Overview
We’re excited to welcome you into our research programmes and we appreciate that applying for the right PhD can be a challenging process. Find out all you need to know to apply to a Cambridge Judge Business School PhD and successfully navigate the application process.
You will need to gain admission to your PhD via a Cambridge Judge Business School research masters degree. This means you need to already hold or be currently studying for one of the following degrees:
- MPhil in Finance
- MPhil in Strategy, Marketing and Operations (SMO)
- MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation (ISO)
- Master of Research (MRes).
Funding deadlines
| October 2023 | Deadline for USA students who wish to be considered for Gates funding. |
| December 2023 | Deadline for MPhil and MRes applicants eligible to be considered for Cambridge Trust funding. |
| January 2024 | Deadline for PhD applicants eligible to be considered for Cambridge Trust funding. |
Previous PhD Director Jennifer Howard-Grenville offers advice on applying to the doctoral programme.
Hello, I’m Professor Jennifer Howard-Grenville, and I’m the Director of our PhD programme here at the Cambridge Judge Business School We’ve prepared this short video to give you some tips on how our application process works.
Apply via a research masters
First, please do not apply directly to the PhD. We only consider applicants who already hold or are studying on one of our Research Masters degrees, the MPhil in ISO, SMO, or Finance. Or the MRes. In extremely rare cases, when a prospective student has already published in top journals in their field, we may consider a direct application.
Ensure you meet our minimum requirements
Second, please ensure you meet the minimal requirement for the masters degree to which you are applying. Since it is a competitive process to apply to the PhD from our MPhil programmes, you should also ensure that you’re a strong contender for continuation. This means you have, at a minimum, a first class equivalent in your undergraduate degree. Please look under the International Qualifications tab on the University Admissions website to see what this equates to in your system.
Do you already hold a graduate degree?
Our MPhil degrees are designed for students without a graduate degree who are interested in exploring business and management research.
The MRes is for those who already hold a research-oriented graduate degree, and who will then immerse themselves in the topics, literatures and methods for conducting research in a business school setting. To apply for the MRes, you must have been within the top 5% of your class on a prior research-oriented masters degree.
Navigating the admissions process
I hope this helps you navigate our process. And we’re excited to welcome new students into our research programmes. Since it is a complex application process, please rest assured that if you apply for a programme that is not the right match and you’re within our minimum qualifications, we will redirect your application internally to make sure you’re considered for the most appropriate programme.
Admission via a standard research MPhil
Our MPhil degrees are designed for students without a graduate degree who are interested in exploring business and management research. You will need to meet the minimal requirements for the masters degree to which you are applying. Since it is a competitive process to apply to the PhD from our MPhil programmes, you should also ensure that you’re a strong contender for continuation. This means that you have, at a minimum, a first-class equivalent in your undergraduate degree. Please look under the International Qualifications tab on the University Admissions website to see what this equates to in your system.
To gain admission to Cambridge Judge Business School’s PhD programme via one of the our research MPhil programmes, you will need to take a particular MPhil and specific modules within the programme in order to be eligible to continue to the PhD programme on your desired pathway.
Progress to the PhD programme, after your MPhil year
You need to:
- submit an application for the PhD programme, which includes a research proposal, paper or literature review that will be assessed for quality and strong references
- perform well in the first term of MPhil modules
- perform well at an interview with a panel of faculty members
- demonstrate a fit between the proposed research and the research expertise in the subject group (resulting in the interview panel recommending supervisors)
- be ranked sufficiently highly by the panel in order to receive an offer (admissions offers are usually conditional on overall performance in the MPhil or parts thereof, and the usual conditions are an overall mark of 70% and 70% in any dissertation).
We automatically shortlist all PhD applicants from the above 3 research MPhil programmes for interview (applicants currently studying for the MPhil or those who previously completed the MPhil with a grade ≥70% overall and ≥70% in the dissertation).
Admission via the Master of Research
The Business School’s Master of Research (MRes) programme offers you another route to the PhD for all pathways except Finance. To apply for the Cambridge Judge Business School MRes, you will already hold a research-oriented graduate degree, and want to immerse yourself in the topics, literatures and methods for conducting research in a business school setting.
Students who obtain 70% overall (modules and dissertation combined) and at least 70% in the dissertation component in the School’s Master of Research programme will progress automatically to the PhD programme – no further application is necessary.
Admission directly to the PhD
All applicants must apply for one of the 3 research MPhils or the MRes in the first instance, or in exceptional cases a Cambridge MPhil in Economic Research.
In very rare cases, outstanding MRes applicants who have exceptional prior research experience (as evidenced by journal publications in reputable management journals) and substantial relevant research methodology training may be considered for entry to the PhD programme directly (without taking the MRes year in the first instance). In this case their MRes application would be transferred to the PhD.