Business and Management Integrated (Brunel Business School)

Research activities within the Business School at Brunel cover a wide-ranging and diverse field of topics from accounting, through HR, to strategy. Academic staff involved within these programmes investigate corporate governance and social responsibility, employment relations, information systems, corporate brands, marketplace cultures, international business and entrepreneurship and much more. Our research drives forward global business and societal transformation and is applied to many areas, such as NASA's mission to Mars, humanitarian relief in Iran, biobank network across Europe, British Monarchy brand in the UK, to innovating the public sector in Saudi Arabia. 

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We've also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in this area.

You will benefit from this integrated PhD programme immensely if you want to:  

• receive a more much guided and hands-on supervision of your learning and research process, especially if you come from more traditional teaching cultures
• increase your chances for timely completion of your PhD programme in comparison to students taking traditional route PhD, cutting down the expenses associated with prolonged study
• access to tailored, highly specialist research training not available as part of the support provided to traditional route PhD students
• maximise your chances for a successful research analysis by applying practical assignments and training which are part of the integrated PhD directly to the research you do for your thesis     
• receive an official Postgraduate Diploma in Research in addition to your PhD award to certify the completion of skills training which may be required by employers in some countries if you wish to pursue an academic career 

PhD Community in the Business School

Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in-depth and contribute new knowledge to your discipline. Here at BBS, we have five key subject areas:

• Marketing and Corporate Brand Management
• Organisation and Human Resource Management
• International Business and Entrepreneurship
• Operations and Information Systems Management
• Accounting and Auditing  

We are one of the largest PhD student cohorts in the UK. We have approximately 160 students based in the UK and around 25 based in Bahrain. Our student cohort is culturally diverse, with students from 34 different countries.  The male to female ratio is at 47% to 53%. We have 4 self-elected student reps and they discuss PhD students' comments and issues with the PGR director regularly. There are dedicated, high spec PhD areas in the Business School with all the equipment you need for your studies. 

Message from the PGR Director

"The Business School community of doctoral students is going from strength to strength. We work closely with our PhD candidates and supervisors to ensure that our PhD students get exceptional experience and achieve excellence in their research. We particularly welcome students who have a solid academic background in relevant subject fields, evidenced by their past grade performance."‌ 

You can then complete our application form through our application portal on eVision. If this is the first course you’ve applied to at Brunel, then click the 'New User' button at the top of the page to register on our portal. If you have applied before or want to return to an application you have started then simply log in with your username and password.

If you're an international or EU applicant applying through one of our registered agents, they may be applying on your behalf through our online agent facility. To find a Brunel University London registered agent in your country please check our specific country pages.

 When to apply?

We recommend that you apply as soon as possible for your chosen course, as courses in high demand often reach capacity and may need to close early or stop recruiting. Some courses, including (but not limited to) MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration), MSc Physiotherapy, MSc Physician Associate, all Brunel Business School courses, PG Economics and Finance courses, all Computer Science courses and PGCE teaching courses may have earlier application deadlines, early deposit payment deadlines or may stop recruiting early in the application cycle, due to limited capacity. 

• For courses beginning January 2023, we recommend you apply by 7 November 2022. After this deadline applications will be accepted only if there are spaces on the course and there is sufficient time to progress your application (e.g. interviews, portfolios if required, the visa process for international students)
• For courses beginning September 2023, we recommend you apply by 21 July 2023. After this deadline applications will be accepted only if there are spaces on the course and there is sufficient time to progress your application (e.g. interviews, portfolios if required, the visa process for international students).

We will aim to make decisions on applications within 4-8 weeks of the application being submitted. Depending on the time of year you submit your application, it may also take longer to process during peak application points in the cycle. Please ensure that your application form is as complete as possible at the time of submission (including scans of your qualifications and any other relevant documents) to avoid unnecessary delays.

Admission to Brunel Business School Postgraduate courses

Our Postgraduate Brunel Business School courses typically receive a high number of applications. Last academic year, 750 Postgraduate students joined the Brunel Business School across September and January entry. We expect to welcome a similar number in 2023/4 and are looking at options to increase the number of places we have available. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

If you apply or pay your course deposit or meet your offer conditions after the Brunel Business School has reached capacity we may defer your application to the next available entry point. We recommend that you apply early and pay your deposit when requested, or as soon as possible, in order to secure a place on the course. We would like to draw your attention to Section 7 of the Student Contract, which requires applicants to pay any course deposit fees when due.

Completing the application form

You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Personal details
• Academic qualifications (level, subject, where studied, results, year taken)
• Work experience details (name of organisations, start and end dates)

You will be asked to submit supporting documents electronically, so you can upload scanned or photographed copies of the documents onto your MyApplications portal, you can also check your application status through the portal.