PhD Studentships

Applications for MPhil and PhD places within the Faculty of Business and Law beginning in February 2026 have closed. Applications for entry in October 2026 will open in autumn 2025.

When applications for entry in October 2026 open, we will advertise available projects on this webpage. We will also welcome applications for full- and part-time places in other areas of business, management and law; please note such projects are dependent on available supervision expertise and capacity. We have a number of fully-funded full-time studentships available.

If your application is successful, you will join the Faculty of Business and Law, where we conduct research of the highest international standard and embrace economic, public and social value consistent with the mission of The Open University. You will work with subject specialists to develop an original contribution to knowledge as well as your skills in research, communication, engagement and impact.

PhD studentships are based on full-time study for three years either at the Milton Keynes campus via our face-to-face PhD programme or remotely via our PhD by Distance Learning programme.

For our on-campus PhD programme, full-time students are expected to live within an easily commutable distance of Milton Keynes, meet their supervisors face-to-face on a monthly basis, and are advised to be on campus or another site of research a minimum of two days per week. Part-time students are expected to live within the UK and attend campus when required.

PhD by distance learning students can live in the UK or abroad. Those living in the UK are required to attend the programme registration and induction on Milton Keynes campus (this requirement can be waived on the basis of disability or caring responsibilities). Those living abroad can attend the registration and induction either on campus (which is encouraged) or remotely. There is no further mandatory on-campus attendance, with distance learning students expected to meet their supervisors and engage in training and research events remotely. Please note that we are currently unable to accept students residing in a small number of countries for a PhD by distance learning; please see the guidance on the application form for the up-to-date list of ineligible countries.

Fully-funded studentships may be available for full-time on-campus and UK-domiciled distance learning students, covering tuition fees, and a stipend of circa £20,780 per annum for 36 months. Studentships for full-time distance learning students living overseas may also be available, covering tuition fees only (please tick the ‘fee bursary’ option on the application form if you wish to be considered). Studentships are not available for part-time study. A generous research training support grant is allocated to all students accepted into the programme to cover research-related costs including fieldwork and conferences.

Under RD 2.1 of our Research Degrees Regulations, an applicant seeking admission to the degree of MPhil or MPhil with the possibility of transfer to PhD should hold the minimum of an upper second class honours degree, or a Master’s degree in an appropriate cognate area from a UK University or other recognised degree-awarding body. Under RD 2.2, applicants holding qualifications other than those outlined in RD 2.1 must demonstrate suitability for postgraduate level research based on professional experience, publications, written reports or other appropriate evidence of previous research related to the proposed PhD application shall be taken into consideration. In addition, applicants must provide the names of qualified persons from whom the University may seek references as to the applicants’ academic attainment and potential for undertaking research at this level. Applicants who do not hold any degree level qualifications will not be admitted and will not be eligible for consideration.

Your application must include:

  • a fully-completed on-campus PhD application form or PhD by Distance Learning application form
  • a proposal which should be at least 1,000 words and no longer than 2,000 words, indicating your knowledge of the literature, methods and likely approach to your project of interest. Guidance on how to write your research proposal is available here)
  • official copies of degree certificates and all transcripts relevant to your application. If your certificates are not in English, both the original copies and certified translations are required

  • an IELTS Academic certificate or an English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS) from Ecctis (if/as applicable).

    • If you are applying for campus-based learning and you are not from, or do not have a full degree certificate from, one of the countries in the tables on page 17 of the application form (international), you will need to submit an IELTS Academic certificate with your application by the deadline. A minimum overall score of 6.5 and a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the four categories (or approved equivalent) are required in order to make the application process fair and equal for all applicants. You should have your level of proficiency certified through a provider approved by UK Visas and Immigration, and provide your certificate and grade with your application. Test certificates must be from an exam taken no earlier than 2nd October 2024. IELTS Academic certificates are the only proof of English competency we accept at The Open University for campus-based learning. There are no exceptions or waivers to having an IELTS Academic certificate. This is regardless of other qualifications, career experience, other academic experience or English-medium education that took place in countries not on the aforementioned table.

    If you are applying to study via distance learning and you are not from, or do not have a full degree certificate from, one of the countries in the tables on page 17 of the application form (international), you will need to submit an English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS) from Ecctis, dated no earlier than 2nd October 2024, or an IELTS Academic certificate that meets the requirements detailed above. IELTS Academic certificates and Ecctis English Language Proficiency Statements are the only proof of English competency we accept at The Open University for distance learning. There are no exceptions or waivers to having an IELTS Academic certificate or an Ecctis English Language Proficiency Statement. This is regardless of other qualifications, career experience, other academic experience or English-medium education that took place in countries not on the aforementioned table. The tables are available on the form named ‘Application form (International)’ but you will need to complete the one named ‘Application form (Distance) if you wish to apply to study via distance learning.

  • a covering letter indicating your suitability for the project
  • a CV

Please submit your files as PDFs, Word documents and/or JPEGs. Please send them as email attachments; we cannot accept files submitted via a link to a storage area (such as Google Drive).

Interviews form part of the selection process; they are held either in person or remotely via videoconference. Applicants are expected to give a 10-minute presentation about their proposal, followed by a question-and-answer session lasting up to 45 minutes.

Please ensure to thoroughly check your application before submission as incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you have any queries, please email FBL-PHD@open.ac.uk.