your programme of study will look something like this:

First year

You will have submitted a draft research outline with your application. In your first year, you will be working towards submitting a more complete research proposal. You will be aided in your research by meeting with your supervisory team to discuss your progress. You will also be supported through your first year by engaging with a series of three modules as part of our Researcher Development Programme:

  • RSDP4001: Developing as a Researcher
  • RSDP4005: Approaches to Research
  • RSDP4004: Planning Your Research Project

At the end of each year, beginning with your first year, you will reflect on and formally review your progress with your supervisory team and MPhil/PhD Course Leader. We call this annual meeting an Annual Progress Review (APR).

Second year

In your second year, you will be collecting data and working on your research project under the supervision of your supervisors through regular meetings. You may at this point have research papers ready to publish and you may wish to attend conferences to present your research to other experts in your field. You will be able to apply to our Research Student Support Scheme for some funding for this purpose. Students normally undergo Transfer from MPhil to PhD towards the end of their second year. This will be part of your Annual Progress Review for this year.

Third and fourth year

In your third and fourth year, you will be writing up your thesis and preparing for your viva voce examination. This is an oral exam with two examiners and a chair. You can also request that your supervisor be present at the exam. The exam will take place after you have submitted your final thesis. After the exam, it is not unusual for the examiners to ask that some amendments be made to your thesis before the final award is confirmed and you will have additional time to do this. It is possible to complete the course in three years, but we have found that the majority of students do take four years to complete the course. At the end of each year of your registration, you will go through an Annual Progress Review.

Resources

Access to our dedicated quiet work space in our newly refurbished Research School. The School is located in the heart of Worcester City Centre, just a 2-minute walk from the train station. Facilities for research students include PCs, workspace for laptop users, secure storage, shared books and social space. Access to the University of Worcester’s virtual resources and its state of the art library facilities. A dedicated research student office in the Business School and membership, as appropriate, of one of our four research groups: Careers and Leadership Development Group, Customer Interactions Group, Managing Risk, Operations and Sustainability Group and the Entrepreneurship Research Group.

Programme specifications

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest MPhil programme specification or PhD programme specification documents.

Part time students follow the same structure as full-time students but normally complete the PhD over a period of five to six years. Part-time students take two modules in each of their first two years, and will normally transfer to PhD in their fourth year.

Research areas

Research areas

Supervisors

Dr Scott Andrews
Expertise: Leadership, case study research methodologies, case based teaching & participant centred learning in management education 

Dr Robin Bell
Expertise: Entrepreneurship/small business; international business and management; cross-cultural communication.

Dr Kay Emblen-Perry 
Expertise: Sustainable management including environmental management and justice, social responsibility and economic sustainability.

Dr James Green

Dr Laila Kasem
Expertise: International business; international marketing; strategy; organisational learning and cross-cultural consumer behaviour.

Dr Jane Keenan
Expertise: Accounting and Financial Management, Corporate Finance and Employment legislation and how this affects companies competitiveness.

Dr Barbara Menara
Expertise: employee engagement, job satisfaction, turnover, workplace wellbeing, professions, quantitative methods, panel data analysis.

Dr Marwa Mohamed
The general themes of my research include: management and organizational learning, leadership and leadership development, change management, paradox management, creativity and creative organisations, and emotion in organizations, and group relations/ system psychodynamics.

Dr Paulo Mora-Avila
Expertise: Consumer psychology, corporate reputation, branding, and cross-cultural & cross-generational behaviour.

Dr Pamella Murray
Expertise: Leadership; teamwork; coaching and mentoring.

Prof. Lynn Nichol
Expertise: Work based learning; professional identity; narrative research/ethnography; psychological contract/survivor syndrome/downsizing; learning and development; careers; employee relations; faith based organisation.

Dr Richard Nicholls
Expertise: Services marketing; customer-to-customer interaction; ageing service customers; customer misbehaviour.

Dr. Cedric Nikko
Expertise: Creativity & Leadership, People Management, Organisational Behaviour, Global Challenges – SDGs, Strategic Management, Strategic Operational Management, Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility (CSR)

Dr Sajad Rezaei
Expertise: Interactive & Digital Marketing; Sustainability and Responsible Business; Business Innovation and Strategy; Consumer Behaviour.

Dr Abdulmaten Taroun
Expertise: Project management; operations management; decision-making and risk analysis; risk management; enterprise risk management (ERM); quality management; construction management; performance management; sustainability and sustainable development.

Dr Vessela Warren
Expertise: Innovation management; knowledge management in innovation; new service development (NSD) processes; innovation and sustainability; barriers and enablers to service innovation; strategic innovation; the role of the networks into the innovation process; service design; service co-creation; servitization.

Dr Helen Watts
Expertise: Customer retention, membership services, consumer psychology, occupational psychology, quantitative methodologies, qualitative methodologies, mixed method designs.

Dr Ria Wiid
Expertise: Contemporary marketing communications, authenticity and inside out branding.

Careers

Careers

All students engage with our Researcher Development Programme (RDP). The RDP aims to develop and enhance the skills, both generic and specific, that you will need to complete your research degree but also to become an effective researcher. The RDP is organised around thematic clusters, consisting of modules, and workshops, delivered face-to-face by subject specialists from across the University and the dedicated Researcher Development Team, or online through our virtual learning environment.

As part of the RDP, you will complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods (PG Cert). All students must complete the PG Cert in order to progress on their MPhil/PhD Programme. The PG Cert is strongly focused on developing your programme of research, starting from establishing your development needs, and preparing you for the planning and subsequent delivery of your programme of research.

Full-time students will complete the PG Cert in 12 months and part-time students in 24 months.

Fees

Fees and funding

Fees

The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
How to apply

How to apply

Additional information

Please see guidance on Applying for an MPhil or Applying for a PhD to include application and interview deadlines.

If your research involves working with vulnerable adults and/or children then you may be required to obtain an Enhanced DBS check. There will be a small charge for this. For more information please contact research@worc.ac.uk.

We are committed to making reasonable adjustment. If you require an alternative format for making your application due to a disability, please contact us to discuss your needs on 01905 542182 or research@worc.ac.uk.

How to apply

Please make your application via our online application form. If you have any questions, please contact the Doctoral School on 01905 542182 or research@worc.ac.uk

Application links

MPhil

MPhil - September - Full time MPhil - September - Part time MPhil - January - Full time MPhil - January - Part time

PhD

PhD - September - Full time PhD - September - Part time PhD - January - Full time PhD - January - Part time

Get in touch

Dr Catharine Ross

c.ross@worc.ac.uk
01905 855299

Research School

research@worc.ac.uk
01905 542182

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