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John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS)

John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS) doctoral studentships are available annually for excellent students and excellent research projects.

There are two main sources of funding:

  • Central University funding
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - Doctoral Landscape Award (EPSRC - DLA) funding.

The JARSS 2025/26 competition will open in October 2024 and students successful in this competition will commence studies in October 2025. Faculties will set their own internal deadlines for the competition.

Academics/Supervisors make the applications for this scheme and there are various deadlines across Departments and Faculties, therefore, in the first instance, all interested students should contact the Department where they would like to carry out their research.

Deadline:

Funding:

Funded

THE Awards 2019: UK University of the Year Winner

Course structure

Year 1

In your first year, you'll need to take a number of classes offered through our Business & Management (MBM) course.

If you already have postgraduate training in business or social science research methods, you'll be expected to earn a Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Business & Management before you can progress to the PhD.

If you don't have any postgraduate training in business or social science research methods, you'll need to gain a Masters of Research (MRes) in Business & Management before you can progress to the PhD.

These classes provide research training in accordance with the Economic & Social Research Council's (ESRC) guidelines.

You'll also participate in an Entrepreneurship Research class as part of your research methods training. This class introduces you to the breadth of entrepreneurship research.

Years 2 & 3

This is where you'll actively pursue your individual research project with support from your supervisors.

You'll be evaluated every six months and when your thesis is complete, it'll be evaluated by an internal examiner from our department along with an external examiner from another university before you defend it to your VIVA committee.

Every January or February, you'll also be required to present at our Entrepreneurship Research Conference.

You're encouraged to submit your research for presentation at national and international research conferences too, along with taking part in doctoral training workshops.

Triple-accredited business school

Afsa Mukasa
Talk about stellar life moments and achievements, and the Strathclyde doctoral experience definitely makes the list. Every time!
Afsa Mukasa
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Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.

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Scotland

£4,786

England, Wales & Northern Ireland

£4,786

Republic of Ireland

If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process.

International

£19,600

Additional costs
Course materials

Students are required to cover the cost of binding their thesis. Also, they may need to purchase books for research

Placements & field trips

Students can apply for the department or supervisor to fund conference participation.

International students

International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.

Other costs

Along with possible travel costs, there may be other data collection and preparation costs. Some also elect to have transcription done professionally and those doing paper surveys, especially in hard to reach sections of developing countries, may sometimes need to pay local research assistants to help with that. At the end, most students, including native English speakers pay for professional proofreading as well.

Funding

Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information.

You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.

Postgraduate research opportunities

Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year.

Postgraduate research at the Strathclyde Doctoral School

The Strathclyde Doctoral School offers a vibrant, student-centred research and training environment, dedicated to supporting both current and future research talent.

Bringing together all four of our faculties, it is committed to enhancing the student experience, increasing research outputs and opportunities, and ensuring that training is delivered at the highest standard.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will automatically become a member of the Strathclyde Doctoral School.

Find out more about the Doctoral School

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Supervisors

Supervisors are assigned to you by the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation.

Please let us know which two supervisors you'd like to work with, but the department will team you up with whoever's best to support your research.

Once we've received your application, your research proposal is passed to potential supervisors for consideration. If your chosen supervisor is available to work with you, they will confirm this and nominate a potential second supervisor.

As soon as a second supervisor is confirmed, an offer of study will be sent to you through Pegasus, our online application system.

If you accept our offer, you'll receive a full offer in writing via the email address you provide.

Supervisor names and areas of expertise
Name Area of expertise
Norin Arshed
  • enterprise policy (entrepreneurship and SME policy)
  • entrepreneurship in marginalised, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups
  • unconventional entrepreneurship
  • entrepreneurial ecosystem
  • contextual entrepreneurship
  • Institutional theory
Aylin Ates
  • innovation management
  • strategic management
  • performance management
  • digital transformation
  • manufacturing ecosystems mainly in small and medium enterprise context
Iain Cairns
  • democratic businesses and the financial arrangements to support their establishment and development.
Lucrezia Casulli
  • entrepreneurial mindset
  • entrepreneurial psychology
  • cognitive processes in entrepreneurs
  • neurodiversity in entrepreneurs (ADHD, autism, etc.)
  • entrepreneurial cognition in the internationalisation of small firms
  • individual level cognitive-behavioural links in value creation
  • entrepreneurial mindset in non-start-up contexts
Sarah Dodd
  • impact of socio-cultural factors on the nature, quality and quantity of entrepreneurship, including socio-economic marginality, social ties, religion, politics, and the family
  • a special interest in alternative, or inclusive, small business start-up and growth, and current field work explores punk rock, craft beer, and social enterprise
  • also studied social capital and networking, growth strategies, family business, entrepreneurship education, and cross-cultural conceptualizations of the entrepreneur. An additional research stream includes the relationships between theology, religion and entrepreneurship
Matthew Hannon
  • policy and market conditions to accelerate low-carbon energy technology and business model innovation
Paul Lassalle
  • migrant and minority entrepreneurship
  • contextualised entrepreneurship
  • internationalising ventures
  • entrepreneurial ecosystems
  • opportunity creation
  • diversity in entrepreneurship
Jillian MacBryde
  • innovation
  • the future of manufacturing
  • new business models emerging from technological innovation
Niall MacKenzie
  • business history
  • entrepreneurship and regional development
  • focus on areas such as Scotch whisky, aluminium, new technologies, and early-stage risk investment
Carolyn McMilllan
  • social entrepreneurship
  • entrepreneurship in marginalised and disadvantaged groups
  • entrepreneurship in developing countries
Dilshod Makhmadshoev
  • institutional theory, comparative institutionalism, institutional voids
  • SME and MNE internationalisation, international entrepreneurship
  • SME and entrepreneurship development in transition and emerging economies
  • global value chains and development
Russell Matthews
  • technology and innovation-driven business models within young growth-oriented ventures
Suzanne Mawson
  • high growth/scale-up entrepreneurship
  • entrepreneurial mindset
  • entrepreneurship education
  • entrepreneurship policy
Marisa Smith
  • innovation
  • high value manufacturing
  • digitally enabled inclusion
Anna Spadavecchia
  • small business finance
  • regional policies for small businesses and clusters
  • innovation in small businesses and clusters
  • the use of patents by corporations and independent inventors
Efstathios Tapinos
  • strategy process
  • foresight
  • perceived uncertainty
  • scenario planning
  • strategy tools
  • sensemaking
  • business model development
Liang Zhao
  • entrepreneurial finance
  • crowdfunding
  • digital transformation, AI and FinTech
  • strategic innovation
  • behavioural and socio-cultural dynamics in innovation
  • entrepreneurship in emerging markets
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Support & development

Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Research Methodology for Business & Management

As part of your PhD degree, you'll be enrolled on the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methodology for Business and Management. 

This certificate is designed to support you by developing your skills as a researcher. Your researcher training will provide you with the intellectual foundations that you will need for your journey into either the higher-level learning needed for advanced postgraduate research degrees or to work in a range of research focussed roles within organisational settings.

Course highlights:

  • course can be studied as a blended or fully online programme depending on your circumstances
  • course is ideally suited to part-time students juggling studies with other work
  • strong practical focus including training in software and advanced quantitative and qualitative methods
  • rich and diverse learning environment where you will study with students from around the world and studying a range of postgraduate research degrees
  • opportunity to learn from academics who are leaders in their field and working at the cutting edge of business research

Most students complete the PgCert in their first year but you can take courses throughout your degree.

Careers

The University Careers Service can help you with everything from writing your CV to interview preparation.

Student support

From financial advice to our IT facilities, we have a wide range of support for all students here at Strathclyde. Get all the information you need at Strathlife.

Our research

Our research develops a stronger understanding of how entrepreneurs can better create new value for business and society. 

Taking part in national and international research groups help to ensure that our research is evidence-based, useful, and impactful for business leaders and policymakers. The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation based at the University has long provided national and international leadership in these research and practice fields.

Find out more about our research

International students

We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.

Visit our international students' section

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Apply

Entry requirements

For entry onto our postgraduate research programmes, we normally look for a first-class or upper second-class UK Honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in a relevant business or social science related subject. For PhD applications, we also normally expect a Masters degree, or overseas equivalent, although there are often exceptions. When reviewing your academic achievements, we're particularly interested in grades which relate to independent research (for example, a research project or dissertation). A strong score in these elements may allow us to consider entry with a lower degree classification.

Strathclyde Business School is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive postgraduate research population. We make decisions on entry by assessing the whole person and not relying solely on academic achievements. On that basis, please ensure that your application (via your CV and covering letter) can evidence your resourcefulness, commitment and resilience as demonstrated by broader professional and life experiences. This evidence should be centred on your ability to undertake and complete a PhD and contribute to a positive PhD community.

You can prove your knowledge of English by:

  • Passing a Secure English Language Test from our list of accepted providers with an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5, with no individual element below 5.5.
  • We will also consider evidence of prior study using English as the medium of instruction, if this study was in the last five years.
  • The University has an English Language Teaching unit that offers a pre-sessional course – both on campus and online - allowing applicants to upskill in the use of English language in preparation for undertaking a postgraduate research degree. More information on the course and how to apply is available on the Pre-sessional webpage. PGR applicants should add a Pre-sessional application to their main degree application on the Applicant Portal, selecting the Pre-sessional programmes for Postgraduate students. For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact elt@strath.ac.uk.

Before you apply

Writing your research proposal

When preparing your research proposal please use the following template:

1. Working title

2. Layman’s summary of proposed research [max. 250 words]

Give us a brief summary of your proposed research project written for members of the public, rather than researchers or professionals. Why is this research important? What global/societal issues does it solve? What impact could it have on business and management in the future.

3. Research aim and objectives (or question(s)) [max. 500 words]

What’s the question you want to answer? How will you attempt to answer this question?

4. Literature review [max. 500 words]

Provide a brief overview of relevant literature to indicate any debates the research aims to engage with; any gaps or problems that have been identified; or what models the project hopes to explore or test.

5. Methodology [max. 300 words]

Provide an outline of the proposed research methodology.

6. Timeline [max. 300 words]

A PhD is 36 months minimum study (full time). In 6 months increments, indicate what you think the main activities will be. This is important as we need to assess the achievability of your proposal. This should be presented in tabular format.

6. References

Please use Harvard referencing throughout.

Notes:
  • please use Times New Roman 12 pt font
  • 1.5 line spacing
  • 2.5cm margin all round
  • hard return between paragraphs

Getting a reference

Read our help on how to choose references and what the referees need to supply.

The application

During the application you'll be asked for the following:

  • your full contact details
  • a cover letter explaining:
    1. why you have chosen Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation PhD Programme and a particular supervisor (if applicable)
    2. how we can add value to your proposed research
    3. how you can bring value to us along with your future career aspirations
  • a copy of an up-to-date CV
  • academic transcripts for both your degrees which clearly show the modules studied and the grades gained for each module
  • proof of English language proficiency, less than two years old, if English isn't your first language
  • two references, one of which must be academic – the references should focus on your academic and research skills, as well as your suitability to undertake PhD level study
  • funding or scholarship information
  • research proposal of 250-1,000 words in length, detailing the subject area and topic to be investigated; please use our guidance above and attach it with your application

By filling these details out as fully as possible, you'll avoid any delay to your application being processed by the University.

Accepting an offer

Once you've accepted our offer, we'll need you to fulfil any academic, administrative or financial conditions that we ask.

UK or EU students

If you're applying as a UK or EU student, you'll then be issued with your registration documentation.

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025

Research Methodology in Business and Management

MRes
full-time
Start date: Oct 2025

Start date: Oct 2025

Research Methodology in Business and Management

MRes
part-time
Start date: Oct 2025

Start date: Oct 2026

Research Methodology in Business and Management

MRes
full-time
Start date: Oct 2026

Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027

Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027

Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2026 - Sep 2027

Start date: Oct 2026

Research Methodology in Business and Management

MRes
part-time
Start date: Oct 2026

 

Back to course

Contact us

SBS PGR Admissions

Director of Postgraduate Research

Email: sbs-pgradmissions@strath.ac.uk

Back to course

Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.

Go back
Scotland

£5,006

England, Wales & Northern Ireland

£5,006

Republic of Ireland

If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process.

International

£21,550

Additional costs
Course materials

Students are required to cover the cost of binding their thesis. Also, they may need to purchase books for research

Placements & field trips

Students can apply for the department or supervisor to fund conference participation.

International students

International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.

Other costs

Along with possible travel costs, there may be other data collection and preparation costs. Some also elect to have transcription done professionally and those doing paper surveys, especially in hard to reach sections of developing countries, may sometimes need to pay local research assistants to help with that. At the end, most students, including native English speakers pay for professional proofreading as well.

Funding

Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information.

You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.

Postgraduate research opportunities

Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year.