About the course

The Doctorate in Education (EdD) is designed to support the professional learning and development of practitioners in the fields of education and training and to bring benefits to the organisations and professions in which they work. The EdD is a research-based programme, focusing on the development of professional practice. The cohort-based programme seeks to empower professionals to research and innovate at doctoral level to address issues or problems of policy or practice directly relevant to their own professional interests and institutional concerns.

 

The EdD programme aims to meet the needs of practitioners who wish to keep abreast of a range of educational topics related to their practice, refine their research skills and work at doctoral level on issues or problems that are of direct relevance to their own professional practice. Key themes are professional learning and how this is facilitated in different contexts, and how leadership promotes professional learning of high quality. The programme aims to provide an understanding of the nature of education research in relation to the development of practice and an enhanced understanding of the nature of professionalism.  In consultation with supervisors, participants develop a programme of work which leads to the presentation of a doctoral submission.

 

The programme enables professionals to extend their own, and support others’, learning, development, and practice in work contexts. EdD research students (and alumni) work within a wide range of contexts, spanning public and commercial sector organisations which include early years settings, schools and further education and higher education provisions, health education contexts and community and voluntary services. 

 

The programme comprises 3 Phases. Phase 1 includes the two inter-related themes of issues in professional learning and development, and approaches to research. In Phase 2, key areas are revisited, building upon the participants’ increased engagement in and experience of research. In Phase 3, participants complete their submission through the support of supervision sessions and further study days.