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Our three-year PhD Management (at our Southend Campus) gives you the opportunity to interrogate issues surrounding the contemporary workplace and how these relate to wider society on a local and global level.
This programme attracts students from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities, with wide ranging social science research interests.
You can tailor your studies to a profession or sector of your choice and may choose to explore issues such as:
marketing and brand management
strategic management, including mergers and acquisitions
the role of networks in the modern economy
organisational power relations and leadership
logistics and supply chains
You study as a member of Essex Business School where Essex is ranked 25 in the UK for research quality (TGUG 2019). With us, you join the next generation of social scientists influencing business theory, policy and practice. You become part of a lively, international research community, challenging conventional wisdom to make organisations better places to do business.
You benefit from academic expertise across a range of business disciplines, from sustainability and leadership to identity and brand management. We offer a highly individualised PhD experience, where your supervisors will develop your professional skills and research expertise in your chosen area. The Management Science and Entrepreneurship Group, organises seminars and events which provide you with access to academic and industry expertise, as well as the opportunity to network with scholars from around the world.
You can choose to study on a full-time or part-time basis (usually six years) and we also offer an Mphil and a Masters by dissertation in this subject.
You may be eligible for a scholarship
and could have the opportunity to become a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) to gain valuable experience for your CV.
Our expert staff
Our academics are recognised for being at the forefront of research in:
business ethics and corporate social responsibility
organisation studies
leadership and strategy
finance and banking
risk management
international management
You are allocated two supervisors during your studies. They provide you with guidance and support to help you achieve your individual research goals and produce a high quality piece of doctoral work. Your supervisors help you to develop your research topic and create your personalised training plan. You meet with them at least once a month and are usually required to submit work beforehand to gain feedback in these meetings. Twice a year, you have a supervisory board meeting when you discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.
As well as supporting you to complete your thesis, your supervisors can help you to plan your career development. Our academics often co-author publications with doctoral students and can help you to develop the transferable skills needed for the jobs market.
Browse our staff pages to find out more about our areas of supervision.
Specialist facilities
You benefit from excellent research facilities, such as:
our award-winning The Forum building, with a library and café
24-hour learning hub, with study spaces, PC access and quiet places for conducting research
access to databases such as Bloomberg, Compustat, Passport GMID, Bankscope and Datastream
e-book finance and business packages to support part-time and distance learning (including Ebrary, NetLibrary, Oxford Scholarship Online, Palgrave Connect and SpringerLink)
dedicated PhD study space
Our Southend Campus is in the heart of the town centre, with an array of shops, restaurants and bars, and just a short walk from the beach. Southend Central railway station is directly behind our Gateway Building, providing direct services into London and London Southend Airport also offers flights to central Europe.
The University of Essex provides a range of services designed to maximise your academic potential and employability. Essex Business School offers study skills services for postgraduate students, such as help with the University library, research databases, literature reviews and presentation skills.
Your future
Our doctoral graduates have secured roles in academia and organisations in the public and private sectors. Recent examples include careers with Leeds University Business School, Cambridge Education and the public sector internationally.
Our PhD programmes are designed to foster the business leaders and researchers of the future who use creativity, innovation and ethical awareness to meet the many challenges facing the international business world.
The University’s Employability and Careers Centre can provide careers advice and you have access to CV workshops, one-to-one advice and career resources.
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
You will need a good Masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. A well developed research proposal is also essential.
You will normally be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please select
your country page
where you'll find this information.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, then we will require you to have IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
Structure
Fees and funding
Home/EU fee
£5,103
International fee
£15,460
Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
What's next
Open Days
We hold open days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:
tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, graduate employability, student support and more
talk to our Fees and Funding team about scholarship opportunities
meet our students and staff
If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.
We encourage you to make a preliminary enquiry directly to a potential supervisor or the Graduate Administrator within your chosen Department or School. We encourage the consideration of a brief research proposal prior to the submission of a full application.
We aim to respond to applications within four weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.
For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply’ information.
Visit Southend Campus
With its lively, state-of-the-art facilities and a close-knit international community, Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning.
If you're joining our School of Health and Social Care, East 15 Acting School, Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, or Essex Business School, you may well be studying at our Southend Campus.
Famous for its beach resort and pier, Southend-on-Sea stretches along seven miles of award-winning coastline, providing plenty of opportunities for a wide range of water sports and leisure activities.
If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.
Exhibitions
Our staff travel the world to speak to people about the courses on offer at Essex. Take a look at our list of exhibition dates to see if we’ll be near you in the future.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and
Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.
