Executive Diploma in Advanced Research / PhD Online from Malta
Build your research ambitions without leaving Malta. Offered online in an exclusive partnership between the University of Gloucestershire and Robert Kennedy College, the Executive Diploma in Advanced Research / PhD offers a way to develop advanced research skills alongside your professional and personal commitments.
A British university qualification with international relevance
Studying through a partnership with the University of Gloucestershire connects your work to a British university and an internationally relevant research environment. It is an opportunity to develop ideas and methods you can bring to professional challenges across borders.
The Executive Diploma and the PhD are distinct qualifications. If your goal is a British doctoral degree, the PhD requires its own research journey; the diploma should not be mistaken for a completed doctorate. Recognition for a particular job or regulated profession depends on the requirements of the relevant employer or authority.
Complete the online diploma in as little as 3–6 months
The Executive Diploma can be completed 100% online in as little as 3–6 months, allowing you to make focused progress without relocating from Malta. Your pace will depend on the programme requirements and the time you can devote to study.
That shorter timeframe applies to the diploma, not to completion of a PhD. It gives you a defined opportunity to strengthen your research capabilities while considering your longer-term academic ambitions.
Study without fixed online attendance times
You do not need to be online for classes at specific times and dates. This flexibility can make it easier to fit study around work, family life and other commitments.
Instead of arranging your day around a live lecture, you can engage with learning materials when you are ready to concentrate. You can plan your study time while keeping track of any applicable submission deadlines.
Keep learning wherever you go
Although you can study from Malta, your learning does not have to stop when you travel. The online format lets you stay connected to your studies from elsewhere in the world, whether you are away for work or exploring somewhere new.
Through the mobile app, you can download study materials and watch lectures offline. That means a journey or a period without a reliable connection need not interrupt the time you have set aside to learn.
Show your thinking through open-book assessments
Open-book assessments offer an alternative to classical question-and-answer exams. They give you room to consult relevant material as you develop a considered response.
For an aspiring researcher, the value lies in analysing information, forming an argument and applying ideas thoughtfully. These are skills you can continue to use well beyond an assessment.
Learn with internationally educated faculty
The programme’s tutors and faculty include graduates of world-renowned institutions such as Oxford, Harvard, EPFL, the University of Basel and Washington University in St. Louis. Their varied academic backgrounds can bring different perspectives to your learning.
As you refine your research interests, exposure to those perspectives can help you ask stronger questions and approach complex subjects with greater confidence.
Join a global learning community
With students from over 130 countries, the online learning community brings together people with a wide range of experiences. Studying from Malta can be a chance to test your ideas against perspectives shaped by different sectors and places.
Alumni work for international organisations and companies including the United Nations, Google, the ICRC, the World Bank, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, Tencent, Siemens and Sony. Their career paths illustrate the breadth of the wider community, without implying that enrolment guarantees a particular role.
Plan your payments with monthly instalments
The programme’s fees can be paid in up to 18 monthly interest-free instalments. Spreading payments over time may help you plan your study alongside other commitments.
Before enrolling, review the current fee schedule and instalment terms so you can choose an arrangement that fits your circumstances.
Put research skills to work in Malta
Malta’s financial services and digital gaming sectors present questions about technology, customers, risk and regulation. Advanced research skills can help graduates examine evidence, evaluate approaches and communicate findings that support better-informed decisions in these fast-moving fields.
In tourism and hospitality, research can help professionals explore changing visitor expectations, service design and sustainability. For someone building a career in Malta, the ability to frame a useful question and assess evidence can turn day-to-day observations into insights worth sharing.
Malta’s maritime activity, healthcare services and growing technology community offer further settings in which rigorous inquiry matters. Whether your interests lie in operations, service improvement or innovation, the programme’s research methods can be applied to questions in Malta and internationally.
Ready to explore what your next step could look like? Request our course catalogue to learn more about the programme.