Built Environment Research Degrees - PhD
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry. Switch to 2025/26 Entry
A Built Environment PhD can be a pathway to a career in a wide range of related professions, especially in management roles – or in the academic world. If you’re already in such a role, the PhD is a major piece of personal development, developing new knowledge and building skills for your next career step....
- Level Postgraduate Research
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time/Distance Learning
- Award PhD
- Start date May 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subject
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
A Built Environment PhD can be a pathway to a career in a wide range of related professions, especially in management roles – or in the academic world. If you’re already in such a role, the PhD is a major piece of personal development, developing new knowledge and building skills for your next career step. Birmingham City University has been a major centre for built environment education in the region, and PhD study builds on our expertise and professional and industry networks.
We cover the major built environment disciplines including surveying, project management, facilities management, planning, real estate and civil engineering. We are interested in interdisciplinary research building links to areas including engineering, computing, health, law and others.
What's covered in this course?
A PhD enables you to follow a programme of self-directed, independent study, supported by experienced supervisors who are themselves experts in their area. We may use industry experts to support some projects, and others may be run in full collaboration with an industry partner.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice prepares you for study at this level, as most find it a very different experience from previous taught courses. Topic-specific training and support is identified and provided by your supervision team and other experts as necessary.
Although you will be developing as an independent researcher, you will be supported both by your supervisors and the wider research community in the School, Faculty and University. There are regular opportunities for you to present and share your work with other research students and staff.
Why Choose Us?
- Expert staff supervisors, keen to help their students succeed
- Excellent links with industry and built environment professions, both to support your research and your career progression
- Research grounded in traditional built environment subjects but also keen to build cross-discipline links to shape the future built environment
- Encouragement and support for you to publish your work
- Opportunities to support and teach other students, including bringing your new research into their education
- A range of specialist software, facilities and working environments tailored to specific project needs
OPEN DAY
Join us for a virtual Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail. Booking isn't open yet for this event, register your interest and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 5 February 2025
Research Interests
Current interests
Our built environment research is wide ranging. Our work in construction plant and machinery had four-star, world leading, impact. We are developing new approaches to Building Information Modelling (BIM) including applications to heritage buildings. We have developed ‘serious games’ for public consultation and training in planning and environmental management, which have been used by government, local authorities, schools and other agencies. We have a world-leading reputation in urban form and post-catastrophe reconstruction. We are developing new construction materials and techniques such as timber laminates. We are working on building energy use and management.
Current interests
We welcome enquiries relating to the built and natural environment, including planning, development, real estate, civil engineering, surveying, facilities management, conservation, and urban form and history.
We find it most effective to work with inquirers to focus their research ideas before a formal application is made. You can contact either individual staff or the School's Director of Research Degrees, Professor Peter Larkham.
Areas of research in which staff are currently active include:
- Digital built environment including BIM (Building Information Management)
- Renewable energy, energy management in buildings, customer energy management behaviour
- Nano-fluids and heat transfer
- Sustainable and innovative materials for construction
- Construction waste management
- Automation in construction
- Water management, urban drainage systems and flood resilience
- Real estate – property and asset management, risk
- Planning and development law
- Urban change: post-catastrophe reconstruction, urban form, conservation and design
- Spatial planning including stakeholder engagement, crowdsourcing, placemaking
- Using games to foster social learning and engagement with planning challenges
- Facilities management including infection control in hospitals
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: PhD
Starting: May 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3-4 years
- £4,786 in 2024/25
- Part Time
- 4-7 years
- £2,393 in 2024/25
- Distance Learning
- 4-7 years
- £2,991 in 2024/25
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: PhD
Starting: May 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3-4 years
- £14,675 in 2024/25
- Part Time
- 4-7 years
- £7,338 in 2024/25
- Distance Learning
- 4-7 years
- £9,180 in 2024/25
If you’re unable to use our online application form for any reason, please email Research.Admissions@bcu.ac.uk.
You must complete a research proposal and upload this as part of your application. Please note that we will not be able to process your application without having received your research proposal.
Entry Requirements
To apply for our built environment PhD research degree you should have, or expect to be awarded, a Masters degree in a relevant subject area from a British or overseas university.
Exceptional candidates without a Masters degree, but holding a first class or upper second class Bachelors degree in a relevant subject area, may be considered.
We also welcome enquiries from potential PhD researchers with appropriate levels of professional experience.
We find it most effective to work with inquirers to focus their research ideas before a formal application is made. You can contact either individual staff or the Faculty’s Director of Research Degrees, Professor Peter Larkham (peter.larkham@bcu.ac.uk)
Alternatively please send us an initial PhD enquiry containing your brief PhD research proposal (1000-2000 words), and/or any questions or queries you may have.
We will review your initial enquiry to ensure that your research proposal compliments one of our PhD research interests and if so we will ask you to make a full application. We are unable to progress any proposals that do not have a clear and close link to our interests.
Course in Depth
Why study a PhD?
Are you keen to contribute innovative ideas to your field? Looking to solve problems, discover something new, and make a difference to society?
We have a vibrant research community here at Birmingham City University, with many talented postgraduate researchers developing and exchanging knowledge across their fields.
Conducting a PhD will allow you to develop cutting-edge research in your area of interest, with the support of your research supervisor and fellow research community.
The PhD Journey
Full-time students are expected to complete within 3-4 years, whilst part-time students may take 4-7 years. In your first year (two years for PT students) you will spend time reviewing the field, refining your research proposal and projected plan, and developing key topic-specific research skills. You will be supported in this through attendance at the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice, which runs for the first semester of your studies.
Your progress is reviewed every 6 months, with alternating ‘light-touch’ written reviews with your supervisors and annual reviews involving a written paper, presentation and interview with an independent panel of experienced supervisors.
Your second year (years 3 and 4 for PT students) is likely to be spent undertaking in-depth research (data collection and analysis) in your chosen area, with the third year (years 5-6 for PT students) involving writing up your results and presenting them in a suitable format (usually a written thesis of some 80,000 words).
Once you have submitted your thesis the examiners usually need 6-8 weeks to read it before the viva (oral) examination, after which there is likely to be a period for corrections / rewriting before successful completion and award of your PhD.
Throughout your studies we aim to develop your research skills, and support you in presenting your work through publication and conferences. We expect your participation in the range of research-related activities within the Faculty, contributing to building our research community. You many get opportunities to teach and support other students. We also encourage you to think of your career path and development in the longer term, as well as the first post-PhD job.
Modes of Study
Our PhD programmes are offered full-time or part-time. These modes of study ensure that we can create a PhD research plan around your lifestyle needs, even if you are in full-time employment or overseas.
Full-time PhD Research: three to four years
As a full-time PhD research student we expect you to spend much of your time using facilities on campus and contributing to our research culture. You may spend periods of time away from campus collecting data (‘fieldwork’ on site or using libraries and other facilities). You will usually spend at least 37 hours per week engaged in research.
You will usually spend at least 37 hours per week engaged in research.
You will be expected to complete your research and submit your work for examination within 36-43 months.
Part-time PhD Research: four to seven years
You would choose part-time PhD research if you opt to study while in employment or if full-time study is impractical.
You will be encouraged to use the campus facilities and attend research events when you can and may often work from home. Electronic contact with supervisors is possible but face-to-face contact has great benefits.
You will be expected to complete your research and submit your work for examination within 48-72 months.
How the PhD is assessed
Your progress is reviewed every 6 months, with alternating ‘light-touch’ written reviews with your supervisors and annual reviews involving a written paper, presentation and interview with an independent panel of experienced supervisors. The annual reviews will assess whether you continue with your PhD studies, or whether lack of progress means that you should transfer to an MPhil, or withdraw from your study.
Once you have submitted your thesis the examiners usually need 6-8 weeks to read it before the viva (oral) examination. The viva commonly lasts between 1 and 3 hours and questions can be wide-ranging about your research, how it fits into your discipline, and its contribution to knowledge and impact. The examiners’ recommendation is based on a combination of the thesis and viva performance.
Following the viva there is likely to be a period for corrections / rewriting before successful completion and award of your PhD.
Employability
Employment Opportunities
The PhD is a well-established and valued academic qualification within the sector and is highly likely to enhance career prospects. For those wanting to follow a career in teaching and researching in Higher Education, a PhD is highly desirable.
Value of a PhD
The Doctor of Philosophy or PhD is recognised worldwide and is often an essential requirement for those wishing to follow an academic or research career in industry or commerce. Our built environment PhD research degree has been designed to help you achieve a career in one of the wide range of built environment disciplines – surveying, real estate, civil engineering, planning and others – in industry, research or academia.
For some jobs a PhD is virtually a necessity – in the academic world, for example. In many professional roles it is an indicator of personal commitment, critical and creative thinking, personal management and ability to work with and even manage others, and is a step to promotion and higher-level, often managerial, roles.
After the PhD
From the very start of your PhD journey we encourage you to think about what happens after you graduate: how the PhD will contribute to your career plan from identifying and getting your first job to beyond. We use the VITAE research career development framework to help you plan for your future.
Industry links
We have close links to a wide range of organisations in the built environment industries and professions. PhD students have benefited from these links in, for example, PhD funding (for example the developer Willmott Dixon funded a PhD bursary, and provided access to data and senior staff, for a study of BIM and the University’s new Parkside building) and access to key individuals and data (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Royal Institute of Town Planning have been helpful at both regional and national levels).
Placements
Some PhD topics may allow you the opportunity to work with other institutions and companies as part of your research. This could be as a placement, but this is rare for our PhDs – agreements to work with a company to collect data are much more common.
Occasionally, external funding or contacts have provided placement opportunities not directly related to the PhD research: while these contribute to your knowledge, skills and CV, they do interrupt your studies.
You can discuss your options with your potential supervisors, if you feel a placement would benefit your research.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
The facility our students value most is not actually on campus, but is the location of the campus in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside opposite the new High Speed 2 station construction, and minutes from dozens of fascinating live projects within the city centre.
Birmingham as it changes constantly on our doorstep really is our ‘living lab’. By simply looking out the window of our classrooms you’ll be able to witness live projects as they’re happening around us. You’ll constantly be inspired by dozens of fascinating case studies just from walking from the station to the campus.
The facilities on offer to our students reflect the work environment you will enter as you start your career. Learn more about what we have to offer below.