Education Doctorate

Teesside University, Middlesbrough

Course overview

The Doctorate in Education offers professionals in education the chance to deepen and extend their expertise as well as achieve a doctoral degree, the highest level of academic qualification. Modular based study enables group work as well as individual support from a dedicated Director of Studies. You take a critical view of the underpinnings of practice and situate it in a study of research philosophies and methods, extending previous experience to equip you with the knowledge and ability to make an original contribution to knowledge.

Whilst some educational doctorate provision provides a disparate programme of modules covering aspects of sociology, psychology, education, research methods and health studies for example, this programme focuses on a core of reflection on the combination of research and educational praxis, remaining flexible in its assessment strategy to enable you to focus on your own area of interest. It positions you as a creative agent, able to use academic study and practice to inform each other and synthesise the two to develop responses to challenges and opportunities in practice.

Top reasons to study this course

> Your course team has both professional and academic expertise, experience of conducting publicly funded research, publishing in international journals and producing respected monographs and textbooks.

> Personalised supervision over the length of the course from a Director of Studies.

> Group learning and peer support from other postgraduate students enriches and broadens your learning experience.

How you learn

This programme places you as a researcher-practitioner at the centre of your own learning process. Your research-based learning and your identity as an academic-professional educator is the focus of a journey facilitated by a consistent lead tutor from the onset of the programme.

This takes place alongside a cohort-based approach to ensure the peer learning and support that is highly valued by students undertaking professional doctorates, enhanced further by some shared delivery with our MA Education courses.

How you are assessed

The initial modules all provide 60 D level credits and focus on the practice of researching education practice and theory in a creative and critical way. Each requires assignments of around 6,000 words, and are based around:
• successful creation and interpretation of new knowledge through original research and advanced scholarship;
• the ability to continue to undertake pure and/or applied research and development at an advanced level.

Career opportunities

The course is designed to enable you to consolidate and build upon previous learning and experience in your working role. It is a key to new opportunities in education, whichever setting or sector you currently operate within.

It is intended to create close links between the programme activities and content and on-going professional practice. You are likely to have already undergone considerable training and professional development but it is expected that this qualification will enhance your development even further.