PhD Studentships for international and home candidates for 2025-26 entry

The School offers PhD studentships for exceptional postgraduate researchers with a passion for scientific discovery who wish to pursue a research career in academia, government, research organisations, or in business.  

About the PhD Studentships 

The fully funded PhD Studentships are specifically allocated to the School’s Research Centres . Applicants can view a list of topics that have been suggested by potential supervisors by clicking the links below, although we also encourage topics in other areas linked to these research centres.

About the PhD Programmes 

We invite applications for entry into our PhD Programmes (full-time only) covering research undertaken in the areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance and Management & Marketing. 

PhD students at Durham University Business School work within a vibrant, diverse and inclusive research community. Durham University is a World Top 100 university league tables and the School holds triple accreditation which places it in the top 1% of business schools globally. 

Our PhD students enjoy close supervision by internationally renowned staff that specialise in their research areas and have access to a wide range of advanced research training courses. Students also participate in top-quality research centre and departmental activities, such as seminar series, workshops, and conferences. 

Funding Details 

The studentships are available for outstanding students from all nationalities. They support a full stipend at UKRI rates (currently £19,237 per year) and tuition fees for international/home candidates for the duration of the PhD Programme. 

How to Apply 

All details about the application process for PhD Programmes at Durham University Business School can be found here. 

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact members of the Research Centres about their research topic and to seek their advice on developing the proposal they wish to submit. The full proposal (max. 2,000 words) is then submitted along with:  

(1) a University Postgraduate Application Form; 

(2) A current c.v. – max 2 pages;  

(3) Transcripts of past qualifications;  

(4) Two references. 

Submit the documents by the deadline stated below to: 

Department of Accounting: business.phd.accounting@durham.ac.uk  

Department of Economics: business.phd.economics@durham.ac.uk  

Department of Finance: business.phd.finance@durham.ac.uk  

Department of Management and Marketing: business.phd.mgmt-mktg@durham.ac.uk  

Candidates wishing to apply for a PhD studentship must complete the University's Postgraduate Application Form and submit all other supporting documentation. 

Further background about applying for postgraduate research at Durham University can be found here. 

Online Information Session 

An information session for interested applicants will be held online on Tuesday 14th January 2025, 11:00-12:00 (London, UK). Please register to attend here: https://durhamuniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqdeusqzwrG9FO1UNexzr52Y-bOT4z45AB  

Timeline 

Deadline for applications: 23:59 (London, UK) on 15th February 2025 

Offer: May 2025 

Start Date: October 2025

Contact 

For enquiries on how to make an application, please contact business.researchhub@durham.ac.uk.