PhD Entrepreneurship

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.

You can choose to study on a full-time or part-time basis, and we also offer an integrated (or 1+3) PhD Entrepreneurship programme that provides a route to doctoral study in this area if you do not have a Masters degree, or only have limited research training. You may be eligible for a scholarship.

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 seven 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.

Specialist facilities

This 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

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

UK entry requirements

You will need a good Masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. A well developed research proposal is also essential.

You will normally be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.

English language requirements

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, such as in response to COVID-19, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Assessment

You begin your studies by meeting regularly with your supervisors and undertaking an intensive study programme. You attend advanced research methods training and undertake compulsory modules tailored to your individual research needs.

Throughout your PhD, you have regular meetings with your supervisors. You are often asked to write up your ideas or reading notes to help establish good writing practices. By the end of your first year of research, you should have a solid understanding of the key debates in your field and have defined your research questions, outlining your original contribution to knowledge.

In your second PhD year, you are likely to finalise the design of your own research project and either collect primary data, or access and analyse large scale datasets. You may also make progress on your second research paper. You receive regular feedback on your ideas and findings from your supervisors and are encouraged to develop your own research ideas independently during this year. If you are undertaking fieldwork in another location, your supervisors will still be in touch via email or Skype.

In your final year, you continue to analyse your own research data and further refine your original contribution to knowledge. You will collate your work into a approximately 50-80k words thesis.

Creating a 50-80k word thesis is a significant task. To help you finalise your PhD and produce high quality doctoral research, we have a number of support mechanisms.

You undertake a progress board every six months, where you, your supervisors and an independent chair mark your progress and set objectives for the next period. You are also encouraged to take part in peer group debates and discussions.

Our full-time doctorates are 36 month programmes. At the end of this time, you may be allowed up to 12 months to finish writing up your PhD.

You may attend a number of conferences in your final year to test out your research findings and thesis on an international stage. Your attendance may be funded by Essex Business School. As well as advising on how to prepare your thesis for examination, your supervisors can advise on future career plans in academia or industry.

Dissertation

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.

Once you have submitted your thesis, you will be asked to attend a Viva Voce examination with examiners from within and outside of the University. A viva voce examination usually takes place within three months of submission of thesis.