Professional Doctorate in Advanced Healthcare Practice (Research degrees )
The Professional Doctorate in Advanced Healthcare Practice is a part-time programme designed to meet the needs of practitioners working in today’s health service. The programme offers a higher level of educational engagement within professional and organisational contexts as well as offering students an opportunity to enhance their existing responsibilities in service delivery.
The programme seeks to equip healthcare professionals with the practical research skills and the critical thinking ability demanded of those practitioners working at the forefront of their profession. The programme is suitable for practitioners working in a range of fields and aims to aid the dissemination, development and management of a range of professional practices and policy developments.
Key Features
Learning and research undertaken by students on the Professional Doctorate programme is intended to inform clinical practice by developing new understandings of practice, generating/enhancing patient outcomes or directly influencing professional or organisational change.
Programme Content
The Directed Study (Taught) Element
A flexible and innovative programme, usually completed in 4-7 years, the Professional Doctorate consists of eight taught modules.
The programme takes into account the substantial professional commitments of students. Modules are delivered over two intensive teaching days and supported via e-learning; they are designed to meet the needs of busy professionals wishing to enhance their research skills, develop their understanding of policy and practice and make an original contribution to knowledge development within their field.
Students will be required to take:
Four compulsory modules
- Applied Qualitative Methods in Healthcare
- Quantitative Research Methods & Statistics in Healthcare
- Research Leadership: Governance, Politics & Ethics
- Systematic Reviewing of Evidence
Three of the following optional modules
- Critical Enquiry in Practice & Research
- Leading & Working in Complex Organisations
- Perspectives on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
- Exploring Epistemologies of Practice
- Analysing Practice through Work Based Learning
The Research Element
At the conclusion of the taught element, students will be allocated supervisors within the topic and /or methodological field of their proposed research. Progression onto the research element of the programme will follow the submission of a research proposal to the School Research Review and Ethics Screening Committee (RRESC).
The production and successful defence of a 40,000 word thesis will lead to completion of the programme the award of ‘Doctor of Advanced Healthcare Practice’.
Who should apply?
The programme is ideal for senior and/or experienced healthcare professionals from a range of backgrounds – clinical, management and education.
Mode of Study
This part-time programme comprises of two elements: a taught element of three study blocks per term over two years; and a research element which comprises a period of not less than two years and not more than five years. During both elements students will have full access to University Graduate College activities.
Length of Study
The normal expectation is for the taught element to be completed in two years, and the thesis to be completed within a further two years. The maximum time limit for the degree overall is 7 years.
Entry Requirements
Candidates should possess a good first degree and normally a masters degree; have a relevant professional qualification; and normally have the equivalent of at least 3 years verifiable relevant practice experience of working in a professional capacity. A further criterion is that the candidate is normally in employment in the context of health and social care, or that they have negotiated access to either clinical or education areas.
Start dates
January; April; July or October of each year
For further details regarding the course, please contact:
See this course on the University's Coursefinder website.
