Program Overview

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Our Integrated PhD Entrepreneurship provides a route to doctoral study if you do not have a Masters degree, or have little to no research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing a full-time Masters-level qualification, which will equip you with the business knowledge and research skills needed to begin PhD study the following year. Your PhD will then be studied full time, over the next three years. You can choose to follow a traditional thesis approach, where you write a dissertation, or follow a 'three paper' thesis, where you produce three research articles, framed by an introduction and conclusion. Your supervisors support you to submit these papers to conferences and for publication in international journals, so you can begin to build you research portfolio well before graduation. This PhD will give you the opportunity to engage with debates surrounding entrepreneurship, such as knowledge production, organisational development and innovation in the new economy. Our PhD candidates explore issues such as:

• entrepreneurial disengagement
• co-creation in social entrepreneurship
• cognitive entrepreneurship and over-optimism

Our Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship Group , based at our Southend Campus, are a group of international researchers with an entrepreneurial focus. The group organises regular research seminars, giving you the chance to hear cutting-edge research and network with scholars from the School and the wider academic community. Their research is multi-disciplinary and falls within two broad and interrelated streams – management science and entrepreneurship and SME management. Current research projects include exploring “Autism and the world of work” – looking at the challenges faced by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the workplace and how they can be offered better support and understanding; and “Accelerating women’s enterprise” – research in partnership with the Accelerating-womens Enterprise (AWE) project exploring the challenges and barriers faced by disadvantaged women entrepreneurs. You study at Essex Business School (EBS), the largest department at the University of Essex, at our Southend Campus . We are a business school with an international outlook. Our doctoral students join us from all over the world and we are committed to the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) . We encourage you to develop connections with practitioners and policy makers and draw on these insights to develop new approaches to the study of entrepreneurship and innovation. We also offer you opportunities to work alongside social enterprises to inform your doctoral research. If you already have a Masters degree or previous relevant research training, we also offer a PhD Entrepreneurship that you can study on a full-time or part-time basis. Why we're great.

• 100% of our business and management research environment is world-leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021)
• Essex is ranked in the Top 150 for Business and Economics in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2023.
• We are ranked 20th in UK for research power in business and management (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021).

Our expert staff

At Essex Business School, you benefit from world-class supervision and research training conducted by our senior academic staff , like Professor of Technology Strategy Suma Athreye . Her teaching is informed by her work around the evolution of technology markets, inclusive innovation and international R&D management. She has consulted with the World Intellectual Property Organisation and is on the Editorial Board of the Innovation and Development and Multinational Business Review. She also advises the Big Innovation Centre. Our department boasts eight research centres across our two campuses. Dr Louise Nash and Director of Postgraduate Research at Essex Business School oversees and leads the provision of our graduate research programmes and ensures that we create an environment where our doctoral students can flourish as researchers in a thriving and mutually supportive PhD community. Louise is a lecturer in Management and Marketing and completed her PhD Management at Essex. She has extensive management and marketing experience which has influenced her research interests – these focus on interpretative, qualitative studies of the lived experience of work, including: the spatial and temporal rhythms of everyday life; the culture, aesthetics and symbolism of organisational life; gender in the workplace and exploring and developing sensory and embodied methods for researching organisations. You work with two supervisors during your studies. They provide guidance and support to help you achieve your individual research goals, develop your research topic and create a personalised training plan. You meet with your supervisors at least once a month and are usually required to submit work in advance for feedback. Twice a year, you have a supervisory board meeting to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months. As well as supporting you to complete your thesis, your supervisors can help you to plan your career development. Our academics often co-author publications with doctoral students and can help you to develop the transferable skills needed for the jobs market. Take a look at our staff pages to find out more about our areas of supervision.

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Specialist facilities

This integrated PhD is based at our Southend Campus , just 40 minutes from London and in the heart of the Thames Gateway - one of the Government’s priority areas for economic growth, it is a fitting location for entrepreneurial study. Essex has the highest number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, meaning you are ideally located for networking, launching a business or gaining inspiration to take back home. Southend-on-Sea combines the charms of a traditional seaside resort with the attractions of a vibrant, modern town and our campus sits right at the centre. With seven miles of coastline, a thriving arts and cultural scene and a wide variety of restaurants and nightlife all on your doorstep, it’s the perfect place to live and study. Our town centre location has excellent transport links and London Southend Airport is just five minutes away by train, offering flights to over 50 destinations across Europe. When you choose our Southend Campus for your studies, you’ll have access to excellent facilities to help you conduct your research including:

• our award-winning The Forum building, with a library and café
• 24-hour learning hub, with study spaces, PC access and quiet places for conducting research
• access to databases such as Bloomberg, Compustat, Passport GMID, Bankscope and Datastream
• e-book finance and business packages to support part-time and distance learning (including Ebrary, NetLibrary, Oxford Scholarship Online, Palgrave Connect and SpringerLink)
• study skills support for postgraduate students such as help with the University library, research databases, literature reviews and presentation skills

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Your future

Our PhD programmes are designed to foster the business leaders and researchers of the future. Our graduates use creativity, innovation and ethical awareness to meet the many challenges facing the international business world. Our doctoral graduates have secured roles in academia at some of the best international universities, as well as organisations in the public and private sectors. Recent examples include careers with Leeds University Business School, Cambridge Education, EY (Ernst and Young) and the public sector around the world. Our University Student Development Careers Services are on hand to provide careers advice and help you make the most of your Essex experience. You will also have access to CV workshops, one-to-one advice and career resources. “I get to work with people from all over the world, each bringing fresh perspectives and experiences. I love being able to share ideas with people from so many different backgrounds. After I complete my PhD, I’d like to continue in academia and work closely with practising entrepreneurs.” Bahar Afrahi, PhD Entrepreneurship