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School of Public Policy & Professional Practice

 

Education

Doctorate in Education (EdD)

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Overall Aims of the EdD

The Doctorate in Education is a 4 year part-time course which is based around distance-learning and is e-supported. It aims to provide experienced professionals an opportunity to undertake a doctoral thesis after studying six taught units relevant to their personal and professional interest and needs.

Specifically the EdD aims to:

  • Promote an understanding of research evidence and methodologies relevant to professional practitioners
  • Develop a critical awareness of the policy context in which professional practice takes place
  • Enable participants to undertake a research study of relevance to their professional activities.

Course Structure

The EdD has one entry point a year - in November.

The general programme comprises:

  • Six units with five associated formative assignments taught in mainly two-day Course Session events to support the development of your research plan and proposal (years 1 and 2)
  • Regular e-supported learning between Course Sessions
  • Research thesis (50,000 - 60,000 words) in years 3 and 4.

Tutors guide participants through the first four Course Session units and associated assignments. You are allocated a supervisor at the stage where you devise your formal research proposal. The proposal is assessed orally and in writing before you can proceed to conduct your thesis.

The Programme Specification for the EdD

Course Content and Assessment

The programme is assessed by four formative assignments, one summative assignment and a Research Thesis. These are attached to the following units:

Unit 1a: Introduction to theories and methods as an educational researcher
Assignment: Self-Reflection and Personal Development Plan

Unit 1b: Critical and feminist theories and perspectives
Assignment: Theoretical Perspectives on education policy and practice

Units 2a / 2b: Research methods and evaluation: ethics and ethnographies
Assignment: A General Research Methods critique

Unit 2c: A Pilot Study    
Assignment: a commentary and report on a pilot study that will inform the final research proposal for the thesis

Units 3a / 3b: Thesis Proposal
This is a summative assignment (5,000 words written and 1,000 words oral presentation)

Unit 4: A Research Thesis
This will be between 50,000 and 60,000 words and will draw from the previous five assignments. It should form a contribution to the knowledge of the subject area and show evidence of originality, either by the discovery of new evidence, or by the exercise of independent critical power. The thesis is examined by the conventional method of the viva voce.

Tutors will guide the participants through their formative assignments and a supervisor will be allocated for the Thesis Proposal and Thesis.

Alternative exit point for the EdD

Upon successful completion of the taught part of the EdD programme and a 15-20,000 word mini-thesis, students may be awarded an MRes (Education).