Pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Project Management at The British University in Dubai offers a unique opportunity to become a future project leader, equipped to drive capacity building and boost performance in both public and private sectors across the UAE and internationally. Our programme is designed to develop critical thinking, reflective practices, and both soft and hard research skills essential for conducting empirical studies.

In line with international academic standards, the new structure of the PhD programme is based on the British model, where students are mainly trained in the first year on research skills before they begin work on their thesis from the second year onwards. This model ensures a strong foundation in research methodology, enabling students to undertake impactful doctoral research with confidence and clarity.

Unlock your potential and advance your career by joining BUiD’s esteemed PhD in Project Management program today. Graduates of BUiD’s PhD in Project Management programme are well-prepared for leadership roles. They currently hold prominent positions in:

• Public Institutions: Driving policy and strategic initiatives within the UAE.
• Higher Education: Contributing to academic excellence and research.
• Private Sector: Leading projects that enhance organizational success.

Knowledge

• Appraise theoretical and practical techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry in project management.
• Conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline, and to adjust the project design in the light of unforeseen problems.
• A systematic acquisition and appraisal of a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of the academic discipline or area of professional practice in project management.
• Master the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline of project management, and merit publication.

Skills

• Interpret and critically evaluate and create new knowledge through research and/or scholarship of publishable quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication
• Able to formulate independently and proactively research plans, ideas and hypotheses and to design, develop, implement and execute plans by which to evaluate these.

Aspects of competence

• Develop capacity to think critically and to make informed judgements on complex issues in specialist fields, often in the absence of complete data
• Assume autonomy to undertake pure and/or applied research and development
• Develop advanced skills to communicate their ideas and conclusions clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Assume full responsibility in reflect on learning to substantially contribute to the development of new techniques, ideas or approaches

Stage 1

• Qualitative Research Methods and Paradigms
• Quantitative Methods

Stage 2

• Research Design and Planning 
• Proposal Defence 

Stage 3

• Thesis