Professional doctorates are as rigorous as traditional doctorates (for example PhDs), but cater specifically for professional practitioners with many years’ experience in their field. You will be provided with the tools for making maximum use of your existing professional knowledge in an academic context, and with the key academic skills that are required for success at doctoral level.
You will be working on your research project from the moment you enrol on the course under the direction of an experienced research supervisor. However, during the first two years your studies will be structured into a number of credit-bearing taught modules, assessed by coursework. Successful completion of these modules allows you to progress to the final three years of the course, where you will rework and expand the written work produced during the first two years into a doctoral thesis.
Credit-bearing modules (Years 1 and 2)
Academic and Professional Knowledge in the Built Environment (30 credits)
This module introduces you to the nature of doctoral-level knowledge in the various built environment professional disciplines and addresses the differences between academic and professional knowledge. It also equips you with the philosophical knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about the future direction of your research project, and the ability to mount an effective defense of these decisions during the examination of your thesis.
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Knowledge Development through Reflective Practice (30 credits)
This module draws upon theories of reflective practice and experiential learning to assist you in identifying suitable areas for research from within your own professional environment. As part of this process you are also introduced to the concept of action learning research and its potential use by practitioners. You will use your studies on this module to identify the broad focus for your doctoral research project.
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Practice-based Theoretical Study (30 credits)
Having identified a suitable area for research from within your own professional environment, this module provides you with the academic skills necessary to place this within its broader theoretical and academic context. You are guided in the process and development of a detailed critical review of the relevant literature. By the end of this module you will have defined your broad practice-centred research focus in terms of a viable research question suitable for further development to doctoral level.
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Research Approaches and Methodologies in Built Environment Practice (30 credits)
During this module you will develop your understanding of the range of research methods that might be suitable for practice-related research in the built environment, and of how to select an appropriate method for your own previously identified research question. The module also emphasises the relationship between the choice of research method and some of the fundamental concepts studied during module one. By the time you complete this module you will have produced a detailed research proposal which describes, and justifies, the future direction of your research.
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Preliminary Practice-based Investigation (60 credits)
The final credit-bearing module supports you in the development of a short dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words on the subject of your doctoral research project. It provides an opportunity to use the research knowledge and skills acquired during the first four modules in a preliminary research project which can be further developed as your doctoral research proceeds. The form of the dissertation will vary according to the subject of study, and the research design decisions that you have previously made in collaboration with your supervisor. It may, for example, be largely literature based, or may involve some form of empirical pilot study.
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Thesis (Years 3, 4 and 5)
By the time you reach the start of year 3 many of your doctoral-level research skills will be in place, and the direction and process of your research project will already be well-advanced. You are also likely to have had some interaction with the wider international research community and, based on your research to date, to have made some initial contributions to it. You will be capable of making independent and critical decisions about the direction of your own research, and offering criticism and insights into the contributions of your peers on the course.
The nature and scale of the remainder of the research task will vary from candidate to candidate. It may, for example, involve supplementing existing areas of work with other related work. Or perhaps it will involve a more detailed study in one aspect addressed during the dissertation. It might involve engagement with an additional body of literature whose significance has only recently come to light, or maybe involve an empirical study. Equally, some candidates will have decided to make more extensive use of the principles of reflective practice and decide to extend their work by drawing on their existing experience in a more ethnographic style of research. The range of possibilities is infinite, and the direction taken will be a matter for each individual candidate in partnership with their supervisor.
The examination
Once you and your supervisor are satisfied that the research has reached the required standard, you will submit a thesis for examination of between 70,000 and 90,000 words.
Two examiners (one from the University’s own academic staff and one from another university) will read the thesis and a viva voce (oral examination) will then be convened where you will be questioned about its contents, the process and the findings of the research.
This Salford professional doctorate course has been designed to enable you to deliver a defensible thesis and to confidently defend it when challenged by the examiners. You will be well-versed in self-reflection, critical thinking and research skills and will be well prepared to justify the steps you have taken in developing your research and the validity of its findings.