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Research Opportunities

The Faculty has a growing research degrees programme, with an emphasis on part-time study by students who are simultaneously developing and enhancing their professional careers. Recent doctoral level studies have included topics drawn from such diverse area as: concurrent systems and VLSI, formal methods, business information technology, international business, marketing, human resource management, corporate failure prediction, and voluntary sector management and finance.

Initial registration is normally for work at MPhil level, with the opportunity to transfer to PhD work for most candidates. All research students are supported in their work by a staff supervisory team. In the first instance students are supervised by their Director of Studies, with whom they are expected to maintain close contact, whilst further guidance may also be given by co-supervisors. The first task of this team is to enable research students to prepare their registration. This normally takes place after an initial probationary period of six months. Registration is generally for the MPhil degree in the first instance and this is then converted to PhD registration after appropriate progress has been made.

The Faculty offers opportunities for students to present their work in progress toa faculty audience that is both supportive and critical, through open staff/student seminars. It also offers student-only seminars on a range of research development and research progression topics. Where relevant to their research field, students are able to take units from the wide range of taught Masters programmes in the Faculty.

A research degree will equip you with many transferable skills. Self-discipline, the need for clear, analytical thinking, and the ability to turn criticism of others’ work into something constructive of your own, all constitute a unique training for almost any kind of career. The excitement and satisfaction of discovering new facts, a new idea, or way of looking at something can reward you in a way almost no other activity can.

The Faculty has been successful in securing considerable research funding from many sources including the EPSRC, ESRC, DTI (through Knowledge Transfer Programmes) and the European Commission.

For outstanding research students, the possibility to be considered for Teaching Assistantships exists.