This site lists doctoral qualifications aimed at those working in nursing, engineering, psychology, law, social work, education and a growing number of other professions.
Gain a Professional Doctorate in Hearing Therapy by studying rehabilitative practices and developing communication and counselling skills at Aston University. Through critical and original reading of audiological practices, you will be equipped to enable problem solving and application of audiology to marginalised and complex patient groups.
The programme is based on blended-learning to enable it to be conducted while you remain in practice and applying the knowledge you gain from lectures to complete you assignments and case records based on theory and evidence-based practice.
The number of taught elements taken at any time is flexible:
Taught modules are available once per year, with start dates 1 October, and are 20 credits each (nominally equivalent to 200 hours of student learning). All modules (excluding Hearing Therapy Counselling and Communication Skills) consist of remote access lectures with online tests for feedback and a module coursework assignment, such as an essay related to the module.
Modules:
Doctor of Hearing Therapy modules (choose from):
The research review dissertation (MSc) or full project (DHearingTherapy) is the major component of the programme, supervised by members of the Aston Audiology department. You will develop your ideas and proposals guided by staff members with appropriate research interests. Because this is a distance-learning programme, research projects are not normally carried out on the University campus, and it is essential that the student has access to the facilities and resources needed to carry out the research, usually in the student's place of work.
Undertake the part-time Doctor of Optometry/Doctor of Ophthalmic Sciences course with Aston University, Birmingham, to enhance your knowledge and critical awareness of the current issues in your specialist discipline.
The Aston Doctor of Optometry/Doctor of Ophthalmic Science is a unique professional doctorate programme that will enable you to enhance your knowledge, and critical awareness of current issues to be at the forefront of the academic and clinical practice through evidence based research.
The qualification you will be awarded with depends on your profession and if you are a practising optometrist or not:
The Doctor of Optometry programme is aimed at practising optometrists, who will complete case records where required for taught module coursework and will undertake a practice-based research project.
The Doctor of Ophthalmic Science programme is for eye care professionals who may not be practising optometrists, e.g. medics/orthoptists; these students may complete scientific essays to fulfil the coursework requirements and undertake a non-clinical research project.
Both qualifications are broken down into two elements; taught and research.
Worth 20 credits each, which is nominally equivalent to 200 hours of student learning, our modules consist of remote access lectures with electronic formative assessments and a module coursework assignment such as reflective case records, or an essay/literature review related to the module.
There are two study periods per year to complete taught modules; 1st October-31st January and 1st March-30th June, please note dates are given as an approximate and are subject to change. Module results are ratified at Examination Boards held shortly after the end of each study period.
Taught modules include:
As part of the flexible programme as a UK optometrist, you may complete the theoretical element of the General Optical Council approved Independent Prescribing for Optometrists module. Optometrists may also choose to complete College of Optometrists accredited modules in Medical Retina, Glaucoma and Paediatric Eye Care. Equivalent modules are available for non-optometrists also.
Module list provides an overview of what is currently available, this list is subject to change.
Your thesis will form the major component of your doctorate.
Supervised by members of the Aston Optometry School, you will develop your research proposal based on your own clinical interests, or, you may opt to select a project nominated by an Aston academic. As this is a distance-learning programme, the research is not normally carried out on the University campus, and it is essential that the you have access to the facilities and resources needed to carry out your research, usually in your place of work.
This stage requires a significant long-term commitment, as it is equivalent to around 2 years of full-time work (i.e. 4 years part-time). Candidates ultimately submit a thesis which is examined in a viva voce examination.
Flexible credit accumulation
As a new student, you will initially register as postgraduate student within our framework of flexible credit accumulation (FCA). Within this framework it is possible to graduate with a:
Up to 40 credits may be awarded in respect of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), whether experiential or certificated (e.g. previous completion of the Aston MOptom).
To progress to full doctoral registration requires a minimum of 120 taught module credits including the compulsory 20-credit Research Methods module, an approved project proposal, and successful completion of the qualifying report stage, assessed by viva voce examination with an internal examiner. The report and the viva voce examination will be used to assess suitability for progression to the full doctoral project. Candidates may only progress to the ophthalmic doctorate if they achieve 60% in the taught element of the programme and at least 60% in their dissertation that is submitted following completion of the taught element.
Timescales for study
Taught credits are valid for 5 years, so those studying for an MSc/PgDip/PgCert must complete their studies within 5 years of enrolment on the programme.
Those undertaking the DOptom/DOphSc programme must complete their taught module requirement and complete the research stage within 6 years of registration. Note that in accordance with University Regulations for part-time research students, the earliest date for completion of the doctoral programme (i.e. submission of thesis/ portfolio) is 4 years following registration.
The Professional Doctorate is a four-year, part-time programme, delivered online, with hybrid (on-campus and online) intensive blocks of teaching. A single annual start date in September places students into a defined year group and establishes a framework for a collaborative and supportive doctoral journey. In Years 1 and 2, three modules are studied per year, these modules build the foundation for Years 3 and 4 that are research focused, culminating in a 40-60,000 word thesis.
Interdisciplinarity is core to the learning experience on the Professional Doctorate. Our students value the opportunities and benefits accrued by studying with peers from a range of professions and being taught by interdisciplinary teaching/supervisory teams. An annual programme conference creates space and time to bring all cohorts together, along with staff and external stakeholders, to celebrate, share new knowledge emerging from students’ research, and learn from each other.
Eleven Professional Doctorates, across six Schools, are offered by the University of Dundee:
Please contact Edgar Huitema ([email protected]) for more information.
The MD is a higher degree undertaken by clinically qualified staff normally during their postgraduate medical training. Applicants must be working in the South East of Scotland, either employed as a member of staff of the University of Edinburgh, or as an NHS employee, or as a research worker employed or self-financed or grant-funded, in the University of Edinburgh or an associated institution or an NHS establishment.
A thesis for the degree of MD must deal with one or more of the subjects of study in the curriculum for the degrees of MBChB or with subjects arising directly from contemporary medical practice.
We have interests in:
Generic training in presentation skills, project management and writing skills is delivered through the University's transferable skills programme.
We have excellent facilities on our campuses at the Western General Hospital, Little France and in the Central Area.
This course is in the process of being finalised. For more information please contact +44 (0)2394 003692.
Would you like to build on your clinical training by learning about research methods and then applying this to a topic of your choice? If so, you can study at the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic studies at the University of Essex, where we have an established tradition of combining clinical thinking with research expertise.
This allows you to further your own professional development, explore the area of greatest interest to you and make an original contribution to the development of your profession. Our professional doctorates constitute the academic and research component, building on what you have already studied and achieved in your professional training.
The Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is uniquely positioned to offer a professional doctorate of this kind. The department has a long and rich history of bringing clinicians and researchers from a wide range of orientations into fruitful collaboration and has a thriving research community. On this programme you will have access, alongside the specific course content, to all elements of the department’s provision, bringing you into contact with leading practitioners and researchers in your field as well as an exciting group of both staff and student researchers in related areas.
This degree constitutes the academic and research top-up for graduates with at least masters-level training in psychodynamic counselling of at least 3 years’ duration. It will also support students towards personal BACP accreditation.
There are few comparable doctorates available. This course enables those who have already completed a full relevant training to add the academic and research component to gain a doctorate and to contribute to the field.
The course aims to provide you with relevant knowledge and skills so that you can conduct a rigorous piece of original research in the field of psychodynamic counselling. This could be theoretical/literature-based or empirical, employing qualitative or quantitative methodologies.
The aim of the taught first year is to enable you, a qualified Psychodynamic Counsellor, graduate of an MA/MSc Psychodynamic training, to make the transition from practitioner to researcher, to decide on your research question, design and methodology and to prepare for your empirical project. Assignments in the first year are all directly connected to and will provide elements of the final thesis.
In years 2 and 3 you will be supported in supervision and workshops in conducting your individual doctoral research project.
To arrange an informal conversation, please email Professor Sue Kegerreis or Dr Deborah Wright
Why we're great.
Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department).
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Once a year you you will have a supervisory panel meeting involving one or two additional staff, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next phase of your work.
If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.
Would you like to build on your clinical training by learning about research methods and then applying this to a topic of your choice? If so, you can study at the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic studies at the University of Essex, where we have an established tradition of combining clinical thinking with research expertise.
This allows you to further your own professional development, explore the area of greatest interest to you and make an original contribution to the development of your profession. Our professional doctorates constitute the academic and research component, building on what you have already studied and achieved in your professional training.
The Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is uniquely positioned to offer a professional doctorate of this kind. The department has a long and rich history of bringing clinicians and researchers from a wide range of orientations into fruitful collaboration and has a thriving research community. On this programme you will have access, alongside the specific course content, to all elements of the department’s provision, bringing you into contact with leading practitioners and researchers in your field as well as an exciting group of both staff and student researchers in related areas.
This degree constitutes the academic and research top-up for graduates with a full training in Analytical Psychology.
There are few comparable doctorates available. A few trainings are now doctoral programmes, or have doctorates available to trainees, but there are few routes available for those who trained in the past, and in many current trainings the doctoral top-up does not exist. This course enables those who have already completed a full relevant training to add the academic and research component to gain a doctorate and to contribute to the field.
The course aims to provide you with relevant knowledge and skills so that you can conduct a rigorous piece of original research in your field. This could be theoretical/literature-based or empirical, employing qualitative or quantitative methodologies.
The aim of the taught first year is to enable you, a qualified psychotherapist, to make the transition from practitioner to researcher, to decide on your research question, design and methodology and to prepare for your empirical projects. Assignments in the first year are all directly connected to and will provide elements of the final thesis.
In years 2 and 3 you will be supported in supervision and workshops in conducting your individual doctoral research project.
To arrange an informal conversation, please email Professor Sue Kegerreis or Dr Deborah Wright
Why we're great.
Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department).
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Once a year you will have a supervisory panel meeting involving one or two additional staff, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next phase of your work.
If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.
Would you like to build on your clinical training by learning about research methods and then applying this to a topic of your choice? If so, you can study at the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic studies at the University of Essex, where we have an established tradition of combining clinical thinking with research expertise.
This allows you to further your own professional development, explore the area of greatest interest to you and make an original contribution to the development of your profession. Our professional doctorates constitute the academic and research component, building on what you have already studied and achieved in your professional training.
The Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is uniquely positioned to offer a professional doctorate of this kind. The department has a long and rich history of bringing clinicians and researchers from a wide range of orientations into fruitful collaboration and has a thriving research community. On this programme you will have access, alongside the specific course content, to all elements of the department’s provision, bringing you into contact with leading practitioners and researchers in your field as well as an exciting group of both staff and student researchers in related areas.
This degree constitutes the academic and research top-up for graduates with a full training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy .
There are few comparable doctorates available. Some trainings are now doctoral programmes, or have doctorates available to trainees, but there are few routes available for those who trained in the past, and in many current trainings the doctoral top-up does not exist. This course enables those who have already completed a full relevant training to add the academic and research component to gain a doctorate and to contribute to the field.
The course aims to provide you with relevant knowledge and skills so that you can conduct a rigorous piece of original research in your field. This could be theoretical/literature-based or empirical, employing qualitative or quantitative methodologies.
The aim of the taught first year is to enable you, a qualified psychotherapist, to make the transition from practitioner to researcher, to decide on your research question, design and methodology and to prepare for your empirical project. Assignments in the first year are all directly connected to and will provide elements of the final thesis.
In years 2 and 3 you will be supported in supervision and workshops in conducting your individual doctoral research project.
To arrange an informal conversation, please email Professor Sue Kegerreis ([email protected]) or Dr Deborah Wright ( [email protected])
Why we're great.
Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department).
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Once each year you will have a supervisory panel meeting involving one or two other staff, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next phase of your work.
If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.
Would you like to build on your clinical training by learning about research methods and then applying this to a topic of your choice? If so, you can study at the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic studies at the University of Essex, where we have an established tradition of combining clinical thinking with research expertise.
This allows you to further your own professional development, explore the area of greatest interest to you and make an original contribution to the development of your profession Our professional doctorates constitute the academic and research component, building on what you have already studied and achieved in your professional Psychotherapy training.
The Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is uniquely positioned to offer a professional doctorate of this kind. The department has a long and rich history of bringing clinicians and researchers from a wide range of orientations into fruitful collaboration and has a thriving research community. On this programme you will have access, alongside the specific course content, to all elements of the department’s provision, bringing you into contact with leading practitioners and researchers in your field as well as an exciting group of both staff and student researchers in related areas.
This degree constitutes the academic and research top-up for graduates with a full training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
There are few comparable doctorates available. A few trainings are now doctoral programmes, or have doctorates available to trainees, but there are few routes available for those who trained in the past, and in many current trainings the doctoral top-up does not exist. This course enables those who have already completed a full relevant training to add the academic and research component to gain a doctorate and to contribute to the field.
The course aims to provide you with relevant knowledge and skills so that you can conduct a rigorous piece of original research in your field. This could be theoretical/literature-based or empirical, employing qualitative or quantitative methodologies.
The aim of the taught first year is to enable you, a qualified psychotherapist, to make the transition from practitioner to researcher, to decide on your research question, design and methodology and to prepare for your empirical project. Assignments in the first year are all directly connected to and will provide elements of the final thesis.
In years 2 and 3 you will be supported in supervision and workshops in conducting your individual doctoral research project.
To arrange an informal conversation, please email Professor Sue Kegerreis ([email protected]) or Dr Deborah Wright ([email protected])
Why we're great.
Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department).
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Once each year you will have a supervisory panel meeting involving one or two other staff, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next phase of your work.
If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to undertake significant personal development and research within your specialist area of practice.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the academic environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year if required). During this time, you will prepare two extended essays which chronical your personal development over the programme of study. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
At the end of the programme you will have prepared a 40,000 word research study, this research will make an original contribution to own area of practice.
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
Within our School of Health and Social Care, our clinical laboratories use the latest equipment and IT facilities to assist you with the effective learning and acquisition of new skills.
See more of our facilities on our department pages.
We currently have graduates working in both clinical and management positions in local trusts, hospitals and care organisations, as well as in local and county councils.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialisation.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic. Within the School we offer guidance and supervision in a wide range of areas which include amongst others:
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
At the end of your time with us, you will have a qualification which demonstrate you to be a true expert in your field.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialisation.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic. Within the School we offer guidance and supervision in a wide range of areas which include amongst others:
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
At the end of your time with us, you will have a qualification which demonstrate you to be a true expert in your field.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to undertake significant personal development and research within your specialist area of practice.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the academic environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two extended essays which chronical your personal development over the programme of study. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
At the end of the programme you will have prepared a 40,000 word research study, this research will make an original contribution to own area of practice.
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigour. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to undertake significant personal development and research within your specialist area of practice.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the academic environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two extended essays which chronical your personal development over the programme of study. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
At the end of the programme you will have prepared a 40,000 word research study, this research will make an original contribution to own area of practice.
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to undertake significant personal development and research within your specialist area of practice.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the academic environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two extended essays which chronical your personal development over the programme of study. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
At the end of the programme you will have prepared a 40,000 word research study, this research will make an original contribution to own area of practice.
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigour. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialisation.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over 5 years (with an additional period of completion of up to 1 year, if required). During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic. Within the School we offer guidance and supervision in a wide range of areas which include amongst others:
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
At the end of your time with us, you will have a qualification which demonstrate you to be a true expert in your field.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in health or social care. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialisation.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over the course of between 4 and 7 years. During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching healthcare.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic. Within the School we offer guidance and supervision in a wide range of areas which include amongst others:
You will have regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor to develop your research topics and plan, and to discuss progress on your research. A full list of research interests can be found on our staff pages.
At the end of your time with us, you will have a qualification which demonstrate you to be a true expert in your field.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
Why we're great.
Our School of Health and Social Care has an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our educational provision meets professional regulatory requirements and achieves high standards. We do so by having multi-professional staff with both clinical and academic expertise; our staff include sociologists and social policy and management specialists as well as clinically qualified lecturers in adult and mental health nursing, oral health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, speech and language therapy, social work and sports therapy.
A unique feature of our School is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) organisations and other local agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.
We have at our heart a commitment to making a difference to local, national and international health, social care and voluntary services through education, research and knowledge transfer. Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.
You are encouraged to take advantage of the research seminars held within our School where you can present your research to other staff and students, discussing your work within a supportive environment
Our Proficio professional development scheme provides you with unique opportunities to acquire a set of specialist professional skills and expand your subject knowledge
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
The University of Essex Doctorate in Clinical Psychology has been training people to become reflective and highly competent clinical psychologists since October 2005. The programme was developed in partnership with commissioners from the Health Education East of England, the University of Essex, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, and NHS Trusts based in Essex.
You can apply for this course as an NHS-funded trainee (Home/EU fee status applicants only). To find out more about this, take a look at our 'Information for applicants' page.
The programme benefits from the input and support of clinicians based in South and North East Essex, particularly Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. Some input into psychodynamic teaching is also provided by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. The programme is housed in the vibrant academic and research community of the School of Health and Social Care, which has an excellent reputation for research and teaching in health and social care, and it is committed to inter-professional learning.
Some of the benefits of studying on our programme include:
We place a priority on responding to trainees' feedback and on reviewing and updating the way in which training is delivered in order to remain responsive to current needs and developments at the forefront of clinical psychology.
Key values and principles that underpin our course include:
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also.
As you may be aware, the UK government has now revoked legislation that requires all health and social care staff working in sites regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Whilst vaccination is not essential, we encourage our applicants and students to be fully vaccinated. Find out more about what this means for applicants to this course.
Accredited against the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist.
Why we're great.
The Doctorate in Education (EdD) is a part-time professional doctorate which offers research training and career development to a broad range of employed professionals in areas relating to education.
The programme has been running successfully for many years at the University of Reading and we welcome students from a range of backgrounds including early years; schools; further and higher education; the NHS; the armed forces; and social work, and industry educators/trainers.
The programme is structured is in two parts:
Part A: involves five compulsory modules. These modules are delivered face-to-face at the London Road campus over three weekends per year in the first two years
Campus based learning is combined with flexible blended learning, such as having structured guided learning and pre-recorded material between the on-campus sessions.
Part B: is an independent, supervised research thesis on an approved topic of approximately 50,000 words which will be examined by viva voce. The thesis is required to make a distinct contribution to professional knowledge, be original, and demonstrate an ability to relate to the existing body of research within the field.
Each module in Part A is assessed via means of assignments totalling 6,000 words. Students must successfully complete Part A of the programme with an average of 60% before progressing to Part B. Students who successfully pass Part A and do not wish to move on to Part B may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.
When you undertake a EdD with us, you'll be assigned a supervisor with expertise that aligns with your research topic. Our expert academics are leaders in their areas of research, and will work closely with you to ensure your time with us as a EdD student is as rewarding as possible.
Discover how to confidently and expertly lead organisations to success.
There’s never been a more crucial time to develop your management and leadership skillset.
Technological advancements and globalisation have forced organisations, regardless of size, to become internationally minded. This, in turn, has caused the roles of those in business administration to evolve.
Organisations need professionals with sophisticated research skills, who understand the needs of the industry and are able to both transfer and employ academic knowledge.
Our Global Doctorate in Business Administration* (DBA) is a high-level, professional business and management programme with international focus.
Fully online and part-time, this course is designed for private and public sector management professionals, keen to take their careers to new heights whilst continuing with their current work.
In your first year, you’ll experience rigorous taught modules, progressing onto the research phase of the programme. Your supervisory team will support though throughout, as you conduct applied, work-based research on topics of your choosing.
This is your opportunity to advance your professional knowledge and skillset, whilst helping to solve business challenges in your workplace, immediately and well into the future.
Find out more about what makes this DBA the best choice for you.
*Subject to final validation
Combining theory and application, the Global DBA will help improve your practice as a more efficient, agile leader.
For a breakdown of each module you’ll cover, get in touch with our team today.
This programme is 100% online, and as a part-time, flexible course, it fits around busy lifestyles. All of your course materials can be found on Moodle, our virtual learning environment – on demand and available no matter where you are. Study resources might include webinars, podcasts, discussion forums, videos, and more.
When it comes to monitoring your progress, you’ll be assessed through the coursework you submit online. It could include written assignments and a research and development project. You’ll also have the chance to receive formal and informal feedback throughout the course from your tutors and peers, and will be encouraged to self-reflect and evaluate your own performance too.
Discover more about online learning at Portsmouth and book your virtual Moodle tour with one of our course advisors.
Earning a DBA shows the world you are not only an authority in your chosen field, but you’re driven to develop academically, professionally, and personally. Unlike a PhD, the DBA’s hands-on approach to applied business theory means that when you graduate, you’ll be in a position to act as the bridge between the business and academic world. All of this makes you an attractive prospect to employers.
Should you need advice or support, our brilliant Careers and Employability Service are on hand to help.
You’ll also be asked to submit:
Once we’ve taken a look at your application, we might invite you to an online interview.
Not sure if you’re eligible to apply? Get in touch with one of our friendly and expert course advisers to discuss your experience and options on +44 (0)23 9400 3692, or email [email protected]
Health Psychology can help to address health challenges affecting people’s day to day lives, prevent illness and foster health and well-being. This course will train you to develop scientific and practitioner skills in Health Psychology, and to be eligible to become a health psychologist. It is based on real-world placement learning, and includes regular teaching and workshops.
You'll acquire specific competencies as defined by the British Psychological Society. You'll also gain competence in carrying out a piece of high quality empirical research to a standard publishable in peer review journals.
Supervision is provided by the experienced and enthusiastic health team in Psychology. We have an excellent international reputation in the field of Health Psychology with a record of high quality research into health and health behaviour.
Overseas candidates are expected to commence and undertake most of their training in the UK.
The Professional Doctorate award is also available for study via a two year part-time top-up research doctorate route. Applicants who already hold a doctoral level (practitioner) qualification in Health Psychology via the British Psychological Society (QHP), and are eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a ‘Health Psychologist’ will be eligible to complete the research module for award of the Professional Doctorate degree.
Students following this route will be required to complete the ‘Applied Research in Health Psychology’ module, via one-to-one supervision.
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
On successful completion of this 'Stage 2' training, you'll be eligible for registration with the HCPC under the protected title of ‘Health Psychologist’.
You will also be eligible to apply for full membership of the Division of Health Psychology and can become a BPS Chartered Health Psychologist.
This Professional Doctorate Health Psychology degree is fully accredited and commended by the British Psychological Society.
Placements are an integral part of this course and you can work in a wide range of settings, including the NHS, local government, health and social care, third sector (charities) or other organisations. In most cases you'll identify your own main placement, and this will need to be organised and approved as part of the application and admissions process. Placements can be paid or unpaid, in your own workplace or elsewhere, or can be carried out on a voluntary basis.
Placements must cover at least two broad areas of work. This could be one main placement supplemented by shorter pieces of work elsewhere, or by time split more or less equally between two placements, or they can be sequential over time.
Overseas candidates are expected to start and undertake most of their training in the UK.
Examples of placements with our trainees include:
The course focuses on developing high quality practice and research skills and your capacity to work as an independent scientist-practitioner. It emphasises person-centred and collaborative ways of working, which are characteristic of Health Psychology approaches.
This course will aim to prepare you for working in multidisciplinary contexts, in the context of the Scottish and UK Government targets for improvement of the nation’s health. This acknowledges the interplay of biological, psychological, socio-economic and cultural factors.
Psychology at the University of Stirling has a long history of collaboration with local and national health care providers, and community groups. Course team members have been involved in many collaborative research projects, teaching and professional consultancy. Existing links to the local, national and international health and healthcare community will be fostered and developed in the Professional Doctorate. Stirling is also committed to increasing patient and public involvement (PPI) from the local community. We have PPI representatives on our Course Steering Group and will involve patient and carer groups as far as possible in different aspects of the course.
Health Psychology is a flexible and broad field of study and this is reflected in the wide variety of work that health psychologists can do. For example, within policy bodies, public health or clinical health services such as the UK NHS, and also in health and social care, in communities, workplaces and in the third sector (charitable organisations).
Examples of possible roles for qualified Health Psychologists are:
The major challenges confronting society are complex and interdisciplinary, and current solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s intractable problems are not working. This complexity requires a different type of professional; one who is equipped to work in a very different and collaborative way to find new solutions.
Our Professional Doctorate programme will help you to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to fulfil this role.
We are bringing together academic experts from across the University to provide you with interdisciplinary learning, teaching and research, thereby enabling you to transcend boundaries and lead applied research that will help you transform lives and tackle complex challenges in unique ways.
You apply for a specific award, but you will be part of the overall community of Professional Doctorate students across the University You will participate in shared modules, but will benefit from supervisors who are experts in your chosen discipline area.
You will be encouraged to:
Teaching will be delivered by blended learning, you will attend face-to-face sessions on campus twice per year (January and June), for five days on each occasion. For the remainder of the time, you will engage in online teaching and learning, and self-directed study.
There will be emphasis on active learning, using participatory approaches, such as interactive workshops, seminars, group work, one-to-one supervision (in the thesis stage), and web conferences.
The Professional Doctorates have been designed to enhance your professional development and enable you to progress as ‘researching professionals’ within your own setting. To achieve this, we deploy teaching and learning activities that include group work to tackle issues in interdisciplinary ways, using this as a vehicle for deeper learning and understanding.
Each module assessment includes subject-specific components to evaluate your knowledge and understanding of the module topics. This is achieved through:
You are also expected to develop core programme skills throughout your studies and some of these, including digital literacy, critical thinking, and writing, are tested across the modules. Others, such as applying the principles of design-thinking and honing your dissemination and implementation skills, are linked to specific modules.
The thesis is the culmination of the Professional Doctorate programme and tests your intellectual skills, creativity, problem-solving, and ability to manage a complex and challenging piece of work.
In all written assessment work, you are expected to use a wide range of evidence to support your work.
Core Modules
These modules are an essential part of your course
A Professional Doctorate will enhance your professional development and enable you to progress as a ‘researching professional’ within your own setting and beyond.
To achieve this, principles of professional learning are integrated throughout the learning and teaching, including:
While you will graduate with a unique range of attributes, fundamentally, this programme aims to create a community of scholars who display ‘doctoral characteristics’ – that is, the qualities and skills associated with doctoral graduates. It is also about preparing you for working in a post-digital world, where 21st century qualities, such as being value-based, reflective and transdisciplinary, are an expectation of professionals.
Contact our applicant enquiry team
The Professional Doctorate is a Research Degree and though it does not include a placement/work-based element, it has been designed to develop the individual’s capacity to work and progress in a professional context; it can also support the development of a research culture in the workplace (educational employers have been consulted in developing the course).
The Professional Doctorate in Education at the University of Wolverhampton embraces two philosophies simultaneously. On the one hand, it embodies traditional research-based purposes derived from the PhD model. From this perspective, the programme is designed to develop competent researchers through a programme of training in research methods and the production of a research-based thesis. The modules constitute a coherent research programme, with a considerable emphasis on professional development and practice.
Notwithstanding this traditional element, the programme has been designed for experienced educational practitioners rather than for academic student researchers. An explicit aim is to support researchers in professional practice through work-based research that focuses on their own professional needs and those of their employers/organisations. The course team thus recognise the value of the varied educational contexts and settings in which students are employed.
The modular approach allows the pathway to be flexible and responsive, and the design of modules allows some choice in study methods/approaches. The concept of being an ‘effective practitioner’ signifies more than an enhanced ability to practise; it implies a greater willingness to innovate, to manage change, and developing creative abilities to investigate ideas. The team are mindful of the need to maximise the opportunity for strategic thinking and provide a proactive educational experience that enables practitioners to adapt to change and become proponents and creators of new professional knowledge. Because the Doctorate will be closely integrated with existing work, it is seen as adding value to the workplace as well as enhancing and developing candidates’ individual abilities.
The academic rigour of the Doctorate is in part supported by the wide-ranging professional experience of the teaching team. The team have a wide research background and the programme capitalises on their strengths. Research expertise across the team includes such diverse areas as secondary school improvement, educational leadership, early years education, and policy and practice in further and higher education, to name but a few.
The first two years of the Doctoral stage focus on developing students’ understanding of research – in terms of overarching philosophies and practical approaches, but also with regard to shaping and articulating their research values and professional identity. The strong emphasis on reflexivity underpinning the course is a distinctive feature of the programme and aims to develop students’ understanding and confidence, thereby preparing them for educational enquiry at the thesis stage, and supporting their professional development. Student feedback has been central in shaping the programme. Participants on the course, including University staff members, have reported that the taught sessions are stimulating and immensely useful.
The educational aims of the course are to develop an individual’s professional practice and to support them in producing an original contribution to professional knowledge worthy of publication. The standard of this Doctorate is of the level and intellectual challenge equivalent to a PhD degree. The programme of study is underpinned by professional practice, and students will be required to show evidence that, through the course of their studies, they have made a significant contribution to working practice(s) within their professional area. By combining traditional taught sessions with virtual technologies, teaching becomes a more personalised experience and extends beyond the classroom. Examples of the strategies for blended learning within the programme include:
Participation in this programme will enhance the professional practice and educational expertise of all candidates. Through its focus on developing high-level research skills and applying these rigorously and systematically to real-world educational issues and topics, the course equips students with advanced skills that will be transferable to a range of senior-level employment contexts. The development of an ability to apply solutions-focused and creative research techniques to complex educational matters is central to the course’s rationale and supports the University’s framework for course design with regard to being enterprising and improving employability.
Successful graduates would thus be expected to take a leading role in developing excellence in educational management, learning, teaching, student development or advisory work in their own work place institutions as appropriate. The course will also supply the expertise, experience and academic credentials for those students aspiring to work on education-related Degree courses in Higher Education, as well as enhancing promotion opportunities in existing employment.
This unique doctoral programme, Evidence-Based Human Resource Management (MRes/Professional Doctorate), provides you with training in evidence-based practice (EBP). This well-established approach to practice emphasises making better-informed decisions about problems (or opportunities) and potential solutions or interventions through use of the best available evidence from multiple sources. The programme is relevant to practitioners working across all areas relevant to human resource practice and scholarship, including management, learning and development, and internal and external consultancy.
Throughout the Professional Doctorate you will undertake work-based learning, including:
You will also be allocated a personal supervisor and have access to a wide range of taught courses, professional training courses and networking opportunities offered by the Department of Organizational Psychology. You will have access to a virtual learning environment too, providing you with supplementary materials. It is assumed that you will be able to gain experience and practise and investigate evidence-based Human Resource Management at your workplace.
The first part of the programme constitutes the MRes. In the first year, you take two fundamental evidence modules and a content module focused on assessment and selection. In the second year, which runs from January to December, you take a further three modules to work through the employee life cycle. Each of these modules is assessed by a case study which together will form an evidence-based practice portfolio.
If you pass the first part, you then undertake research methods training and develop proposals for, and undertake, a systematic review and major study, which form your final doctoral thesis, assessed through a viva voce.
Spring term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: The Foundations of Evidence-Based HRM
Summer term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: Critical Appraisal of Scientific and Other Evidence
Autumn term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: Selection and Assessment
Spring term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: Learning and Development
Summer term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: Performance, Talent and Reward Management
Autumn term: Evidence-Based Professional Practice Portfolio: Job Satisfaction, Well-being, and Engagement
This unique Professional Doctorate programme is aimed at individuals who are working in, or who have previously worked in, an area of public policy practice (for example, a think tank, charity, in journalism, in the civil service or a central bank, or as a political researcher). Teachers of economics and politics can also take the programme. The format of teaching and research provides a structured, but flexible, framework making this the ideal way to combine doctoral studies with professional life.
The programme leads to the qualification “Doctor of Public Policy and Political Economy” and will be an important qualification for those wishing to advance a career in any area of public policy or advance an academic career. We also welcome students later in life who, as well as studying for the qualification, will be able to share their experience with other students at the study weekends.
There are four modules in the professional doctorate programme.
Module One
You will attend the weekly evening seminars held on the MA in Political Economy by Research. These cover topics such as Adam Smith; Alfred Marshall; the marginalists and neo-classical economics; Karl Marx; Friedrich Hayek and the Austrians; J.M. Keynes; James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock and public choice theory; the Frankfurt School; and behavioural economics. You can attend these seminars by distance learning.
Module Two
You will attend a study weekend in May of your first academic year at the Vinson Centre, University of Buckingham. The study weekend will include: further lectures on schools of economic thought and their relevance to public policy and a preliminary research proposal presentation as well as research methods training.
You must attend this in person.
Module Three
This module will be a reflective analysis relating experience in your professional role to models in political economy (for example, public choice, institutional economics, market failure models etc) or to key figures in the development of thinking on political economy or public policy.
You will then attend a second study weekend in October of the second academic year and your research proposal will be finalised. This will also be at the Vinson Centre.
Module Four
In Module Four, you will undertake a research thesis of a recommended length of 55,000 to 65,000 words. The research thesis will be on an approved topic related to your professional work (or former professional work) and is supervised by academic staff.
October study weekend
Every year you will be invited to the October study weekend. You can attend as many of these events before completing your thesis as you wish, but you will be required to attend at least one further study weekend, after your initial October study weekend, before you submit your thesis. You do not have to attend each year.
Thesis
You have between four and six years following registration to complete your thesis.
Resources
You will be able to make use of the Vinson Centre’s superb economic policy and history of economic thought library throughout your period of study.
International study
This programme can be taken by overseas students as long as you are able to attend the three study weekends (the May and two October weekends) during the course of your registration period (up to six years). All other studies and supervision can be undertaken online.
Teaching, Supervision and Assessment
Teaching is a mixture of online provision and seminars at the study weekends held at the Vinson Centre. Each module will be assessed by shorter assignments before you move on to the thesis. These shorter assignments are designed to ensure that you are well prepared when you start your thesis. Appropriate supervisors will be appointed for module four. You will meet those supervisors regularly.
A Flexible Qualification – entry and exit routes
This programme is flexible so that you can join from other University of Buckingham programmes and gain exemptions from modules of the professional doctorate. Also, if you decide that the professional doctorate is not for you, your work will not be wasted: there are other exit routes.
MA in Political Economy – you can register for this degree and transfer to the Professional Doctorate in January of the first academic year. The fees that you have paid for the MA will be credited towards your professional doctorate so that the total fee will be approximately the same as if you had registered for the professional doctorate from the outset.
MA in Political Economy 2021 entry – students who enrolled on the MA in Political Economy in 2021 will be able to transfer to the professional doctorate in October 2022 and move straight to module four. A special programme of study and assessment will be designed so that those transferring in this way obtain at least 120 level-7 credits when taking into account the assessments that they have already taken at that point. If you entered the professional doctorate in this way, you can extend your MA thesis to doctoral level.
There are also flexible exit routes so that, if you complete Modules One to Three successfully, but choose not to complete Module Four, you will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Political Economy. However, you will be able to return within five years and complete the professional doctorate subject to the usual rules and regulations of the University regarding the return of qualifications when a qualification is taken further for another award.
The Midwifery Doctorate programme meets the needs of professionals/educationalists wishing to attain the highest level of professional and academic achievement.
The programme of taught modules combined with the research component allows students to undertake study and research that is clearly relevant to their professional practice, will support them to contribute to professional knowledge in their field of practice and will enable their career development.
A professional doctorate provides a rigorous programme of advanced study and research, equally rigorous to the purely research orientated PhD. The taught modules which occupy the first two years of the programme, provide opportunities to develop students’ skills and knowledge in key areas to facilitate career development, whilst the research component allows for development of skills in critical appraisal and the ability to develop the rationale, methodology and methods for research studies. The modules also allow development of other transferable skills such as project management, problem solving, information management and academic writing.
The Midwifery Doctorate utilizes the expertise of the academic team across the whole of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences as well as experts from the clinical field to support the student’s development, research and scholarship; many of whom may be nationally and internationally renowned researchers in their own field.
Within the Doctorate, students may wish to exit at key points prior to completing the whole programme and in doing so may be awarded either postgraduate diploma or masters in health sciences. This design is intended to provide flexibility for professionals studying whilst working in high pressured health service roles.
The learning outcomes below describe what you should be able to do if you make full use of the opportunities for learning that are provided to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, and skills. In addition, by completing the Midwifery Doctorate programme you will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility, leadership and largely autonomous initiative in complex and unpredictable situations in professional environments.
The Midwifery programme is led by Professor June Keeling. Professor Keeling qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1988 and as a Registered Midwife in 1992. She worked across the hospital and community as a Midwife until 2004, when she moved into Higher Education. Her first degree was a BSc (Hons) in Women’s Health and Health Research from the University of Liverpool, followed by a Masters in Professional Education. Her PhD explored women’s disclosure of domestic violence and interactions with statutory agencies. She has supervised several students through to PhD completion, and is regularly invited as an external examiner.
Our Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has an exceptional research standing with many staff gaining grants from national and international funding bodies and this also facilitates the expertise that can be drawn upon to support the supervision of doctoral students outside of the immediate professional doctorate team.
The EdD programme at Buckingham brings together an exciting international community to study and research together. Our Doctoral Programme in Education promotes and endorses the highest level of knowledge, skills and experiences of leaders in schools and education in the belief that this recognition will impact significantly on practice. An EdD is at the same standard as a PhD. Like a PhD, the EdD requires students to make a unique contribution to knowledge. A distinguishing element of an EdD is that it is also required to ensure your study results in a tangible impact on practice. This is because the EdD is a practitioner/professional doctorate which means that it is designed for professionals working in Education and that the focus of study should be on the nature of Educational practice.
Every student attends an Induction Programme and then is allocated two personal supervisors. You have a main supervisor who will be a critical friend through the process, and you will have approximately 12 hours of supervision each year. Students are supported by webinars and by two study days in November and another two study days in April. The online support guides you through some of the key elements of completing a doctorate, for example, research methodology, engaging with literature and philosophical frameworks.
The doctorate:
The University of Buckingham EdD is appropriate for experienced practitioners and postgraduate students who already hold an MA or equivalent. Doing a doctorate is likely to be one of the most intellectually challenging experiences of your professional career. Despite its challenges it is hoped that you will also find the experience hugely rewarding. The programme aims to enable those working in education to develop expertise through critical evaluation of research and scholarship in their chosen field of interest. Students will develop skills that allow them to critically analyse, engage in and reflect on educational issues. Whilst the intensity of the doctorate might seem daunting, the programme is designed for students to be able to complete study alongside their work in education. Students will contribute to wider debate on education and reflect on the implications of their study for educators and learners. The expectation is that on average you will spend 15 hours a week studying. This takes into account time spent with you supervisor, study days as well as your own independent research, reading and study.
We offer two routes to achieving the EdD at Buckingham:
The choice of route will be decided in discussion with your supervisors.
Many people will be familiar with the structure of the doctoral thesis; it is a pathway that encompasses a review of literature followed by the pursuit of a research project and as the EdD is a professional thesis, this would also include an evaluation of the implications for practice that the work would have within a particular educational context. A thesis consists of a continuous narrative, divided up into chapters that form a whole. Each chapter contributes to the main idea and builds a logical sustained argument cumulatively from start to end.
By comparison a doctorate by submission of a professional portfolio reflects on a particular area of focus and interest through the production of a collection of different papers that together form a whole. If you have already published articles and documents of different kinds, then the portfolio may be suitable for you.
It is important to recognise that both require the same level of academic rigour. A thesis is an extended piece of research that presents an argument supported by evidence and reference to relevant research. For the portfolio, it is the overriding argument that binds the varied contents of the portfolio together through use of linking documents. Both pathways also require an ability to be critical both in terms of one’s own position and also in the further development of your own critical voice when encountering a range of alternative views. Both pathways will also contribute something unique and original to your existing knowledge. Originality may lie in the discovery or collection of material never before used; or it may lie in a new approach to more familiar material. Your progress with this work will be assessed at regular stages to determine your suitability to continue on the course.
Applicants are required to complete our online application form and to provide a doctoral proposal. Please consider:
Your application will be assessed against a number of different criteria. These include:
These applications will be reviewed and every applicant will then be interviewed by the Course Director. Applicants should have a focus linked to their professional remit and provide evidence that significantly contributes to the application of knowledge that is relevant locally, nationally and internationally.
If you have any questions, please contact our friendly Admissions Team: [email protected].
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in sports therapy. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialism.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over the course of between 5-6 years. During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching sport performance and coaching.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you can focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic.
Why we're great.
Our School has a proven track record of excellence in teaching, research and applied sports science. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our research is not just about academic excellence. It has wide ranging societal impact in areas as diverse as sports performance, cardiac health and childhood wellbeing.
Within our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.
Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.
The School is housed within the Essex Sport Arena. This state-of-the-art, £12 million development brings together education, rehabilitation, exercise and research, with facilities including a sports hall the size of three basketball courts, two dedicated labs for sports therapy training, a sports therapy clinic, and dedicated physiotherapy labs. Key to the success of all research and teaching within a university is sufficient resources. Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences is well equipped, centrally resourced by technical staff who provide a service to all our staff and students.
Our successful Human Performance Unit (HPU) provides educational and coaching services, health-related exercise programmes and athlete testing, as well as unique opportunities for you to further your studies and research in these areas.
We have a study room for our postgraduate research students. This has been designed in collaboration with our postgraduates, and allows our PhD students to have office space. This provides a focal point for our postgraduates, facilitating good communication and a strong sense of community.
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in sports therapy. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialism.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over the course of between 5-6 years. During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching sports therapy.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you can focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic.
Why we're great.
Our School has a proven track record of excellence in teaching, research and applied sports science. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our research is not just about academic excellence. It has wide ranging societal impact in areas as diverse as sports performance, cardiac health and childhood wellbeing.
Within our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.
Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.
The School is housed within the Essex Sport Arena. This state-of-the-art, £12 million development brings together education, rehabilitation, exercise and research, with facilities including a sports hall the size of three basketball courts, two dedicated labs for sports therapy training, a sports therapy clinic, and dedicated physiotherapy labs. Key to the success of all research and teaching within a university is sufficient resources. Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences is well equipped, centrally resourced by technical staff who provide a service to all our staff and students.
Our successful Human Performance Unit (HPU) provides educational and coaching services, health-related exercise programmes and athlete testing, as well as unique opportunities for you to further your studies and research in these areas.
We have a study room for our postgraduate research students. This has been designed in collaboration with our postgraduates, and allows our PhD students to have office space. This provides a focal point for our postgraduates, facilitating good communication and a strong sense of community.
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
A Professional Doctorate is a specialist qualification that is appropriate if you are in, or are aspiring to, a senior professional appointment in practice, education or management in sports therapy. It demonstrates your ability to perform at the level of 'expert' within your area of specialism.
The aim of the course is to provide a unified approach to theory and practice within a professional context, so your learning is structured to allow you to develop your skills both in the workplace and within the university environment.
Depending on your individual circumstances, your study can be undertaken over the course of between 5-6 years. During this time, you will prepare two portfolios which chronical your development of expert practice in your workplace. In tandem, you also study taught modules at the University of Essex which provide you with the expertise in qualitative, statistical and other research methods required for researching sport and exercise science.
Your own interests, experiences, and needs determine a great deal about how your course is structured, and what areas you can focus on. A key part of demonstrating your expertise in your specialist area is the development of a 40,000-word dissertation on a relevant topic.
Why we're great.
Our School has a proven track record of excellence in teaching, research and applied sports science. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our research is not just about academic excellence. It has wide ranging societal impact in areas as diverse as sports performance, cardiac health and childhood wellbeing.
Within our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.
The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.
Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.
The School is housed within the Essex Sport Arena. This state-of-the-art, £12 million development brings together education, rehabilitation, exercise and research, with facilities including a sports hall the size of three basketball courts, two dedicated labs for sports therapy training, a sports therapy clinic, and dedicated physiotherapy labs. Key to the success of all research and teaching within a university is sufficient resources. Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences is well equipped, centrally resourced by technical staff who provide a service to all our staff and students.
Our successful Human Performance Unit (HPU) provides educational and coaching services, health-related exercise programmes and athlete testing, as well as unique opportunities for you to further your studies and research in these areas.
We have a study room for our postgraduate research students. This has been designed in collaboration with our postgraduates, and allows our PhD students to have office space. This provides a focal point for our postgraduates, facilitating good communication and a strong sense of community.
We offer doctoral preparation that integrates professional expertise and academic rigor. During your time working with us you will gain the skills necessary to make significant contribution to local and national health and social care provision through critical appraisal of current practice.
The networks you develop while with us facilitate self-development. You will engage in critical reflection upon practice; work and lead within complex, multi-professional environments where you can demonstrate expert decision-making.
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