There are various postgraduate research qualifications that BU awards across our four faculties. 

There are several milestones throughout a postgraduate research degree, with each stage designed to assess and hone your research to help you produce a strong thesis. You can find more information about all of these stages in the Code of Practice for Research Degrees (pdf 2.6mb).

Join a Postgraduate Open Day to find out more about postgraduate research.

Read more about our areas of research focus across our four faculties below.

The Bournemouth University Business School

Our Business School is home to leading journals and a host of fascinating research. This includes culturally significant work in areas such as para-sports and events, and fiscal and policy-defining matters such as oil price volatility and economic modelling. The Business School offers the opportunity to work with leading academics in areas such as business and management, disaster management, finance and tourism, hospitality and events. Our Business School is one of fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide to gain Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. 

Faculty of Media & Communication

With eight research centres, our Faculty of Media & Communication is involved in a rich and diverse variety of research areas including; animation, communications, corporate and marketing communication, journalism, English, law and media production. From experimental animation to copyright law, human rights and innovative journalism projects involving students and staff, the faculty offers a wide range of opportunity to work on exciting and world-changing research.

Faculty of Health & Social Sciences

Our Faculty of Health & Social Sciences is involved in world-leading research projects and works to ensure that our research involves patients, practitioners and research users, so that we are responding to issues at the forefront of health and social care practice, as well as current topics in social science. Our research transforms lives and influences policy and professional practice at a local, national and international level. There are opportunities to get involved in research in areas such as; medical sciences, nursing, midwifery, nutrition, radiography and medical imaging, social sciences and social work, sport and exercise sciences, and physiotherapy, occupational therapy and exercise therapy.

Faculty of Science & Technology

Involved in world-leading research projects, our Faculty of Science & Technology collaborates with public and private sector organisations around the globe. Our staff are active across a variety of research themes and travel around the world to contribute their expertise to expeditions and projects being led by other academic institutions and private organisations, as well as taking the lead on their own research projects. There are research opportunities in the following areas: archaeology and anthropology, computing, conservation ecology & environmental sciences, technology, design & engineering, forensic & biological sciences and psychology.