Overview
The regulations for the Doctor of Education are the same as those which govern the PhD except where the following modify or supplement them.
Admission requirements
1. A candidate for the Doctor of Education must
(a) be a graduate of this or any other approved university holding either a bachelor's degree with first or upper second class honours
(b) or such other qualifications as may be deemed by the University to be the equivalent of any qualifications referred to in (a) above.
2. Candidates will normally be expected to have a minimum of two years' relevant professional experience within a relevant field.
3. All candidates will be asked to provide examples of academic writing and will be interviewed.
Course of study
4. A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Education must have pursued at this University a part-time course of study comprising a taught component and a major research project. The minimum period of registration will be four years' part-time study.
Taught component
5. The taught component requires the successful completion of 120 credits of modules (Part I), which should normally be completed by the end of the second year. The modules available will be listed in the School programme handbook. There is no compensation for modules on the Doctor of Education.
6. The University's Regulations for Taught Master's Degrees, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate courses shall apply with regard to satisfactory progression on the taught element of the degree. More information on regulations can be found here:
Postgraduate Taught study regulations
7. Candidates who successfully complete part or the whole of the taught programme and do not undertake the research component may be considered for the following awards: Postgraduate Certificate in Education Research (60 credits), Postgraduate Diploma in Education Research (120 credits).
The award of MA in Education Research (180 credits) may be available to a student who transfers their registration and is successfully assessed on the formal submission of a 60 credit dissertation.
These awards are in accordance with the application of the University's regulations for postgraduate taught courses as indicated in 6 above.
Progression to the research component
8. For progression to the Research Component, students will have passed all assignments in the taught component and will normally have achieved marks of at least 60% in a minimum of 3 of the modules. In cases where candidates have passed the taught component but not at this level, the Examiners may exercise their discretion in allowing progression to the research component.
9. The Research Component starts with compulsory attendance at the Summer School undertaken at the end of year two.
10. All candidates will go through a Confirmation of Research Status process. This will include a submission of a paper of 10-12,000 words and will involve a viva voce.
Thesis requirement
11. The thesis component requires candidates to undertake original research in an approved topic in a relevant field in education and normally complete a 50,000-60,000 word thesis or, if appropriate and agreed with supervisors, a thesis portfolio consisting of three linked pieces of research, each of 10–12,000 words, together with a 20-24,000 word overview and meta-analysis. Either a thesis or a thesis portfolio might include educational products (e.g. film, design research outputs, software) as part of the submission, this would be in addition to the requisite 50,000 words.
The thesis/thesis portfolio will:
- Consist of work that has been mainly carried out while the candidate has been registered for this degree;
- Demonstrate the candidate's ability to integrate academic analysis with practical relevance and application.
Assessment of the thesis
12. Candidates are required to present themselves for a viva voce examination to be conducted by one Internal (academic) Examiner who is not one of the candidate's supervisors and one External (academic) Examiner, both of whom would normally be senior educationalists relevant to the field.
Outcomes of examination
13. The degree of Doctor of Education will be conferred on candidates who have successfully completed the taught component of the programme and have satisfied the Examiners as to the standard of the thesis or portfolio.
14. The Examiners may recommend to the University the following outcomes of examination:
- Award of degree for which the student is registered, or
- Award of the degree subject to correction of typographical errors within one month
- Award of the degree subject to minor amendments to be completed within three months, or
- Require the candidate to attend for a second viva voce examination and resubmit the same thesis (which may be subject to minor amendments to be completed within three months), or
- Resubmit the thesis in a revised form within twelve months with/without attending a second viva voce examination, or
- That no higher degree be awarded and that the candidate is not allowed to present him/herself again for examination for the degree for which the thesis was submitted.
15. Where a thesis has been resubmitted and/or a second viva voce examination has occurred, the Examiners may recommend to the University the following outcomes of examination:
- Award of degree for which the student is registered, or
- Award of the degree subject to correction of typographical errors within one month, or
- Award of the degree with minor amendments to be completed within three months to the satisfaction of the internal examiner, or
- (in the case of PhD students) Award of degree of MPhil without further conditions, or
- (in the case of PhD students) Award of the degree of MPhil with minor amendments to be completed within three months
- No higher degree awarded and no further examination opportunity.
16. Candidates who successfully complete the whole of the taught programme but fail the thesis or thesis portfolio may be considered for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Research in line with the taught credits already achieved.
The award of MA in Education Research (180 credits) may be available to a student who transfers their registration and is successfully assessed on the formal submission of a 60 credit dissertation.