Professional Education PhD

This programme is for those who would like to explore an area of professional education in detail and contribute to the development of knowledge and practice in your chosen area. We focus on Higher Education only. You might undertake this through empirical research or through drawing together your publications in the field to develop an analytical account of your unique contribution.

Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD) exists to support students and staff in the creation and realisation of the best possible educational experience. The department is a central service, an academic department and has a research active team. It plays a vital role in managing the change associated with improving the educational culture at City.

We aim to: Support programme design and delivery that is inclusive, flexible, creative and innovative; provide professional development to support excellence in educational practice; support Students to achieve maximum potential; undertake research and scholarly activity to underpin the department’s work and promote leading edge academic practice; communicate about our work and collaborate with others to achieve our aims and support the enhancement of education.

The focus of this route is often on academic inquiry and scholarship which requires a significant and original contribution to knowledge. You may have developed your idea and desire to research your topic from practice but the focus is usually on developing the academic knowledge in this area. It requires an extensive study focused on scholarly activity in the area by undertaking empirical research to contribute original knowledge and theory. These theoretical underpinnings may not have been applied to practice but will extend the knowledge boundaries in this area. In this route you will on completion of your study submit a thesis of between 80,000 to 100,000 words.