The School of the Built Environment has a dynamic and thriving research programme within a research environment that is internationally recognised for its quality and impact.

Research students play a vital role in the school and are integrated into all aspects of academic life, through:

 Research groups
 Involvement in research projects
 Seminar series
 Teaching.

Applications are welcomed from students whose research interests complement those of the research groups. We are particularly interested in applications for:

 Planning
 Real Estate
 Construction.

Research expertise

Staff in the School engage in a continuous stream of interdisciplinary cutting-edge research and scholarly activities designed to meet the current needs and anticipate future requirements of the built environment. The School has an impressive list of funders and clients covering UK and EU government, research funding councils and industry. Links with universities worldwide provide exciting opportunities for collaborative research, exchanges and overseas study.

Key areas of expertise and scholarship in the school are centred around the following research groups. Applications are welcomed from students whose research interests complement those of our research groups.

Groups

 Land, Design and Development (LDD)
 Planning, Policy and Governance (PPG)
 Smart Construction and Impact Assessment (SC&IA)



Projects

 Co-Creation
 Spaces of Hope: Hidden Histories of Community Planning in the UK
 Healthy Urban Mobility (HUM)
 The Effect of Offshore Wind on the Human Environment (THEOW)

Degree routes

All students enrol as probationer research students. During the first year you will formally register your research proposal for one of the below routes.
The degree for which you register will depend on your academic qualifications and research experience.

MPhil (with possibility of transfer to PhD)

Most students initially register for an MPhil with the possibility of transfer to a PhD without submitting for an MPhil. During your MPhil you will:

 critically investigate and evaluate an approved topic
 demonstrate understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field
 present and defend a substantial thesis by oral examination.

Length of study

 Full Time: min 2 years, max 3 years for MPhil component only; for MPhil/PhD, min 3 years, max 5 years.
 Part Time: min 3 years, max 4 years for MPhil component only; for MPhil/PhD, min 4 years, max 6 years.

Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement for an MPhil degree, or an MPhil with the intention of transferring to a PhD, is:

 a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree
 a relevant master’s qualification
 or an equivalent qualification.

Applications from those holding qualifications other than the above will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed.

PhD direct

The criteria for a PhD are similar to those for an MPhil, with the key difference that:

 the research carried out will result in an independent and original contribution to knowledge.

Length of study:

 Full Time: min 2 years, max 5 years.
 Part Time: min 3 years, max 6 years.

Entry requirement: a recent master’s degree in a discipline appropriate to the proposed research. The master’s needs to have included research training and a research project.

In exceptional cases, applicants who have a good honours degree (or equivalent) may apply for direct registration to a PhD if they have appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment. An unpublished master’s dissertation would not suffice in this instance.

PhD by published work

The degree of PhD on the basis of published work may be awarded to candidates whose submitted work:

 reflects the same academic standards as those which operate for a traditional PhD based upon an approved programme of supervised research
 forms a coherent programme of research
 demonstrates the use of appropriate research methodology
 and makes an original and sufficient contribution to the present state of knowledge in a particular field to the satisfaction of the examiners.

Applicants should normally have had some prior association with Oxford Brookes University. The submission for examination comprises the published work on which the application is based, together with a supporting critical appraisal of this work.



Length of study:

 Part Time: 1 year

Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement is:

 a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree
 a relevant master’s qualification
 or an equivalent qualification.

Applications from those holding qualifications other than the above will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed.

Recent and ongoing research projects

Co-Creation - a 4-year EU-funded project that aims to bring together different actors, such as researchers, policymakers, residents and artists, to ‘co-create’ understanding about different urban neighbourhoods and to address disadvantage.

Healthy Urban Mobility - a study to understand the impact of everyday (im)mobility on health and wellbeing with a variety of social groups living in different neighbourhoods in Brazil and the UK.

Socio-economic impact of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre - aims to explore methods used to predict the socio-economic impacts of Offshore Wind Farms and to compare predicted impacts with actual impacts.

Contribution of Compact Neighbourhoods to Social Sustainability - this EU funded research investigated how compact urban form can promote the social sustainability of intermediate neighbourhood areas in two major European cities, London and Berlin.

Spaces of Hope - exploring the often-overlooked ways in which local people and organisations have come together to improve their physical and social environments.