PhD and Research

Our PhD programme draws on the research strengths of our international staff and is committed to educating scholars who will lead in their fields of research and activity, within the broad areas of business and management. We attract some of the world’s brightest minds, who work and study together in an exceptional, inspirational environment. It is our aim to create excellent learning experiences and to empower our researchers to make positive contributions to the world of business, and beyond.

Research Centres

The School of Business and Management was created to build an outstanding, unique approach to research in which scholarship of international quality can flourish. Our students are attracted to the School due to our distinctive focus on social justice, sustainability and good governance in the management of private, public and voluntary organisations.

Explore our Research Centers and Groups

Research Training

The School has a comprehensive training programme available for PhD Researchers. The formal PhD Taught Programme provided by SBM is a compulsory component of your work as a postgraduate researcher in your first year. After the first year, PhD researchers are encouraged to attend selected components of the training programme.

Collaboration

Queen Mary is part of the London Interdisciplinary Social Science (LISS) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) with King’s College and Imperial College. LISS DTP is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnership, offering a range of social science research workshops and training sessions, which are open to all PhD researchers at SBM.

Personal Research Allowance

The School provides an annual budgetary allowance to full-time and part-time PhD researchers, to contribute towards the costs of their research and to enable their participation in external developmental events. Research-related expenses may include expenditure on books, conferences, training courses, travel and subsistence for research activities and, in certain cases, specialist software.

Applicant Advice

Get advice on how to find a supervisor, write your proposal, and what you need to make a successful application.

Preparing a Research Proposal

"When I saw an advert for PhD funding at the School of Business and Management, I was really excited at the prospect of studying in the School’s Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity (CRED). As I finished my PhD, I was lucky enough to get a job at SBM, allowing me to continue my research in CRED. In the 10 years since then I’ve been promoted to Professor of Employment Relations and Co-Director of CRED! My advice to anyone thinking about applying for PhD study is to choose a topic that really inspires you – after all you’ll have to spend at least 3 years writing up to 100,000 words on it! Then look for supervisors who are a good match to your interests."

— Professor Tessa Wright, Professor of Employment Relations (2011 PhD Candidate, School of Business and Management)

School Research Seminar Series

Students have access to the annual PhD Symposium and the PhD Poster Forum, as well as courses offered by different sources (Academic Development, QM Thinking Writing, Queen Mary Careers Service, and other externally available components), as well as the School Research Seminar Series. The seminars aim to foster a dynamic and interdisciplinary research culture, emanating across the social sciences and humanities in support of individual scholarship and collaborative research.

View all upcoming and previous research events organised by the School of Business and Management.

Career Development

Find out more about the Queen Mary Academy and Researcher Development.

Queen Mary Academy

Career Destinations

Our expert careers consultants are on hand to assist you in selecting and applying for the roles or pathways which are right for you and your career. They organise employability talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. Students also have access to training and development opportunities through the Queen Mary Academy.

There are opportunities for our students to undertake paid teaching work to help them to develop teaching skills and gain invaluable insights into a key part of the academic profession. Our PhD researchers go on to work in education, research and business institutions across the world.