Professional Doctorates in the Built Environment: How Higher Education is Responding to the

Changing Needs of Industry & the Professions

Paul Chynoweth

CREDITLEVELS

FHEQLEVEL

FHEQLEVEL TITLE

QUALIFICATIONS

4 C Certificate Certificates of Higher Education

5 I Intermediate Foundation Degrees, Ordinary (Bachelors) Degrees, Diplomas of Higher Education and other higher diplomas

6 H Honours Bachelors Degrees with Honours, Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas

7 M Masters Masters Degrees, Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas

8 D Doctoral Doctorates

The doctoral qualification…..

…the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through originalresearch, or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peerreview, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication.

(QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications)

…..and the role of the PhD

Changing requirements for doctoral education…..

• Criticisms of the UK PhD in the 1990s • Increasing complexity of the working environment • Requirements of the professional institutions • Increasing demand for higher academic qualifications

…..and the response by Higher Education

Higher DoctoratesEg. LLD, D.Litt, DSc

Honorary Doctorates

FHEQDoctorates

Doctorates

Practice-based Doctorates Eg. DMus

“Traditional”PhD

ResearchDoctorates

PhD by Publications

MD Professional Doctorates

“Taught”Doctorates

New Route PhD “MERIT”(Salford)

EngDDoctorates in Professional

Practice

DBEnv EdD DBA DNurse DClinPsych DProf / PrD Others

Higher DoctoratesEg. LLD, D.Litt, DSc

Honorary Doctorates

FHEQDoctorates

Doctorates

Practice-based Doctorates Eg. DMus

“Traditional”PhD

ResearchDoctorates

PhD by Publications

MD Professional Doctorates

“Taught”Doctorates

New Route PhD “MERIT”(Salford)

EngDDoctorates in Professional

Practice

DBEnv EdD DBA DNurse DClinPsych DProf / PrD Others

• First professional doctorates appeared in the UK in 1992• By 2005, 186 programmes across 51 universities (with 27 more in the course of development)

Professional Doctorates: Defining Characteristics

• Aimed at the “scholarly professional”- not the professional scholar• Workplace based students / part-time study• Part of a cohort with fellow professionals• Research conducted within student’s areas of expertise• High levels of initial support (typically through a “taught” element)• Programme should “unlock” students’ tacit professional knowledge• Use of experiential learning / reflective practice / action learning• Outputs will typically be applied research / action research• Patterns of assessment may differ from PhD

Professional Doctorates in the Built Environment

INSTITUTION AWARD ABBREVIATION

University of Salford Doctorate in the Built Environment

DBEnv

University of the

West of England

Doctorate in the Built Environment

DBEnv

University of Northumbria

Doctorate in the Built Environment

DBE

Anglia Ruskin University Professional Doctorate in the Built Environment

PrD

The Salford Programme

Stage 1 Stage 2

Academic & Professional Knowledge in the Built

Environment(30 credits)

Knowledge Development through Reflective Practice

(30 credits)

Practice-based Theoretical Study

(30 credits)

Research Approaches & Methodologies in Built Environment Practice

(30 credits)

Year 1

Year 2 Preliminary Practice-based Investigation (60 credits)(15,000 - 20,000 word dissertation + transfer report)

MSc/MRes[EXIT AWARD with

option to rejoin programme within 3

years] 180 credits

PgDip[EXIT AWARD]

120 credits

PgCert[EXIT AWARD]

60 credits

Transfer Assessment

(24 – 30 months)

Year 3

Practice-based Research Project(Not credit-rated)

Year 5 Doctor of the Built Environment

[FINAL AWARD]

Practice-based Research Project (Not credit-rated)

35,000 – 50,000 word thesis, portfolio & viva voce(Minimum 60 months)

Internal Evaluation

(44 – 50 months)

Year 4

Practice-based Research Project(Not credit-rated)

Non

cre

dit r

ated

Ele

men

tC

redi

t rat

ed E

lem

ent

Presentation of thesis on recommendation of

supervisor

Questions