Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management

MPhil or PhD

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Key facts

Start dates

June 2025 / September 2025 / January 2026

Application deadline

Applications by international candidates for on-campus full-time research degrees must be received by:

  • 31 January 2025 (June entry)
  • 31 May 2025 (September entry)
  • 30 September 2025 (January entry)

Applications by home and international candidates for on-campus distance learning candidates must be received in full by:

  • 31st March 2025 (June entry)
  • 30 June 2025 (September entry) - only entry for Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring
  • 31 September 2025 (January entry)

Course length

Full time: minimum 3 years

Part time: minimum 4 years

Funding status

Self-funded

Overview

Our research in hospitality, tourism and events encompasses work on: 
•    sustainable planning and development
•    experience design and customer experience management
•    organisational behaviour 
•    digital marketing
•    dark tourism
•    revenue and financial management strategy 
•    entrepreneurship
•    consumer behaviour
•    stakeholder engagement and 
•    social impacts. 
The distance learning mode involves regular online sessions and intensive 3-5 day blocks of sessions each semester. You can attend the intensive blocks via online synchronous links or by coming to campus (using visitor visas where necessary to visit the UK).
Relevant research centres to this programme:
Centre of Business Society and Global Challenges (BSGC)
Oxford Regions Innovation, Enterprise Lab (ORIEL)International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies (ICCAMS).

Four students sat around a table talking

Degree routes

All students enrol as probationer research students. The degree for which you register will depend on your academic qualifications and research experience. During the first year you will formally register your research proposal for one of the below routes.

Why Oxford Brookes University?

You will benefit from:

  • a supervisory team of two to three supervisors who can provide the best combination of expertise to support your work
  • training courses in research methods provided by the Business School and wider University
  • regular seminars and learning activities at department, school and university level
  • experience of presenting work to different audiences
  • opportunities to network and discuss your work with staff and fellow students.
  • engage with our entrepreneurs in residence and visiting entrepreneurs
  • Work with local businesses
  • collaborative opportunities, including receiving industrial funding and sponsorship.

You will be supported in developing and sharing your expertise through:

  • opportunities to present at internal seminars and conferences
  • dupport in attending, and ultimately presenting at external conferences (some financial assistance is available)
  • training as an Associate Lecturer and the opportunity to engage in teaching activity on appropriate modules offered by the Business School.

Learning and assessment

While every candidate’s exact experience will vary according to their particular discipline, topic and methodology, there are a number of common elements that all students will undertake:

  • critically investigating and evaluating an approved topic
  • undertaking an analytical review of the existing literature in your topic area to set the theoretical context for your work and help demonstrate the gap in knowledge you will address
  • developing and then implementing a rigorous and appropriate methodology for researching your topic
  • demonstrating that your research conforms to all relevant ethical codes of practice
  • extensive primary field research, analysis and evaluation.

Your progression will be monitored through an annual process undertaken at the end of each academic year, and through two key progression points after approximately six months and eighteen months of study respectively.

Groups of students sat together

Students

Caroline Schuhmacher

Governance systems for tourist-accessible animal sanctuaries in emerging economies

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Zhihao Chen

Self-drive tourist's spatial behaviour and associated decision-making process in context of Chinese market

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Janrapee Kemthong

An investigation of stakeholder relationship patterns in the planning process of cultural event tourism (CET)

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Kuo Feng

Social connectedness: How commercial senior living facilities help enhance older adults’ social well-being through social activities in China

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Pathaithip Gun-Ari

Political risks and international hotel expansion decision making: a strategic framework for risk optimisation

View profile

How to apply

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a good honours degree and a good master's degree at merit level or above that includes a thesis component. Applicants with equivalent experience will be considered.

Application process

  1. Complete your research proposal
  2. Gather your supporting documents (listed below)
  3. Make a direct application.

When applying for this programme of study please upload all of the required supporting documents listed below to the online application portal. If you have any difficulty completing your application, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Supporting documents

We require the following supporting documents for every candidate making an application to study a research degree:

  • copies of your previous degree transcripts and certificates (both undergraduate and postgraduate)
  • a scan of your passport
  • two academic references
  • a 2,000-word Research Topic Proposal
  • evidence of funding (we require evidence of personal funds or a letter from a funder if you will be sponsored)
  • international students must also provide an English Language Certificate with an IELTS score of at least 7.0.

We suggest merging your supporting documents into a single PDF file. Please note there are options for you to submit your two references.

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£4,886

Home (UK) part time
£2,443

International full time
£18,600

International part time
£9,300

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£4,886

Home (UK) part time
£2,443

International full time
£18,600

International part time
£9,300

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

For International fees the following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

Home fees are set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and are released approximately five months before the start of each academic year.

If you have any questions about fees, get in touch with the Research Degrees Team at rdt-researchdegrees@brookes.ac.uk.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course