The part-time PhD in the Theory and Practice of Management (TPM) combines the academic rigour of a traditional PhD with the accessibility of a structured, part-time research programme. A recent EFMD doctoral conference hosted at Lancaster gave significant emphasis to the changing forms of knowledge production within academia and in society more broadly, and the need for universities to update their provision to reflect the societies they serve. This programme is a response to that need, with its increased focus on research impact and business engagement. It also recognises that doctoral researchers form an integral part of our research community and add value to the research conducted here at Lancaster.

Through a combination of online resources and facilitated activities, face-to-face workshops, and collaborative supervision, the programme will be accessible to part-time researchers from the public, private and third sectors. Working closely with academic faculty, they will be supported in developing their research skills at the same time as generating a valuable contribution to knowledge.

There are two routes within the programme, designed to meet the needs of a range of applicants. This main route (PhD in Theory and Practice of Management (TPM)) is open access and is designed to offer a strong methodological understanding/skillset, a ‘light touch’ grounding in the management discipline, and to support participants in producing a quality piece of independent research.

The International Doctorate in the Practice of Management (IDPM) route delivers the same qualification but is founded upon the existing IMPM programme and is only open to graduates of this programme. Following completion of the IMPM Major Paper, students will undertake tailored research training designed to enable them to produce a quality piece of research. There is significant overlap between the two training programmes, and between our part-time and full-time training programmes, to offer the richest possible experience to participants on all routes.

This open-access TPM route consists of the modules shown in the course structure, all of which are compulsory.

Participants will also need to undertake 15-30 hours of tailored research training in relation to data collection and data analysis, in alignment with their research.

Participants will be awarded a PhD on successful completion of the listed modules, plus a 45,000-word thesis and an academic paper of publishable quality.