Business and Management

We welcome proposal submissions from students to undertake research in the following indicative areas, although other areas will be considered:

• Entrepreneurship and small business 
• Entrepreneurship and small business with a particular interest in family business and the creative sectors – Dr James Cunningham
• Management, entrepreneurship, strategy, planning and policy processes and trends shaping the businesses environment – Dr Abhishek Agarwal
• Sustainable development and the energy sector - Dr Abhishek Agarwal
• Individual sustainable consumption – Professor Seonaidh McDonald

We are also interested in the following broad Business and Management research opportunities: 

• Corporate Level Decision Making
• e-Commerce, e-Business and Information Security
• Entrepreneurship in Transition Economies
• Environmental Management and Policy
• Green Consumer Behaviour and Sustainable Consumption
• Growth, Development and Internationalisation of SMEs
• Higher Education Management and Internationalisation
• International Business and Cross-Cultural Management
• Research in specific industries such as Telecommunications and
• Oil and Gas/Energy
• Social Entrepreneurship, Trust and Social Capital 

We also offer a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), a professional doctorate which provides a dynamic, research-based view of real world management issues. A DBA is equivalent in terms of academic study to a PhD but more applied in nature.

Normal entry requirements are a first or upper second class honours degree from a University of the United Kingdom, or from an overseas University, or degree equivalent qualification, subject to the approval of Robert Gordon University. Applicants holding qualifications other than those above shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed research programme.

Applicants holding qualifications other than those above shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed research programme. Applicants will normally register for an MSc/PhD or MRes/PhD with transfer to PhD dependent on satisfactory progress. However, applicants who already possess a Master’s degree which includes a significant research component could be registered directly for a PhD, subject to a satisfactory research proposal, and clear evidence of research expertise. 

English Language

Any applicant whose first language or language of previous University-level instruction is not English must normally demonstrate competence in English. This should be a score of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:

Our Pre-Sessional English Programme (PSP) is available for students who have not yet reached the required English level and those who would like to improve their language competency.

Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.

For Academic Year 2021/2022

All UK/EU Students

• Full-time - £4,500 per academic year
• Part-time MPhil/PhD - £2,700 per academic year
• Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £2,250 per academic year

International Students

• Full-time - £14,420 per academic year
• Part-time MPhil/PhD - £8,652 per academic year
• Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £7,210 per academic year

For Academic Year 2020/2021

UK/EU Students

• Full-time - £4,407 per academic year
• Part-time MPhil/PhD - £2,645 per academic year
• Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £2,205 per academic year

International Students

• Full-time - £14,420 per academic year
• Part-time MPhil/PhD - £8,652 per academic year
• Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £7,210 per academic year

Additional Costs

The following course-related costs are not included in the course fees:

• The cost of books that you may wish to purchase
• Costs associated with your placement / study abroad
• Accommodation and living costs
• Printing

Alumni Discount

Robert Gordon University is delighted to offer a 20% loyalty discount on course fees for all alumni who have graduated from RGU.

Student Funding

Postgraduate students will normally make their own arrangements for payment of fees. However, there are a limited number of SAAS funded places on certain postgraduate courses.
There are also sources of funding that are applicable to categories of student.

Scholarships and Financial Awards

You may also qualify for a scholarship or financial award:

Disclaimer 

For new intakes course fees are reviewed and published annually for each mode of delivery. Tuition fees are fixed for the duration of a course at the rate confirmed in the offer letter. For further information see: 

All applications should be made via the University's online application for research students.

Our Research degrees usually start in February and October each year. There is no official deadline for you to submit your application, though we recommend you submit it as early as possible in order to ensure we can help you join us at your preferred time.

Completed application forms should be accompanied by:

• Two academic references
• A transcript or mark sheet for all graduate qualifications
• A draft research proposal, or at least a short summary to indicate the potential area of research (Refer to Section 8 of the Application Form)

For applicants whose first language or language of university education is not English, applications must include:

• Certificate of English language competency score of IELTS 6.5 in each of the four test components (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking).
• Students who can demonstrate successful completion of tertiary (university or college) studies in a country whose national language is English, may be exempted from this requirement.