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The Professional Doctorate with Specialisms is a unique part-time professional doctoral degree designed to enhance executive and professional practice through the application of sound theory and rigorous research into real and complex issues in contemporary business and management within the elected specialist field of Operational Excellence.
The programme provides an opportunity for business and management professionals to understand their own working contexts more critically and to find solutions to key challenges in their working environment through the application of rigorous research principles. It is envisaged that students holding a Professional Doctorate will ultimately lead communities of practice in their specialist profession.
Students will initially be registered for the degree of DProf. Their status will be probationary until all taught modules have been passed and the proposed research has been assessed as viable, normally two years from first registration. The degree is designed to be undertaken on a part-time basis over four + years. The first two years of the programme comprise taught modules that prepare students for doctoral level research in their subject specialism. The taught modules are delivered through a series of nine 2.5 day seminars / workshops. Students who successfully complete all taught modules will be eligible to graduate with a step-off award of MBusRes (Master of Business Research) if doctoral level research is not pursued.
The Professional Doctorate award is distinct from the PhD award in the following respects:
• Considerable weight is given to the taught components of the programme, which provide research skills necessary for doctoral research.
• The thesis produced by Professional Doctorate students will make an original contribution to knowledge within the relevant area or areas of professional practice.
• The Professional Doctorate typically focuses on research ‘in’ organisations rather than research ‘on’ organisations.
Employers will benefit from supporting students on the programme by building knowledge for competitive advantage and developing and retaining key talent.

³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School’s Professional Doctorate with Specialism programme aims to develop business and management professionals’ ability to integrate rigorous academic/critical analysis with practical relevance and application, to enable them to become more effective evidence-based practitioners and to contribute to the development of their profession through the furtherance of knowledge. In so doing, it seeks to improve the quality of their specialism area profession.
The overall educational aims of the programme are to:
 Develop students’ proficiency in research, methodological and analytical skills
 Promote critical thinking and the ability to deal with complex, interdisciplinary facets of organisations
 Foster professional development skills such as lean, leadership, management, accounting and finance
 Provide the highest level of management education

In addition, the Professional Doctorate aims to have a positive impact on organisational performance through the enhancement of the students’ knowledge and the impact of the research they may undertake

QAA Characteristics Statement Doctoral Degrees 2015

UK Quality Code for Higher Education Advice and Guidance for Research Degrees 2018


QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education Part B Ensuring and Enhancing Academic Quality Chapter B11: Research Degrees

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each course unit/module can be found in the departmental or programme handbook. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed annually by the University of ³Ô¹ÏÍø and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency.