Postgraduate Research Degrees
The School offers PhD and MPhil programmes based on original research. If you want to pursue doctoral level research in areas where we have expertise, we would be delighted to hear from you; the choice of topic is yours.
The Royal Docks Business School has a record of producing successful research degree candidates, and currently has around 20 PhD students. Areas in which staff have significant research experience include the following, (although this is not exhaustive):
- Advertising and branding
- Auditing and corporate governance
- Consumer behaviour
- Cross cultural and comparative management
- Econometrics
- Economic development and poverty
- Education management
- Employment relations and employment contracts
- Equality and diversity
- Events Management
- Exchange rates
- Financial markets including stock and futures markets
- Financial risk management
- Financial stability and structural adjustment
- International finance
- International HRM
- Islamic Finance
- Leadership
- Marketing in consumer and service industries
- Monetary policy
- Organisation studies
- Project management
- Service quality
- Small and medium enterprises
- Training
- Social marketing
- Sports management
- Supply chain management
- Tourism (including the politics of tourism)
- Venture capital
Facilities available for PGR students
The Royal Docks Business School prides itself on offering the best facilities for postgraduate research students. The areas below give some idea on the support that we provide:
Postgraduate Research Student Room
The Royal Docks Business School has a Postgraduate Research Student Room which contains all the latest computer facilities for students to use as well as providing a quiet study area away from the busy University environment.
Information Technology facilities
The University of East London provides the latest computer technology for all our students, whether they are Full or Part-time.
Online Databases
Our online databases are accessible from any one of the many PC’s throughout the University, as well as off-campus via the internet. These databases contain a wealth of articles and bibliographical information, academic journals, periodicals and newspapers. There are over thirty databases to choose from covering every subject and topic.
Programme Structure
You will be allocated at least two supervisors from the start of the programme, and the supervision team will have had experience of supervising students to successful PhD completion. Under the guidance of your supervisors, you will identify your research methods and other training needs. The University offers a range of training programmes designed to develop the skills needed to complete your research successfully. In the first few months you will also work on refining your proposal and ensuring it provides the best possible basis for success. Your progress will be closely monitored through annual reviews. Workshops, courses and seminars taken alongside work on your research project help you develop a range of skills needed to be an expert researcher and you will have the opportunity to build up a portfolio of evidence of the training you have received during the course of your studies. The School values its research students as making an important contribution to research in the School and you are encouraged to present and discuss your research in internal research seminars, as well as through external conferences.
In line with other UK universities initially PhD candidates who have not already completed a research degree are enrolled on the PhD via MPhil, but are expected to upgrade to the PhD, usually after a year. The process for PhD and MPhil is similar, but students enrolling for the MPhil would be expected to complete this in less time, and less is required in the final thesis.
Duration
Normally three years full-time/four years part-time for the PhD (maximum four years full-time/five years part-time). Most students aspire to the PhD but the MPhil is offered and would take a minimum of 18 months full time (2 years part-time)
Entry requirements
Applicants should normally have a Masters degree or equivalent, in as well as a first- or upper second-class honours degree from a recognized UK higher education institution or a qualification regarded by the RDS as equivalent. Those without such qualifications are nonetheless encouraged to discuss the possibility of registering for the programme. Competence in oral and written English should satisfy university entrance requirements. At least two members from our academic staff will review each application before a decision is made (unless it is an area where we cannot offer supervision). Where English is not the applicant’s first language, a minimum IELTS Academic English (or such qualifications as our university deems comparable) score of 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in all components, is required at entry. Such assessment of English language competence must normally have been undertaken no more than two years prior to application, though relevant and more recent study in a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution may be accepted as sufficient proof of ability.
A 1000-1,500-word research proposal, academic references and copies of relevant transcripts and certificates will also be required.
Start dates
Research degree students (PhD or MPhil) must start either at the beginning of Semester A (late September) or Semester B (February).
Application Procedure
To apply for our Postgraduate Research Degrees programmes applicants must complete a University postgraduate application form. When submitting your application you will also need to include a research proposal of 1,000-1,500 words. The research proposal is a very important aspect of the entry process, as it is on the basis of this information that we can assess we can identify academic staff that can assist you with your ideas.
The proposal itself should normally include a potential title, the methodologies likely to be used, and an estimated time scale. The document, should also incorporate a critical awareness of current literature exploring the topic, and indicate where your potential contribution to knowledge might lie. Further guidance on the proposal can be obtained here: proposal guidance
Applications can be made at any time online via our Graduate School website at:
http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/prospective/index.htm
All applications are encouraged to discuss their application with the School’s Research Degrees Leader, John Chandler (email: j.p.chandler@uel.ac.uk). If you are unsure whether we can offer you supervision on your chosen topic John will be able to advise you (of course, you can also check the relevant staff web pages).
Highlights
Profiles
I decided to study for my PhD at UEL as I was very impressed with the teaching and learning support I received while studying for my MSc in Project Management. After my masters degree I worked for a little while but felt that there would be greater opportunities available to me if I was to further my studies and achieve a PhD.
Mana GhahremanZadeh
PhD student
