Chris Murray

Country of origin: United Kingdom

PhD Organisation, Work and Technology, Lancaster University

On completion of my Bachelor’s degree I was left with more questions than answers, and following my graduation, these remained at the forefront of my mind throughout the course of my employment. Those questions, made sharper by my professional experiences, prompted a return to academia in the hope of putting more thought to them, and more than any other Masters programme on offer at a UK institution, the MSc in Politics, Philosophy and Management, presented itself as best suited toward my want of serious engagement with those questions that began to surface at the end of my undergraduate studies. 

The best part of this degree was, without question, the open pathway it offered. This gives you the opportunity to choose from a wealth of fascinating modules taught by a range of University departments to study alongside your core modules, which were, as it happened, my personal favourites of those on which I was enrolled. Each of these modules, with no exception, allowed me to reach toward the very boundaries of what I knew, and the academics I completed work under offered such valuable guidance and supervision that I was presented the Deans award for academic achievement, an award that I feel that is as much theirs as it is mine. 

I joined the university rowing club and spent my weekends rowing up the river Lune, which is something I would thoroughly recommend if you have the time. Throughout the year I also attended numerous guest lectures in the evening, hosted by the economics society and politics society to mention a few, which never failed to provide food for thought. 

I completed research in the night time economy which focused on the conditions of service work and the emotional demands on those employed in this industry. This continued a research trajectory that began during my undergraduate studies and gave me an opportunity to marshal together all that I had learnt in the taught period of the programme towards addressing those original concerns that had prompted my return to academia. I was given a great deal of theoretical and methodological scope with this research and the findings that arose in this study I hope to publish in the near future.  

The year I studied for my MSc in PPM was one of the best I have spent in a higher education institution, and of all the years I have been a taught student, it is probably the only one I would repeat given the choice.

At present, I am carrying out doctoral research for the Organisation, Work and Technology department on service work in the night time economy. This degree offered valuable preparation for my doctoral research and serves as a wealth of knowledge and experience I continue to draw from.