PhD Postgraduate research opportunities in Business
- Entry year:
- 2024/25
- Start date:
- October 2024, February 2025, June 2025
- Study mode:
- Full-time, Part-time
- Course duration:
- PhD Full-time: 4 years, PhD Part-time: 7 years, MPhil Full-time: 2 years, MPhil Part-time: 4 years
- Campus:
- City
About this course
Excellent research opportunities await at the Liverpool Business School, enabling you to work at the forefront of developments with leading experts.
- Study full or part-time over two to seven years
- Choose from a wide range of subject areas (see Details tab for more information)
- Complete your research degree in a Faculty known for its internationally-acclaimed research
- Explore scholarship opportunities
- Benefit from expert supervision and researcher training
- Enjoy excellent facilities and great employment connections
You will be allocated up to four supervisors, including a Lead Supervisor who will work with you throughout your studies and provide you with appropriate levels of support and guidance.
Throughout your studies, you will also have the support of LJMU’s Doctoral Academy which offers expert advice and guidance to those enrolled on MPhil and PhD programmes.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Liverpool Business School Research
Explore the possibilities
Liverpool Business School is a forward looking, professional business school, active locally and globally. We maintain close links with business and place you, our research students, at the heart of all we do.
Our expertise in the key areas of business and management has enabled us to develop a strong reputation externally through research partnerships, industry relationships and collaborative ventures. We have partners across a range of sectors in the UK and beyond.
Whether you have just finished your degree, are currently in employment or are returning to study after a break, our postgraduate research programmes will enhance your academic and professional development.
LBS offers excellent postgraduate research opportunities with options to research a range of contemporary business, management and economic issues facing individuals, society and industry. Areas of research expertise include management and entrepreneurship, marketing and consumer research, human resource management and leadership, project management, supply chain management, operations management, accounting and finance and economics.
Our research groups carry out important and inspirational work, committed to the University strategy to find solutions to real-world problems of a fast-paced 21st century.
Research groups include:
- Digital Marketing and Retailing Research Group
- International Business Management and Strategy (IBMS) Reasearch Group
- Leadership Education and Development Research Group
- Projects, Operations and Workplace Management Research Group
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research Group
Our research is contemporary in context, multidisciplinary in practice and reflects the specialist knowledge of Liverpool Business School staff. Our Entrepreneurship expertise, for example, is based on extensive research and focuses on aspects such as new venture formation, creativity, entrepreneurial marketing, rural entrepreneurship, sustainability and graduate start-ups.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
To complement your research, specific training needs will be identified on an individual basis. You can study topics such as:
- Advanced Presentation Skills
- Applying for Ethical Approval
- How to be an Effective Researcher
- Poster Presentation/Design
- Postgraduate Employability Skills
- Project Management
- Writing Skills including Creative Planning for Writing your Thesis
- Surviving the Viva
- Speed Reading
How learning is monitored on your programme
Final examination for the PhD is by thesis and oral examination.
To gain a PhD you are expected to show mastery of a special field and to have made an original personal contribution to the understanding of a problem, the advancement of knowledge, or the generation of new ideas. Examiners will expect you to be at the forefront of understanding in your chosen topic.
Where you will study
What you can expect from your School
We offer postgraduate researchers access to excellent teaching and learning facilities plus plentiful social spaces and, of course, support and guidance from our expert academics.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
Studying for a postgraduate research degree enhances your employability in a number of ways.
As well as enabling you to focus on your specific areas of interest and expand your subject knowledge ready for employment in your chosen sector, a postgraduate research qualification enables you to take charge of your career path by demonstrating your contribution to an area of knowledge. It enhances your self-confidence and showcases your ability to work independently and ‘go it alone’.
According to a report by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), more than a quarter of graduates felt that their employment prospects were increased by their PG qualification. And when it comes to earnings, those with a postgrad qualification have been shown to earn an average of 24% more than those who leave education with an undergraduate degree.
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website.
Fees and funding
How to fund your postgraduate research
Securing funding can be one of the main hurdles you face when considering postgraduate research. However, help is available. LJMU has a team of fees and funding experts who can offer advice based on your personal circumstances. You can contact them on 0151 231 3153/3154 or via studentadvice@ljmu.ac.uk
Entry requirements
You will need:
- a minimum of a Masters degree with a research dissertation in a relevant subject.
-
we also welcome applications from those with non-standard qualifications who can demonstrate knowledge, experience, and skills developed in the workplace or other setting relevant to the programme of research.
If you do not hold the standard academic entry requirements, please use your personal statement to provide further details. Non-standard applications will be considered by the Admissions Tutor(s) on a case-by-case basis.
Additional information:
- IELTS 6.5 minimum 5.5 in each component)
- 58-64 (minimum 51 in each component for UKVI purposes)
If you have any specific queries, please contact busadmissions@ljmu.ac.uk
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
All research degree registrations are subject to approval by the Faculty and University’s Research Degrees Committee.
You are required to submit a personal statement and research proposal. The personal statement should reflect your suitability and aptitude for the programme (this should be no more than 3,000 characters) and the proposal should outline your area of research, core questions, methodologies, approach and timescale (this should be no more than 2,500 words) - see further guidance on applying for a PhD.
The applications process is as follows:
- Complete and submit your application using this online form
- You will receive an acknowledgement
- Your application will be considered by the Admissions Tutor
- We will take up your academic references
- You may need to provide further information or attend an interview
- You will be informed if your application has been successful and will find out about any conditions of acceptance
News and views
Browse through the latest stories and updates from the University and beyond
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.