Key information
About the PhD in Management programme
At Cass, the PhD in Management covers the three broad domains of Management, Marketing, and Operations Management.
Benefits
The Faculty includes an outstanding array of scholars, influential thinkers and active experts in their own fields. It combines more mainstream researchers with scholars adopting less conventional perspectives – all of them at the forefront of the academic debate in their areas:
Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour
Marketing
Strategy
Technology and Innovation
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Governance
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Operations Management
Voluntary Sector Management
Together, they form a vibrant and well-integrated intellectual community, where collaborations and exchanges across fields are common. This community regularly gathers in different seminar series, where well developed and less developed work is presented and discussed in a constructive and friendly atmosphere.
Doctoral students are warmly encouraged to be an active part of this community. We closely follow them, from the start of their programme until the completion of their dissertation, to support the development of their ideas and their integration in the international research community, and to ensure they can complete effectively in the academic job market.
Programme structure
The Management PhD is usually a four year programme. You are registered on the MPhil degree for the first two years during which you will follow a programme of taught courses and prepare your first research paper.
Year 1 - Theory and Methods
Students are introduced to fundamental theories from Psychology, Sociology and will select from a broad range of electives to tailor their portfolio of courses to their specific interests. They are also introduced to fundamentals of research design, and to the most widely used quantitative and qualitative methods.
Currently offered electives include:
- Consumer Research
- Decision Sciences
- Entrepreneurship
- Knowledge & Information
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Organization Theory
- Organizational Behavior
- Technology & Innovation
- Strategy.
Students are also allowed to select among courses offered by the PhD programmes in Finance and Actuarial Sciences.
By the end of the first year, students are matched with a supervisory team and start focusing on their dissertations.
First term
Courses:
- Philosophy of Social Science
- Fundamentals of Psychology
- Fundamentals of Sociology
- Quantitative Methods 1
- Choosing your Research Question
Second term
Courses:
- Qualitative Methods 1
- Quantitative Methods 2
- Elective 1
- Elective 2
Third term
Courses:
- Qualitative Methods 2
- Quantitative Methods
- Elective 3
- Elective 4
- Dissertation
Year 2 - Research and Teaching Skills
Students participate in a series of seminars that provide them with basic research skills (crafting a compelling literature review, identifying an interesting research question, effective academic writing) and expose them to advanced research methods. Other activities are designed to reinforce their teaching skills and introduce them to course preparation and delivery.
By the end of the second year, we expect students to present preliminary work to international academic conferences in their own fields.
First term
Workshops:
- Reviewing the literature
- Data base search
- Generating ideas from empirical work
- Funding your research
Second term
Workshops:
- Creativity in PhD research
- Positioning your research
- Reviewing the literature (2)
- Advanced research methods
- LTA
Third term
Workshops:
- Doing impactful research
- Ethical issues in research
- Writing theory papers
- Research Day (joint with Imperial, UCL, Cambridge)
Year 3 - Professional and Career Skills
Students learn about the editorial process and how to publish their own research in the most rigorous academic journals; they learn the craft of reviewing, as well as responding editorial letters. Other activities are designed to adequately prepare students for the international academic job market.
By the end of the third year, we expect students to present a more polished and developed paper in the most important conferences in their own fields, and to enter the international job market.
First term
Workshops:
- Effective academic writing
- Co-authoring
Second term
Workshops:
- Reviewing and publishing
- Claiming a theoretical contribution
Third term
Workshops:
- Preparation for the job market
Year 4
Year four will be focussed on your dissertation.
Fees and Funding
UK/EU (Home) Students
- Full-time: £4,600 per year
Non UK/EU (Overseas) Students
- Full-time: £9,700 per year
15 Studentships are available to successful candidates covering full fees and living expenses.
Student Profile
PhD student James Knuckles talks about his research project, and what it's like studying a PhD in Management at Cass Business School.
