EdD Professional Doctorate in Education

Year 1

• What is education for? This module invites you to analyse a range of possible responses to the question ‘what is education for?’ from philosophical, sociological and psychological standpoints with a focus on social justice.  You will therefore discuss issues of equality and diversity, sustainable development and inclusive practice. It seeks to offer an opportunity for you to reflect on professional experience, within and beyond education, from a theoretical perspective. You and your peers will have come from diverse backgrounds with varying knowledge of educational theory. The module will take into account your prior experiences and build from there.
• Theorising critical issues in educational change and development The module will enable students to engage with the issues of social justice such as sustainability, inclusion, equality and diversity in relation to educational change and the development of learners from diverse settings across the age range, including in the post compulsory sector. It will provide opportunities for students to develop their ability to analyse and apply theoretical frameworks to key educational issues. The module will encourage analytical and critical reflection on theory and its relationship to practice.

Year 2

• Researching critical issues in educational change and development The module will enable students to further engage with the issues of social justice such as sustainability, inclusion, equality and diversity in relation to educational change and the development of learners from diverse settings across the age range, including in the post compulsory sector. It will provide opportunities for students to develop their ability to analyse and apply theoretical frameworks to key educational issues, to critique research and to develop their own research proposal. The module will encourage critical analysis and reflection.  Students will be required to further develop their understanding of theoretical frameworks so that they can understand educational practice in terms of: Politics of knowledge, Values, participation and empowerment, Processes of change - personal / local / global, and systems thinking / situated cognition.
• Issues and controversies in research
  In this module students will explore issues and controversies in educational research with particular reference to key themes of the EdD programme and with respect to examples of research. There will be opportunities to develop and apply understanding of research methodology and engage with the wider LSBU research community, including accessing input on researcher development delivered from the Research Degrees Office. Students will develop an understanding of the required processes and milestones of the research phase.

Year 3 (onward)

• Independent research and dissertation
  The taught phase is assessed via a range of assignments, pilot research projects and portfolio development. The research phase culminates in a 40,000 word dissertation or equivalent piece of in-depth research-based work, which is assessed by viva. An ongoing portfolio is maintained throughout the taught and research phase.

UK higher education increasingly demands doctorate level qualifications and anyone wishing to develop a career in research or in senior positions in education will benefit from having a doctorate. Opportunities to write for publication are built into the programme and publishing in refereed journals is particularly important for participants looking to excel in academia.

Employability Service

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

You will benefit from an extensive Virtual Learning Environment via Moodle and a comprehensive range of professional services across the University to assist you with your academic development. Access to an experienced relevant supervisory team is built into the research / dissertation phase. The option of graduating with an MEd after successful completion of the taught phase is built in.

Hear from past student, Andrew Read (MEd):

As the EdD is relevant across the age range it has broad appeal to diverse participants with shared interests in social justice and inclusion. This includes masters level graduates with an education background (including the LSBU MA Education - Special Educational Needs and Disability), University and FE academic and professional services staff, researchers  and professionals in related fields such as prison education, youth work, psychology, social care and the arts.

Opportunities for accreditation of prior learning are potentially available to participants with an appropriate background, including significant publications and extensive postgraduate teaching and research experience. APEL should be discussed with the Admissions Tutor who can explain the process in detail.

The individual fee for this course is shown above. For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

We have a range of PhD Scholarships available in partnership with businesses and organisations; read notices of PhD studentships.