Overview

Increasingly, health and well-being in the workplace are being globally recognised as key drivers of socio-economic development. Employee health and well-being is important to organisations in terms of increased commitment and job satisfaction, staff retention, reduced absenteeism, and improved productivity and performance.

The PhD in Organisational Health and Well-Being is innovative and international first, developing knowledge and understanding of the psychological, social and organisational dynamics in the relationship between work and health. Delivered by our Division of Health Research, which boasts expertise in mental and workplace health, the degree is your chance to work with world-leading academics on the production of a thesis that makes an original contribution to knowledge development within your area of professional practice.

This part-time, flexible doctorate runs over a minimum of four and a maximum of seven years. The programme begins with a five-day Induction Academy. Each of the subsequent academic years start with a three-day autumn Academy. You’re encouraged to join us on campus in Lancaster for both the five-day induction and three-day autumn academies, although it will be possible to join online if travelling to Lancaster is not feasible for you.

The rest of the course is delivered via e-learning.

Throughout your studies, we will support you as you enhance your leadership skills and effectiveness, and develop advanced skills in research design, practice and dissemination. You’ll foster critical approaches to the review of evidence and improve your written and oral presentation skills.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

The standard minimum entry requirements are normally an upper second class honours degree (UK 2:1 or equivalent) or a good UK Master's or equivalent in an appropriate subject, and relevant work experience. Degrees should also include a research methods module and a dissertation.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application, you will also need to provide:

  • A personal statement (500 words) explaining your reasons for applying to the course and what you hope to achieve;
  • A brief research proposal (500 words) identifying the area(s)/topic you hope to research, why it is important and the research methods you might use. View our guidance on writing a research proposal.
  • Two references.

The department plans to interview all eligible applicants.

The application deadline for this programme is the 31st July. Applicants should ensure that all required supporting documents are submitted by this date.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home n/a £4,520
International n/a £11,790

General fees and funding information

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Course structure

Years 1 and 2 provide you with training in research and in the theory and practice underpinning healthy organisations. Your specialist module in Year 1 is Healthy Organisations: the Influence of the Work Environment on Health, which is studied alongside the Philosophy of Research and Research Design modules. In Year 2, you will undertake the following modules: Systematic Reviews, Data Analysis and Advanced Research Planning.

From year 3 onwards you will undertake a research project in Organisational Health and Well-Being, which will conclude with the submission of your 35,000 word thesis. The project will be supervised from the University but undertaken in your own location or workplace. Supervisions can be via telephone, email or Microsoft Teams, depending on preference. Face-to-face meetings with your supervisors will take place during the annual academy if you attend in person.

Studying online

This PhD course is taught online, allowing you flexibility in when and where you study.

You will use our virtual learning environment to learn alongside your existing commitments via discussion forums, collaborative digital spaces and video conferencing.

Once a year we run an optional, in-person event on our Lancaster University campus - our Autumn Academy. The academy runs for five days in your first year and three in subsequent years. You're encouraged to come to Lancaster but, if travelling isn't possible for you, you can join us online.

The Academies are a fantastic way to meet, catch up and collaborate with academics and peers, discuss research ideas with your supervisor and get inspiration from an international cohort of like-minded students.

Through your course, you will benefit from being part of a UK and internationally-based peer group, including: human resource managers, occupational health practitioners, health care workers, health and safety representatives, and applied/organisational psychologists. Working across public, private and voluntary sectors, your fellow students will share an interest in the promotion and creation of healthy work places and will be undertaking formal study at the same time as they are working.

All students have access to a hub space that facilitates interaction with your cohort and with other programmes, creating a virtual information space that’s also sociable. An academic tutor and then two research supervisors will provide you with support for each step of your PhD. They will also encourage you to attend external workshops and conferences (using University funds, where available, to support this).

During each academy you will participate in lectures, workshops, group discussions and individual activities, while our distance learning approach combines live and interactive lectures, elements to be worked through autonomously, webinars and online collaboration and group work.

Who should apply?

The PhD appeals to a wide range of individuals working across a variety of public, private and voluntary sectors who are interested in the promotion and creation of healthy workplaces. These include:

  • Human resource professionals and managers
  • Occupational health/public health practitioners
  • Health care workers
  • Health and safety representatives
  • Applied/organisational psychologists

It is not restricted to any one professional group or discipline and is intended to be international in focus.

Student insights

Photo of Islam Adra
Islam Adra, PhD Organisational Health and Well-Being

Islam Adra

“I never intended to pursue Doctoral studies but after 10 successful years in industry, I not only felt the need to upgrade my educational qualifications, but I also believed I could contribute new knowledge to the health and safety arena. Lancaster’s Organisational Health and Well-Being blended learning programme was an obvious choice. I could complete the PhD without leaving work and I’d be undertaking research in an increasingly important field at a University recognized as a top institution globally. I’m happy I decided to study at Lancaster and am especially pleased with the programme flexibility, the excellent departmental support, and the wonderful online student community I’m part of.”

Stephen Taylor

“After completing an MSc in occupational health and safety management, I was keen to continue my studies and pursue a PhD. I found the blended PhD in Organisational Health and Well-Being at Lancaster University best suited both my research aims and my other commitments. The blended approach has also been really useful to get formative tools in place before we start the research phase. Lastly, as a working husband and father of young children. Although the PhD is suitably challenging, I've found the programme manageable and flexible in terms of the time required to complete tasks.”

Photo of Stephen Taylor
Stephen Taylor, PhD Organisational Health and Well-Being

Staff in the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being

This PhD is supported by internationally recognised academics in the field of organisational health and well-being.

The team boasts expertise and interest in a range of topics, including:

  • Sustainable work: Promoting healthy working lives
  • Creating healthy work environments
  • Mental health and well-being in the future of work
  • Psychosocial risk management at work
  • Occupational health, safety and well-being
  • Stress, mental health and resilience at work
  • Work, disability and long-term illness
  • Women's reproductive health and work
  • Workplace interventions development and evaluation
  • Work and health regulation, policy and standards evaluation
  • Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in staff
  • International working and expatriate assignments

Members are a mixed methods research team and use quantitative and qualitative approaches to their research and consultancy in organisational settings and populations. Their research methods and approaches include policy analysis and evaluation methods, secondary analysis of data, interviews, focus groups, survey research, case studies, experiments, new scale/measurement development and validation, action research, trials, and process and implementation evaluations. They also specialise in the translation of research in policy and practice. To find out more about the team and the centre, please visit the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being (COHWB) - Lancaster University.

Current members of staff in the faculty include:

The Division of Health Research

The Division of Health Research have been offering blended learning postgraduate programmes since 2010. We have many successful graduates and currently around 200 continuing students on a range of programmes who have benefited in progressing their careers from the high quality postgraduate education we provide.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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