You can apply for a research degree in almost any area of business from accounting, organisational behaviour and risk, to corporate social responsibility. If you're already experienced in business management or consultancy you can develop professionally and academically with a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA).
Our business PhD degrees have been awarded +3 recognition for full-time students by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). We have also received research studentships from ESRC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for our DBA.
We have internationally recognised research expertise within our 6 core areas:
You can apply for a PhD in any of these research areas:
You can either apply for a structured studentship or propose your own PhD idea.
Taking a structured PhD will give you access to additional training, conferences and secondments.
We offer a wide range of fully funded studentships. We run several of our PhD studentships in partnership with doctoral training centres, meaning you'll benefit from enhanced training and guaranteed funding.
These studentships:
We offer scholarships and teaching bursaries ourselves. Your potential supervisor can guide you on what is available.
If you’re an international student you may be able to apply for a scholarship from your country.
Find out more about scholarships
Once you've found a supervisor, they can help you with potential funding sources. We offer match funding in some cases.
You'll need to state how you intend to pay for your tuition fees when you submit your application.
Find out more about funding your PhD
You may be able to fund your postgraduate research with funding from your current employer or from industry.
You can borrow up to £30,301 for a PhD starting on or after 1 August 2025. Doctoral loans are not means tested and you can decide how much you want to borrow.
Find out about PhD loans on GOV.UK
You may be able to win funding from one or more charities to help fund your PhD.
You'll need to pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees are the same whether you're studying in person or by distance learning. If you're applying for a fully funded project, your fees will be paid for you.
| Subject | UK fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|
| Business Studies and Management - PhD full time | £5,238 | £20,100 |
| Business Studies and Management - PhD part time | £2,619 | £10,050 |
| Subject | UK fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration - DBA part time | £13,300 | £18,200 |
| Business Administration by Distance Learning - DBA part time | £13,300 | £18,200 |
| Business Studies and Management - PhD full time | £5,006 | £19,620 |
| Business Studies and Management - PhD part time | £2,503 | £9,810 |
Access full fee information from previous years.
You're eligible for a 10% alumni discount on a self-funded PhD if you're a current student or graduate from the University of Southampton. This will not apply for programmes that are externally funded. Please check the fees and funding section.
Research groups, centres and institutes bring together specialists to share knowledge and solve problems:
Decide whether to apply to an advertised research project or create your own proposal.
It's a good idea to email potential supervisors to discuss the specifics of your project. It's best to do this well ahead of the application deadline.
You’ll find supervisors’ contact details listed with the advertised project, or you can search for supervisors in the staff directory.
The application process is the same whether you're applying for a funded project, or have created a research proposal.
If English is not your first language, you'll need an IELTS minimum level of 7.0 with a 6.5 in writing, reading, speaking and listening.
Your awarded certificate needs to be dated within the last 2 years.
If you need further English language tuition before starting your degree, you can apply for one of our pre-sessional English language courses.
Check the specific entry requirements listed on the project you’re interested in before you apply.
We offer PhD and DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration) research programmes.
Research degrees have a minimum and maximum duration, known as the candidature. Your candidature ends when you submit your thesis.
The DBA is equivalent to a PhD but focuses on high-level strategic business problems rather than purely academic questions. We are currently reviewing this programme and it will soon be re-launched. For any enquiries please contact Dr Giota Papadimitri P.Papadimitri@soton.ac.uk.
| Degree type | Duration |
| Business studies and management PhD full time | 2 to 4 years |
| Business studies and management PhD part time | 3 to 7 years |
| Business administration DBA part time only | 4 to 7 years |
