Research Scholarships in Birmingham Business School

Birmingham Business School (BBS) is renowned for its research. With over 200 lecturing and research staff, internationally recognized as authorities in their fields, our research contributes to academic debates and has worldwide impact.

ESRC Midlands Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) Scholarships

The University of Birmingham is part of the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Programme that includes Warwick, Aston, Birmingham, De Montford, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, and Nottingham Trent.

The ESRC Midlands DTP provides students wanting to study for a PhD at the University of Birmingham the opportunity to apply for scholarships. Details of the competition for ESRC scholarships to which eligible students beginning their studies in September 2025 can apply are at Scholarships. The deadline for applications is midday on Tuesday 21st January 2025 (12:00 GMT).

Please check the Eligibility Requirements for the scholarship before making your application.

You must apply to study for a PhD at the University of Birmingham by completing the online application form. For details on how to apply please visit Postgraduate Study Page.

After making an online application to the University of Birmingham please read the Guidance Notes for Midland Graduate ESRC DTP School Applicants  before completing the application form MGS Studentship Application form. Make sure you have identified two supervisors who will assist in completion of the application form. 

If you also wish to be considered for the Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships then please read the information below and submit the application form.

Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships

Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships are available to candidates of the highest academic calibre who wish to conduct doctoral level study on a topic within the research areas of Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Strategy & International Business at Birmingham Business School. The scholarships cover tuition fees and pay a stipend.

A successful applicant is expected to have a very good undergraduate degree: a minimum of a 2:1, and preferably a first class honours. They should also hold, or expect to achieve, a very good Master’s degree (at least a merit and preferably at distinction level) in a Business or relevant subject. Their references will attest to qualities of academic achievement and research potential that make the candidate stand out above their peers. They may have already won academic prizes within their home institutions and /or internationally. We strongly encourage applications from UK students.

Applications will be assessed on:

  • The quality of the student’s academic achievements and preparedness for doctoral level study
  • The quality of the research proposal
  • The potential to contribute to cutting edge research
  • The match of the proposal to areas of research strength within Birmingham Business School.

View guidance for preparing a research proposal

Since we are particularly keen to build on existing areas of research strength, all applicants are strongly advised to contact potential supervisors and to discuss their proposal with them prior to online submission.

How to apply

Potential candidates for the Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships must have an offer of a place to study for a PhD. If you do not already have an offer, you must apply for the PhD programme by 9th December 2024 and mark your electronic application Birmingham Business School Scholarships. You should also send a separate  Birmingham Business School Scholarship application form along with your research proposal, to Dr Sheena Leek, Director of the Doctoral Programme (business-pgr-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk) and mark your email ‘Birmingham Business School Scholarships’.

The deadline for submitting the Birmingham Business School application form is midday Tuesday 21st January 2025.

If you already have a place to start on the doctoral programme in September 2024 and you wish to be considered for the BBS scholarships, you need to complete the Birmingham Business School Scholarship application form and submit it along with your research proposal as outlined above. If you are currently a Masters student, an offer of a scholarship will be conditional on the successful completion of your studies at the required level. Please note that previous applicants need not apply.

Find out more about our Doctoral Programme 

To apply to the Doctoral Programme, please go to the subject specific page listed below:

Find out more about the areas of research in the Birmingham Business School. 

PhD in Accounting 

Doctoral researchers in Accounting are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD. In the first two years of the programme (first four years for those registered part-time) students are required to take and successfully complete 60 credits of core Research Methods modules, 40 credits in the first year and 20 credits in the second year. Training is to be decided in discussion with supervisors and will reflect the student’s personal training requirements. Additional training can be undertaken, and students are encouraged to take advantage of internal and external opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capabilities.

By the end of their first year all doctoral students in Accounting will have completed an 10,000 word research document that they will present and be evaluated on at the first annual review.  This document contributes to the development of the supervised research, and the production of an 80,000 word thesis. 

 PhD in Economics

Doctoral researchers in Economics are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a Part Time 6year PhD. In the first year of the programme students are required to take 80 credits and successfully complete  60 credits.  The training modules  are Advanced Microeconomics (24403)(20 credits),  Advanced Macroeconomics (24402) (20 credits), Advanced Research Training in Econometrics (24401) (20 credits) and Advanced Research Methods (24404) (20 credits). Advanced Research Methods must be passed.

Depending on their needs doctoral students could substitute one course (other than Advanced Research Methods in Economics) from the Department’s suite of MSc programmes.

By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed a 10,000 word research proposal that they will present at a PhD workshop. This forms the basis for supervised research over the remaining two years of the programme and the production of an 80,000 word thesis. 

Assessment Methods

Assessment of the programme involves you presenting your work in the PhD workshop series. Year 2 students present their research agenda (thesis proposal) in the Autumn term. Year 3 and 4 students give a one-hour presentation of their work in the spring and summer workshop series respectively. Thus, every PhD student presents the research agenda and two pieces of work during their study. All the presentations are attended by all the PhD students and the first and second supervisors of the speaker and some other faculty members. 

Each year  every research student  has an annual progress review to check the level and progress  of their work. In the first year, students are required to achieve a high standard in any examinations and to submit a satisfactory literature survey and detailed research proposal.

PhD in Finance

Doctoral researchers in Finance are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD. In the first year of the programme doctoral researchers are all required to take07 36331 Financial Econometrics (20 credits) . They also need to take two of the 20 credit modules from Advanced Quantitative Methods for Data Analytics (40052), Financial Econometrics (40066), Advanced Quantitative Methods (40053), Topics in Money, Banking and Finance (40077), Economics of Corporate Finance(40061). 

By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed an 10,000 word research document that they will present and be evaluated on at the first annual review. This document contributes to the development of the supervised research, and the production of an 80,000 word thesis. 

PhD in Management 

Doctoral researchers in Management are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD. In the first two years of the programme (first four years for those registered part-time) students are required to take and successfully complete 60 credits of core Research Methods modules, 40 credits in the first year and 20 credits in the second year. Training is to be decided in discussion with supervisors and will reflect the student’s personal training requirements. Additional training can be undertaken, and students are encouraged to take advantage of internal and external opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capabilities.

By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed a 10,000 word research document that they will present at the first annual review.   This document contributes to the development of the supervised research, and the production of an 80,000 word thesis. 

PhD in Marketing

Doctoral researchers in Marketing are registered for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD.  In the first two years of the programme (first four years for those registered part-time) students are required to take and successfully complete 60 credits of core Research Methods modules, 40 credits in the first year and 20 credits in the second year. Training is to be decided in discussion with supervisors and will reflect the student’s personal training requirements. Additional training can be undertaken, and students are encouraged to take advantage of internal and external opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capabilities. By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed an 10,000 word research document  that they will present at the first annual review.  This document contributes to the development of the supervised research, and the production of an 80,000 word thesis. 

Strategy and International Business

Doctoral researchers in Strategy and International Business register for a full time 3-year PhD or a part-time 6-year PhD. Students are expected to take 60 credits of training in their first year. during their PhD. Training is to be decided in discussion with supervisors and will reflect the student’s personal training requirements. Additional training can be undertaken, and students are encouraged to take advantage of internal and external opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capabilities.

By the end of their first year doctoral students will have completed a 10,000 word research document that they will present at the first annual progress review. This document contributes to the development of the supervised research, and the production of an 80,000 word thesis.

Doctoral researchers in Accounting are registered for a full time 3-year PhD (or a part-time 6-year PhD). In the first two years of the programme (first four years for those registered part-time) students are required to take and successfully complete 60 credits of core Research Methods modules. Training is to be decided in discussion with supervisors and will reflect the student’s personal training requirements. Additional training can be undertaken, and students are encouraged to take advantage of internal and external opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capabilities.