Entry requirements

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).

An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

Research activities within the Business School at Brunel cover a wide-ranging and diverse field of topics from accounting, through HR, to strategy. Academic staff involved within these programmes investigate corporate governance and social responsibility, employment relations, information systems, corporate brands, marketplace cultures, international business and entrepreneurship and much more. Our research drives forward global business and societal transformation and is applied to many areas, such as NASA’s mission to Mars, humanitarian relief in Iran, biobank network across Europe, British Monarchy brand in the UK, to innovating the public sector in Saudi Arabia.

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.

PhD Community in the Business School

Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in-depth and contribute new knowledge to your discipline. Here at BBS, we have five key subject areas:

  • Marketing and Corporate Brand Management
  • Organisation and Human Resource Management
  • International Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Operations and Information Systems Management
  • Accounting and Auditing

We are one of the largest PhD student cohorts in the UK. We have approximately 160 students based in the UK and around 25 based in Bahrain. Our student cohort is culturally diverse, with students from 34 different countries. The male to female ratio is at 47% to 53%. We have 4 self-elected student reps and they discuss PhD students’ comments and issues with the PGR director regularly. There are dedicated, high spec PhD areas in the Business School with all the equipment you need for your studies.

Information for international students

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20)

Fees and funding

UK students
£4,595
International students
£20,450

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • PhD
    full time
    36 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
    part time
    72 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Enquiries
Email
enquiries@brunel.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0)1895 265599