Management Science

PhD

  • Entry Year 2024
  • Duration Full time 36 Months
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Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 69

    69th for Business and Economics in the World

    Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2023)

  • 70

    70th for Business and Management in the world

    QS World University Rankings (2023)

  • Lancaster University is top 10 in The Complete University Guide 2024

Do you want to use advanced technical skills to solve problems in the world of management science? Join our global group of high-potential scholars using quantitative analytical skills to address complex modern problems.

Our innovative research focuses on operations research, management science, business analytics, operations management, information systems and project management. We have particular strengths in the following areas:

  • Marketing analytics and forecasting
  • Health systems
  • Information systems
  • Supply chain management
  • Optimisation
  • Simulation and stochastic modelling
  • Transport and logistics.

As part of our friendly and thriving community of staff and students, you will enjoy access to state-of-the-art databases, a research training seminar series, dedicated office space, scientific computing facilities, and IT support. You will exchange ideas and holistic views through workshops, conferences, seminars, and communal group working, and you will benefit from the support of a final-year student during your first few months to help you settle in.

We lead through our research centres, including the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting, the Centre for Productivity and Efficiency and the Centre for Transport and Logistics. Our staff incorporate insights from their latest research into their teaching, and their links with industry will also help to boost your career prospects. For example, we regularly hear about exciting opportunities for data scientists.

You will receive specialised support from two supervisors as you research and write your thesis. In addition to your thesis, an oral examination will form an integral part of the assessment of your doctoral research.

Part-time PhD study over five years is available through the Theory and Practice of Management PhD.

Why study a PhD at LUMS?

Oliver talks about his research and the opportunities he has gained from studying for a PhD in Management Science at the Management School.

Programme structure

The PhD in Management Science includes two pathways; Business and Management and NATCOR. We also have Integrated PhD (1+3), and MRes opportunities.

Tab Content: Business and Management

Below is an overview of the modules you will study throughout your first year of the PhD in Management Science. Please note that you will follow this pathway if your research lies in Operations Management, Information Systems and Project Management.

Year 1

  • Induction Workshop, which includes Ethics and Plagiarism training and assessment
  • Foundations of Management Research
  • Central Themes in Management

Year 2

  • Research Skills – Data Collection & Analysis
  • Delivering Impactful Research
  • Structured Writing Retreats

Year 3

  • Communicating with Different Research Audiences
  • Structured Writing Retreats

Tab Content: NATCOR

Students following the NATCOR pathway are required to attend five residential courses from the following list over a two-year period, plus the two compulsory research training seminars:

  • Combinatorial Optimisation
  • Convex Optimisation
  • Heuristics
  • Simulation
  • Stochastic Modelling
  • Forecasting and Predictive Analysis
  • Behavioural OR and System Dynamics

Students are also required to take two compulsory seminars in the first term which include an online test:

  • Plagiarism
  • Ethics and Research

For more information and to apply please visit the NATCOR website.

Tab Content: PhD projects

A selection of our recent and current PhD projects are listed below. These include topics within the STOR-i Doctoral Training Centre, which is a joint venture between the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and the Department of Management Science. These projects usually have supervisors in both departments and/or an industrial partner.

  • The Role of Traceability in Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience and Sustainable Supply Chain Management in a Multi-Tier Supply Chain: An Emerging Economy Perspective – Ghadafi Razak (2022)
  • Extensions to Newsvendor Problems – Congzheng (Joshua) Liu (2022)
  • Meta-learning for Forecasting Model Selection – Sasan Barak (2022)
  • Sustainability-oriented Supplier Development in Multi-tier Supply Chains: The Role of Boundary-spanners and Boundary Objects – Meng Jia (2022)
  • Modelling and Solving the Single Airport Slot Allocation Problem – Fotis Katsigiannis (2022)
  • Combinatorial Optimisation: Relaxation, Duality and Heuristics – Hasan Mansoor (2022)
  • Simulation and Optimization of Scheduling Policies in Dynamic Stochastic Resource-Constrained Multi-Project Environments – Ugur Satic (2022)
  • Who are the best snooker players, and what sets them apart from the rest? – James Collingwood (2021)
  • The use of contextual information in demand forecasting – Anna Sroginis (2021)
  • Dynamic Cash Management Models – Zimian Zhang (2021)
  • Supply Chain Finance Adoption: Three is a Crowd in Entangled Relationships – Nichapa Phraknoi (2021)
  • Replicating agent-based simulation models of herding in financial markets – Xin Liu (2021)
  • Government Interventions in Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Chinese Private Enterprises: An Institutional and Contingency Analysis – Xiaoyue Tan (2021)
  • Reducing Obsolescence Waste by Better Forecasting and Inventory Management – Robyn Goldsmith (ongoing)
  • Multivariate time series modelling for financial market data - Maddie Smith (ongoing)
  • Input Uncertainty Quantification for Large-Scale Simulation Models (with Naval Postgraduate School; ongoing)
  • A Stochastic Game Framework of Patrolling a Border (with Naval Postgraduate School; ongoing)

Entry Requirements

Academic requirements

A relevant UK Master's degree with a minimum of 65% overall and 65% in the dissertation, or a non-UK Master's degree, graded at the equivalent level.

We may also consider non-standard applicants; please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional requirements

As part of your application you also need to provide a viable research proposal of up to 5,000 words, which has the potential to make a significant contribution to prior literature. Guidance can be found on our writing a research proposal webpage.

English language requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Fees and Funding

The tuition fee for students with home fee status is set in line with the standard fee stipend provided by the UK Research Councils. The fee stipend for 2024/25 has not yet been set. For reference, the fee stipend for 2023/24 was full-time £4,712.

The international fee for new entrants in 2024/25 is full-time £20,790.

Scholarships and Bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

  • Find a PhD topic

    Discover the research interests of our academics to find a synergy with your desired area of research.

  • Studentships and funding

    Find out more about our range of options to help you fund your postgraduate studies.

Departmental scholarships

Accordion

Job market candidates

Our Management Science job market candidates are listed below. Please visit PhD Job Market Candidates for a full list of LUMS candidates.

For further details, please contact the Doctoral Office.

Management Science job market candidates

Ritika Arora

Ritika Arora

PhD student

Centre for Marketing Analytics & Forecasting

Sebastian Caceres Gelvez

Sebastian Caceres Gelvez

PhD student

Optimisation

Student insights: Yiyi

In her blog, recent PhD graduate Yiyi Fan discusses the support she received during her studies. "My supervisor provided me invaluable support at every step along the way. Our regular meetings facilitated critical reflections and evaluations of my progress, enabling me to proceed through each stage of my research effectively."

Read Yiyi Fan's blog

Student insights: Oliver

In his blog, recent PhD graduate Oliver Schaer shares his experiences of the research community at LUMS. "I am very happy with my decision to have embarked on this ambitious project. I enjoyed the overall aspect of research and being able to develop new methods to improve the decision-making process."

Read Oliver Schaer's blog

Alumni profiles

portrait photograph of Qiulin Yang

Qiulin Yang

PhD Management Science, 2019
portrait photograph of Muddassir Ahmed

Muddassir Ahmed

PhD Management Science, 2015
portrait photograph of Fahian Huq

Fahian Huq

PhD Management Science, 2015

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Postgraduate open day: Saturday 10 February 2024

Join our on-campus open day this February to talk to students and lecturers and find out how and when to apply.

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

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We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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