PhD Operational Research at University of Kent

Programme overview

PhD in operational research in Kent Business School (AACSB accredited), offered at Canterbury and Medway. The research group is a member of NATCOR and students can attend its courses and workshops.

Department: Kent Business School | Duration: 3 to 4 years full-time, 6 to 7 years part-time | Intake: September | Study mode: full-time or part-time (Canterbury) | Location: Canterbury, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Research topics include location analysis, routing problems, critical infrastructure protection, environmental management, operations management, multivariate analysis, big data, insurance/warranty data, research metrics, soft OR and data envelopment analysis. Students on logistics topics can join the Centre for Logistics and Heuristic Optimisation. Mathematical topics fit the Operational Research programme and applied or operations management topics fit Management Science.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A 2.1 at undergraduate level and a Merit at Master's level in a relevant discipline from a UK or other approved university, or equivalent. A research proposal of approximately 1,500 words on the intended topic is required. Entry is in September only; the PhD application deadline is 31 July. English language (international applicants): Good level (CEFR B2), for example IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each component or PTE Academic 63 with at least 59 in each sub-test; a UK degree or a degree from a majority English-speaking country is also accepted.

Domestic applicants: GBP 5,238 a year (2026/27). Indicative full-time UK postgraduate research fee for 2026/27 given as a guide only; the 2027/28 rate had not yet been set. Source

International applicants: GBP 21,950 a year (2027/28). Full-time annual tuition fee from the 2027/28 fee table Source

Intake: September

Duration: 3 to 4 years full-time, 6 to 7 years part-time

Apply through the official page: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply

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