Organisational Health and Well-Being

PhD

  • Entry year 2027 or 2026
  • Duration Part time 4 - 7 years
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Overview

Study a part-time, online PhD in Organisational Health and Well-being

The Organisational Health and Well-being PhD at Lancaster University is a flexible, part-time doctoral programme designed for professionals who want to make an original contribution to research on the relationship between work and health without stepping away from their current role or existing commitments.

Delivered primarily online, the programme combines expert academic supervision, structured research training and optional face-to-face academies, making it suitable for students based across the UK and internationally.

Whether you work in human resources, occupational health, health and safety, applied or organisational psychology, or across the public, private or voluntary sectors, this doctorate allows you to investigate real-world challenges in creating healthy workplaces while developing advanced research expertise. The programme explores diverse areas of Organisational Health and Well-being, including the psychological, social and organisational dynamics between work and health, leadership, and the design and evaluation of workplace interventions.

Why choose Lancaster University for a PhD in Organisational Health and Well-being?

At Lancaster University, we have built a strong international reputation for research into the world of work, with our Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being bringing together academics from multiple disciplines to address the challenges of the changing nature of work.

Reasons to choose Lancaster for your Organisational Health and Well-being PhD

  • Flexible online study that fits around professional or personal commitments
  • Taught within Lancaster's Division of Health Research, where we have 15 years' experience of delivering quality online education
  • A structured programme combining taught research methods with independent doctoral research
  • Join a global network of like-minded students, including HR managers, occupational health practitioners, health and safety representatives and organisational psychologists
  • Benefit from Lancaster University's connections with employers, policy makers and the Work Foundation
  • An international first: the only programme of its kind dedicated to the psychological, social and organisational dynamics of work and health

The course begins with a five-day induction academy at our Lancaster campus. This event is a great opportunity to build your network of fellow students and meet your supervisors face-to-face. While we strongly encourage you to attend in person to gain the full benefit of this event, joining online is possible if you are unable to travel.

About our Organisational Health and Well-being research

The PhD in Organisational Health and Well-Being is innovative and international first, developing knowledge and understanding of the psychological, social and organisational dynamics in the relationship between work and health

Applying mixed methods, participatory research, realist evaluation, secondary data analysis and policy evaluation, we address several priority areas.

These include:

  • Healthy work and workplace design
  • The psychosocial work environment
  • Mental health and well-being in the future of work
  • Leadership in sustainable work and organisations
  • Organisational health and resilience
  • Work and health regulation and policy in the future of work
  • Lifelong learning and sustainable working lives
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion in employment and new forms of work
  • Workplace intervention development and evaluation

We collaborate with colleagues across Lancaster University to ensure our students benefit from multi- and inter-disciplinary expertise in a supportive learning context.

Who will you be taught by on our Organisational Health and Well-being PhD?

The Organisational Health and Well-being PhD is delivered by Lancaster University's Division of Health Research, drawing on the multi- and interdisciplinary expertise of the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being, which brings together the Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University Management School and the Work Foundation.

Our academic staff bring expertise from a wide range of disciplines and maintain close partnerships with employers, policy makers and organisations working on the future of health at work. These collaborations ensure that teaching and supervision remain closely aligned with current practice and emerging challenges in Organisational Health and Well-being.

Throughout your doctorate, you'll receive individual supervision from an academic tutor and two research supervisors while becoming part of a wider research community committed to improving health and wellbeing at work through evidence-based research.

What will you learn?

The Organisational Health and Well-being PhD combines formal research training with independent doctoral research over four to seven years of part-time study.

Our relationships with employers and organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors combine with our academics' current research interests to inform the content of our modules.

Years 1 and 2

During the first two years, you'll complete online taught modules that will develop the theoretical knowledge and methodological skills you need for doctoral research.
Topics include:

  • Organisational Health and Well-being theory and practice
  • Research philosophy
  • Research design
  • Systematic reviews
  • Data analysis
  • Research ethics
  • Advanced research management

Years 3 and beyond
From the third year onwards, your focus will shift to an original research project that addresses an important issue within your professional or academic area of interest.

Your research can usually be carried out within your own workplace or local setting while receiving regular online supervision through Microsoft Teams and meeting supervisors during annual academies.

By graduation, you'll have developed expertise in:

  • Research design
  • Critical evaluation of Organisational Health and Well-being evidence
  • Advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods
  • Academic writing and publication
  • Producing original research that contributes new knowledge to the field of Organisational Health and Well-being

How will you learn?

The Organisational Health and Well-being PhD at Lancaster University is delivered primarily online, allowing you to study alongside your professional and personal commitments.

In the first two years, you'll complete online research training through interactive modules covering Organisational Health and Well-being theory, research methods and research skills such as presenting and critical appraisal. Alongside this, you'll receive regular one-to-one supervision from experienced academics via Microsoft Teams.

These two years are common across the range of PhDs that we offer, which also include

You will therefore also build a connection with students studying on these courses, too.

The programme includes an annual autumn academy at Lancaster University, offering workshops, networking opportunities and face-to-face meetings with supervisors. A five-day induction academy, available both in person and online, helps you prepare for doctoral study.

As you progress, the focus shifts to independent research, enabling you to develop an original doctoral project with ongoing support from your supervisory team.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) or a good UK Master's or equivalent in an appropriate subject, and relevant work experience. Degrees should also include a research methods module and a dissertation.

Applicants with non-standard qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, where there is evidence of relevant professional experience and/or other learning that demonstrates the potential to succeed on the programme.

Additional requirements

  • A personal statement (500 words) explaining your reasons for applying to the course and what you hope to achieve.
  • A brief research proposal (500 words) identifying the area(s)/topic you hope to research, why it is important and the research methods you might use. View our guidance on writing a research proposal.
  • Two references.
  • The department plans to interview all eligible applicants.
  • The application deadline for this programme is the 31st July. Applicants should ensure that all required supporting documents are submitted by this date.

English language requirements

We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test.

We also consider other English language qualifications.

Help from our Admissions team

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.

We also have more details on our website about:

Pre-master's programmes

Delivered in partnership with Lancaster International Study Centre, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit Lancaster University International Study Centre for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Core

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Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2027/28 entry fees have not yet been set.

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Course structure

Years 1 and 2 provide you with training in research and in the theory and practice underpinning healthy organisations. Your specialist module in Year 1 is Healthy Organisations: the Influence of the Work Environment on Health, which is studied alongside the Philosophy of Research and Research Design modules. In Year 2, you will undertake the following modules: Systematic Reviews, Data Analysis and Advanced Research Planning.

From year 3 onwards you will undertake a research project in Organisational Health and Well-Being, which will conclude with the submission of your 35,000 word thesis. The project will be supervised from the University but undertaken in your own location or workplace. Supervisions can be via telephone, email or Microsoft Teams, depending on preference. Face-to-face meetings with your supervisors will take place during the annual academy if you attend in person.

Studying online

This PhD course is taught online, allowing you flexibility in when and where you study.

You will use our virtual learning environment to learn alongside your existing commitments via discussion forums, collaborative digital spaces and video conferencing.

Once a year we run an optional, in-person event on our Lancaster University campus - our Autumn Academy. The academy runs for five days in your first year and three in subsequent years. You're encouraged to come to Lancaster but, if travelling isn't possible for you, you can join us online.

The Academies are a fantastic way to meet, catch up and collaborate with academics and peers, discuss research ideas with your supervisor and get inspiration from an international cohort of like-minded students.

Through your course, you will benefit from being part of a UK and internationally-based peer group, including: human resource managers, occupational health practitioners, health care workers, health and safety representatives, and applied/organisational psychologists. Working across public, private and voluntary sectors, your fellow students will share an interest in the promotion and creation of healthy work places and will be undertaking formal study at the same time as they are working.

All students have access to a hub space that facilitates interaction with your cohort and with other programmes, creating a virtual information space that’s also sociable. An academic tutor and then two research supervisors will provide you with support for each step of your PhD. They will also encourage you to attend external workshops and conferences (using University funds, where available, to support this).

During each academy you will participate in lectures, workshops, group discussions and individual activities, while our distance learning approach combines live and interactive lectures, elements to be worked through autonomously, webinars and online collaboration and group work.

Who should apply?

The PhD appeals to a wide range of individuals working across a variety of public, private and voluntary sectors who are interested in the promotion and creation of healthy workplaces. These include:

  • Human resource professionals and managers
  • Occupational health/public health practitioners
  • Health care workers
  • Health and safety representatives
  • Applied/organisational psychologists

It is not restricted to any one professional group or discipline and is intended to be international in focus.

Student insights

Photo of Islam Adra
Islam Adra, PhD Organisational Health and Well-Being

Islam Adra

“I never intended to pursue Doctoral studies but after 10 successful years in industry, I not only felt the need to upgrade my educational qualifications, but I also believed I could contribute new knowledge to the health and safety arena. Lancaster’s Organisational Health and Well-Being blended learning programme was an obvious choice. I could complete the PhD without leaving work and I’d be undertaking research in an increasingly important field at a University recognized as a top institution globally. I’m happy I decided to study at Lancaster and am especially pleased with the programme flexibility, the excellent departmental support, and the wonderful online student community I’m part of.”

Photo of Stephen Taylor
Stephen Taylor, PhD Organisational Health and Well-Being

Stephen Taylor

“After completing an MSc in occupational health and safety management, I was keen to continue my studies and pursue a PhD. I found the blended PhD in Organisational Health and Well-Being at Lancaster University best suited both my research aims and my other commitments. The blended approach has also been really useful to get formative tools in place before we start the research phase. Lastly, as a working husband and father of young children. Although the PhD is suitably challenging, I've found the programme manageable and flexible in terms of the time required to complete tasks.”

Staff in the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being

This PhD is supported by internationally recognised academics in the field of organisational health and well-being.

The team boasts expertise and interest in a range of topics, including:

  • Sustainable work: Promoting healthy working lives
  • Creating healthy work environments
  • Mental health and well-being in the future of work
  • Psychosocial risk management at work
  • Occupational health, safety and well-being
  • Stress, mental health and resilience at work
  • Work, disability and long-term illness
  • Women's reproductive health and work
  • Workplace interventions development and evaluation
  • Work and health regulation, policy and standards evaluation
  • Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in staff
  • International working and expatriate assignments

Members are a mixed methods research team and use quantitative and qualitative approaches to their research and consultancy in organisational settings and populations. Their research methods and approaches include policy analysis and evaluation methods, secondary analysis of data, interviews, focus groups, survey research, case studies, experiments, new scale/measurement development and validation, action research, trials, and process and implementation evaluations. They also specialise in the translation of research in policy and practice. To find out more about the team and the centre, please visit the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being (COHWB) - Lancaster University.

Current members of staff in the faculty include:

The Division of Health Research

The Division of Health Research have been offering blended learning postgraduate programmes since 2010. We have many successful graduates and currently around 200 continuing students on a range of programmes who have benefited in progressing their careers from the high quality postgraduate education we provide.

Lancaster's Division of Health Research is celebrating 15 years of supporting students globally to advance their career with an online qualification. 

Offering programmes spanning Palliative Care, Mental Health, Public Health, Organisational Health & Well-being and Health Economics and Policy, our team is experienced in delivering structured, online, part-time postgraduate qualifications.

Image to show 15 years of delivering postgraduate education by the division of health research

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year 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. Find out more about our  Charter and student policies.