PhD/MPhil Professional Education

This Professional Education PhD/MPhil allows you to closely examine a specific area of higher education. You will conduct research or combine your publications to create a unique analytical account. You will shape your own experience of the Professional Education PhD/MPhil. By concentrating on one element of higher education through in-depth research, you will produce a major body of work and position yourself as an expert. City’s Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD) is a central service and an academic department with a research-active team. It will help you create and realise the best possible research programme. Our research-active team plays a key role in developing the educational culture here. The design of your PhD or MPhil will be a collaboration between us and you. We are flexible and creative, offering professional development opportunities to support educational practice. This enables you to achieve your maximum potential.Three types of doctorates from LEaD.Traditional PhDThe focus of this route is on academic inquiry and scholarship which requires a significant and original contribution to knowledge. The focus is usually on developing academic knowledge in this area and requires a study focused on scholarly activity in the area.On completion of study a thesis of between 80,000 -100,000 words is submitted.PhD by Prior PublicationThis route focusses on those that have published in their discipline and have demonstrated an original contribution of knowledge in this area. The components of the submission includes the body of published work and a supporting document which synthesises the published work and indicates clearly the original contribution to knowledge (20,000 words).PhD by Prospective PublicationThis route requires you to conduct an empirical research project or a series of related projects in a similar manner to the work normally conducted for PhD presented by major thesis. The output will be a series of peer- reviewed articles which should be submitted to a journal accepted and published. The Full-time duration is 2 – 4 years Part time: 3 – 7 years and PhD by prior publication: 1 – 2 years.

You should normally be working in an area of professional education with a minimum of three years experience. This way you can draw upon your practice as well as your theory and use this programme of study to develop your practice. You are expected to have a good honours degree (normally no less than a second class honours degree from a UK University) in an appropriate subject and/or an MA or MSc or equivalent qualification. You should be able to demonstrate proficient use of oral and written English and demonstrate the aptitude and motivation to undertake a course of independent research at doctoral level. If you consider yourself to be a non-traditional student you may be considered if you can demonstrate substantial research or relevant professional experience/publication.