Research Degrees in

Marketing, Retail and Tourism

in the Faculty of Business and Law

Overview

Do you want to advance or change your career, deepen your expertise in a topic, or expand your research and practical skills?

With a PhD or other postgraduate research degree in Marketing, Retail and Tourism you will:

  • Work with leading experts in the field. We are a centre for research excellence, with 60% of our research in Business rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent national assessment of research (REF2014).
  • Be part of a world class buisness school. We have a triple accredited business school, the international benchmark of excellence for business schools. This achievement is testament to our high standards of excellence in teaching and research and places us among the very best business schools on the world.
  • Join a thriving research community. We have a large community of established and emerging researchers. Our research is emboldened by our research centres: Decent Work and Productivity and Business Transformations. We are also home to the Institute of Place Management which has a history of performing vital policy interventions to enhance spaces.
  • Benefit from Manchester’s creative heritage. Manchester is a major destination for the creative industries, with a distinctive mixture of global players (in the MediaCityUK and Sharp Project hubs) and innovative local agencies.
  • Undertake tailored personal and professional development training. This training ensures our graduates are equipped to make a real impact, whether in the worlds of academia or practice.
  • Benefit from being part of the Business and Law Graduate School. We provide specialist support services and facilities to enhance your development as a researcher and practitioner. The seventh floor of our Business School building is a dedicated postgraduate space, and includes attractively landscaped social and study areas.

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Areas of supervisory expertise

We can supervise a broad range of projects within Marketing, Retail and Tourism. Our areas of expertise include:

  • Business-to-business and industrial marketing
  • Business-to-business decision making and relationships
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Consumption and identity
  • Family consumption
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Consumer-brand relationships
  • Consumer experience
  • Sports consumer/fan behaviour
  • Sports marketing and sponsorship
  • Place management and marketing
  • Consumption and experiences of place
  • High street/town centre management
  • Retail marketing
  • Tourist destination and/or place management
  • Tourist behaviours
  • Tourist/travel experiences
  • Responsible and sustainable tourism

Find out more about our staff's expertise

Research culture

Our research reflects the vibrancy, creativity and innovation of the marketing, retail and tourism industries, and is enhanced by our location in Manchester – one of the largest hubs for creative and digital content across Europe.

More about our research culture

We pride ourselves on undertaking research that is interdisciplinary and engages with external industry partners and communities. You will be part of a large group of researchers at Manchester Met studying the creative industries from a range of perspectives (Design, Fashion, Art, Literature, New Media, Business, Digital Politics, and Marketing). This group of researchers has strong links with industry and creative practitioners, and you will have many opportunities to network with creatives and professionals.

We have two University reserach centres: Decent Work and Productivity and Business Transformations. These research centres will be at the forefront of developing new research projects and partnerships to deepen understanding of 21st century enterprise.

These centres bring together researchers, business and communities in order to understand the key challenges facing enterprise in the 21st century, and how these challenges can be addressed in a way that is decent for workers and productive for organisations.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will form an integral part of our research culture. You will benefit from an extensive programme of research training, designed to develop your subject-specific and transferable skills. You will also have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of seminars, symposiums and networking events to expand your intellectual horizons.

In addition to the research centres, we are also home to other major interdisciplinary research projects, including:

Courses offered, duration, and start dates

Programmes offered

  • PhD (3 years full time, 6 years part time)
  • Master's by Research (1 year full time, 2 years part time)
  • MPhil (24 months full time, 48 months part time)

Find out more about the different research degrees we offer

Start dates

The majority of our students start their courses in October. We offer a further start point in January.

Career prospects

You will be part of one of the largest Business Schools in the country, and benefit from our extensive associations with professional bodies and industries. You will graduate with the confidence and expertise to pursue a range of senior roles in industry and academia.

Manchester is an exciting hub of creative professionals working in the marketing, retail and tourism sectors. You will have opportunities to network with regional, national and global innovators. You will also undertake rigorous and comprehensive skills training to equip you with advanced research, technical and critical thinking skills. These networking and development opportunities will fully prepare you for senior roles in the creative and cultural industries, in business and enterprise, and in academia.

Course structure

This course is research based. You will independently conduct research into your own topic or a topic that we advertise. Your supervisory team will offer expert guidance throughout your studies and review work in progress.

In your first 18 months to 2 years, you will undertake the Faculty's Doctoral Research Training Programme. This Programme covers the essentials of research training in three units: Literature Review, Principles of Research Design and Data Collection and Analysis. In each subsequent year, you will follow a programme of training and development tailored to your specific needs. 

Fees and funding

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Postgraduate Research Degrees Fees

Please refer to our Fees page for more information about tuition fees.

Loans for research degrees

Many of our PhD and Professional Doctorate programmes are eligible for the government's Doctoral Loan Scheme. MPhil and MA/MSc by Research degrees are eligible for a Postgraduate Loan.

Find out more about tuition fees and financial support

Scholarships

Each year we offer a number of competitive scholarships to support high quality research projects. Current scholarship opportunities in Business are advertised on our site.

Sign up to be notified when relevant scholarships are advertised

Entry requirements

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You should, as a minimum, have a first or 2.1 honours degree or an equivalent qualification.

International students must demonstrate a sufficiently high standard of English language ability (IELTS 7.0).

In order to enter most postgraduate courses the English requirements are IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 575, and TOEFL computer-based 230.

We welcome interest from applicants from non-standard backgrounds. We will take subject knowledge, professional experience, publications, or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment into consideration.

See more about our standard entry requirements.

Enquiries

 

Before applying for a research degree, you should have a preliminary discussion with a member of staff about your project and ideas. You can contact members of staff directly, using the contact details given on their staff profiles. For any queries relating to research degrees in marketing retail and tourism, please email Dr Saeed Najafi-Tavani, (s.najafi.tavani@mmu.ac.uk) the Postgraduate Research Degrees Lead for the Department of Marketing, International Business and Tourism.

How to apply

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To apply for this degree, please select one of the study options below to begin your application.

Before you apply, you should discuss your project with a member of academic staff. You should also complete the postgraduate research degree thesis proposal form, which you will need to upload as part of your application. The document can be attached at the final checklist section after you’ve submitted your application.


Postgraduate Study