​Business Systems and Operations ​PhD/PhD by Published works

Course Content

• Course Details

  A PhD in Business Systems and Operations is a way for you to develop your specialism and improve your research, written, presentation and practice skills. While developing and setting up your research projects, you will initially receive general, face-to-face project specific training so that you can conduct your research effectively and independently. Normally, our PhD students are registered for an MPhil, and within the first twelve months of their study, they are expected to transfer from the MPhil to the PhD programme. The transfer process requires our students to produce a detailed research proposal and apply for ethics approval. Students will be required to present their written piece of work to an academic audience and then proceed for the internal viva examination with an internal transfer viva examiner. The transfer viva process, appointment of internal examiner, and approval of ethics documents are all subject to approval by the University research committees. PhD students are assigned a supervisory team which consist of a Director of Study (DOS), and first and second supervisors. Our students must work independently on their research, under the advice and direct supervision of their supervisory team. Due to the nature of PhD programmes, our students spend a vast majority of their time studying and engaging in independent research. Students must attend regular supervision meetings to discuss their progress, devise an action plan for the next steps, and to received suggestions on improvements on the programme.

  Research topics

  This course is unique to the University of Northampton. Instances of the areas that we can offer supervision include:

  • ​Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Business Intelligence and Decision-Making ​
  • Data Analysis and Visualisation ​
  • Applied Systems Analysis
  • ​Systems Thinking Applications
  • ​Critical Infrastructure Protection ​
  • Environmental management and policy development ​
  • Emerging business models including Circular Economy ​
  • Operations management ​
  • Big data Analytics
  • Data envelopment analysis and performance measurement ​
  • IoT & Digital Twins
  • ​Applications of AI in Business operations
  • Fraud Detection and Risk Management
  • ​Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Optimised Business Operations ​

  We also offer opportunities to develop interdisciplinary study and Practice as Research projects.

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• Entry Requirements

  Academic requirements for our programme: 
  ​Candidates must have obtained at least a second-class upper (2:1) honours degree, or a Masters degree from a UK university or international equivalent, in a relevant subject area to gain entry to this programme.
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  ​In exceptional circumstances candidates with lower-level qualifications, or qualifications in a different subject area but relevant experience, will also be considered. Decisions on these and other exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
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  ​All suitable candidates will be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.
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  ​English Language Requirements
  ​If English is not your first language, you must meet a minimum overall standard of IELTS: 7.0- with no individual section lower than 6.5 specifically in writing (or equivalent in an alternative recognised English test). You must show a good balance across all sections of the test, and it must have been taken within two years. We will need your certificates as evidence. Applications with IELTS lower than 5.5 in all components will not be considered.
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  ​All offers of a place on the programme are subject to:

  • ​successful interview by the University
  • ​suitable Research Supervision Support

  ​Competition to join our PhD programme is strong; you’ll need to demonstrate you have the intellectual capabilities, stamina, drive and commitment to complete a ground-breaking piece of work through independent study. For your application to be successful, your academic credentials are important, and we pay thoughtful consideration to the suitability of our candidates for both the programme and the research interest of our team of academics. PhD applicants are assessed based on their previous academic performance, quality of their research proposal, and availability of suitable member of staff to supervise the chosen research topic.
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  ​Please view the guidance notes on how to write a proposal for a research degree.
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  ​For Additional information on how to apply to study with us, how to find a potential Supervisor and what documents are needed as part of the application process, please see our How to Apply page.  ​

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• Fees and Funding

  2024/25 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 2024/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Doctor Of Philosophy Degrees

  Including: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) practice based in the Arts, Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

  • UK – Full Time: £5,500
  • UK – Part Time: £2,775
  • International – Full Time: £15,950
  • International – Part Time: £7,450

  Doctor of Philosophy Degrees by Means of Published Works

  • UK – Part Time: £3,500
  • International – Part Time: £7,650

  Please visit the funding pages and our scholarship pages for more details on how to fund your study.

  2023/24 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 23/24 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Doctor Of Philosophy Degrees

  Including: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) practice based in the Arts, Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

  • UK – Full Time: £5,340
  • UK – Part Time: £2,695
  • International – Full Time: £15,480
  • International – Part Time: £7,245

  Doctor of Philosophy Degrees by Means of Published Works

  • UK – Part Time: £3,400
  • International – Part Time: £7,460

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