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Education EdD, Doctor of

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

This course is eligible for Doctoral loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

The maximum duration for a Doctor of Education (EdD) is 3 years (36 months) full-time or 6 years (72 months) part-time with an optional submission pending (writing-up) period of 12 months.

Sometimes it may be possible to mix periods of both full-time and part-time study.

If studying on a part-time basis, you must establish close links with the University and spend normally not less than an average of 10 working days per year in the university, excluding participation in activities associated with enrolment, re-registration and progression monitoring. You are also expected to dedicate 17.5 hours per week to the research.

Application deadlines

For September 2024

07 June 2024 for International and Scholarship Students

28 June 2024 for Home Students

For October 2024

07 June 2024 for International and Scholarship Students

28 June 2024 for Home Students

For January 2025

18 October 2024 for International and Scholarship Students

15 November 2024 for Home Students

For April 2025

24 January 2025 for International and Scholarship Students

21 February 2025 for Home Students

About the research degree

Reasons to study

  1. Career progression: many research graduates occupy senior positions in national and international education systems.
  2. As a research student, you'll be fully supported by research-active academic staff.
  3. The Graduate School offers the training, tools and resources required to become a successful researcher.

The Doctor of Education is a research degree for experienced educational professionals and is equivalent to the PhD. It differs from the PhD in providing formally assessed research training during the first year. The course recruits from a wide variety of educational contexts and offers a comprehensive programme of study and training in quantitative and qualitative research techniques. One of the strengths of the course is the sense of group cohesion, which is developed in year one.

Research in education

Our research students are supported by research active academic staff. Ongoing research underpins the School’s reputation for developing professionals. A vibrant and dynamic research culture include a seminar series, lectures by external speakers, funded research projects, book publications and journal articles. Our Research Centre and active research groups reflect emergent research areas led by our senior academics.

The School has a designated Research Centre; The Huddersfield Centre for Research in Education and Society (HUDCRES) has various research groups. The School of Education and Development has a research environment and was judged by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise to ‘be conducive to producing internationally recognised and internationally excellent research’.

The School of Education and Professional Development offers a supportive and stimulating environment for postgraduate research students from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds. The School has provided opportunities for study at PhD, EdD and Master’s level for over twenty years, and many of the graduates from our postgraduate research programmes now occupy senior positions in the education systems of the UK and countries overseas.

Course detail

The four taught modules are completed in the first year of study through attending full day sessions on 13 Saturdays. You would then progress to the research phase.

Educational Research Theory and Methodology This module provides the theoretical, methodological and conceptual foundation for doctoral level study in educational research. It aims to enable the student to apply this knowledge to critically evaluate the methodological basis of research practices and anticipates the formulation of research questions, outcomes and design for the generation of new knowledge in an area of professional practice as well as its evaluation.

Developing Research Proposals in Educational Enquiry The module applies the critical understanding developed through the study of the conceptual foundations of research, the principles of design and the evaluation of data collection and analysis techniques to the process of developing a proposal suitable for doctoral level research. Students with the support of action learning sets and a designated supervisor will design, and refine their ideas in order to present a coherent research proposal in a format suitable for submission for approval and scientific review appropriate to the requirements of a professional doctorate in their field. In addition workshops will consider the real world challenges of undertaking ethical research and the standards required for professional research practice.

Evaluating Research Fields and Designs This module is designed to develop students’ critical appreciation of a specific field of research related to their intended research topic, and to enhance their capacity to evaluate a range of forms of research design. The module will review the traditional evaluative criteria of validity, reliability and representativeness, as well as criteria more specifically suited to the evaluation of qualitative research, such as authenticity and verisimilitude. The applicability of these criteria will be assessed in relation to range of types of design (e.g. Survey-based research; quasi-experimental and action research; ethnographic and phenomenological research; narrative research; critical, critical feminist and critical race research approaches). Specific literatures and research studies will be evaluated in the light of students’ choice of perspective.

Data Collection and Analysis This module builds upon the understanding of the conceptual foundations of educational research, and on the analysis of research designs, gained in previous modules, and provides an opportunity to acquire and apply techniques of data collection and analysis. The module will address the practical as well as theoretical aspects of data collection and analysis, and provide in-depth experience of the application of relevant computer techniques. There will be an exploration of the range of possibilities in data gathering appropriate to particular types of research question.

Following completion of the final module your work will be dedicated to completing a thesis that should not normally exceed 50,000 words, under the guidance of two research supervisors, involving analysis of data, writing up and a viva voce examination.

Research degrees are also available in this area. A Master's course is 180 Master's level credits, which would normally take one calendar year full-time study. Interim awards are available at Postgraduate Certificate level or Postgraduate Diploma level should you decide to exit the course early.

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirements for enrolment on the EdD are a Master's degree or an equivalent professional qualification, normally with a classification of merit or distinction, in a discipline appropriate to the proposed programme to be followed.

A research proposal of between 750-1000 words (plus bibliography) outlining your area of research interest will be needed as part of your online research degree application. Your concepts will be reviewed to identify supervision providing the expertise and knowledge necessary to guide you through your research. It is understood that the taught modules will influence your research aims and objectives prior to your progression into the research phase.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Why choose Huddersfield?


There are many reasons to choose the University of Huddersfield and here are just five of them:

 

  1. We were named University of the Year by Times Higher Education in 2013.
  2. Huddersfield is the only University where 100% of permanent teaching staff are Fellows of the Higher Education Authority.
  3. Our courses have been accredited by 41 professional bodies.
  4. 94.6% of our postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within six months of graduating.
  5. We have world-leading applied research groups in Biomedical Sciences, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities.

 

What can I research?

There are several research topics available for this degree. See below examples of research areas including an outline of the topics, the supervisor, funding information and eligibility criteria:

Outline

Research topics could focus on any age group or community including the impact of government policies such as ‘Prevent’, the extent to which the political and organisational policies and frameworks facilitate / inhibit the translation of values into practice; marginalisation; faith, culture and pedagogies; policy work around cohesion, community perceptions of community cohesion, education and extremism.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on a wide range of topics related to Career Development and Employability, including Policy, strategy and organisations, e.g. Higher Education institutions' responses to the employability policy agenda, the changing role and position of Careers Services; Transitions and ideas of success, e.g. School/FE to HE transitions in a careers education and guidance context, social mobility and equality; 'Getting in and getting on'- the relationship between access, experience and graduate success, data and metrics for career development and employability; Internationalisation, e.g. student mobility and international students; Professional practice, e.g. employer engagement and employer perspectives on graduate attraction and recruitment.

Funding

There are currently no scholarships or School fee waivers available

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on children and young people’s perspectives on and experiences of formal schooling; developing ethical practice in early years settings; young adults and the ‘gig economy’; young people, youth, unemployment, work, poverty, crime, class, inequality and the significance of place, children’s physical development; educational and labour market experiences of marginalised youth, and experiences of teachers, support workers and other practitioners working with young people.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on the management of change; Education for the knowledge economy; internationalisation, Leadership in early childhood education and care, professionalisation of the Early Years workforce, teacher development.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on youth and community work (its history and practices), adult literacy and numeracy, the provision of accessible routes into education; youth work education in HE settings,the impact of class, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality on outcomes.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on narrative and feminist approaches to research; participatory, creative and visual methods, research ethics; quantitative research methods in educational research; ethnographic approaches.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on any aspect of work undertaken in further and /or higher education colleges, the re-engineering of education, the political economy of education, lived experience; workplace learning, cognitive capitalism and emancipatory practice; IELTS and English language teaching / learning.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics might focus on relationships between educational practitioners and students / participants / clients; education, politics and questions of social justice; Professional identity, agency and autonomy; education and popular culture; the translation of professional values into practice, the way in which practitioners draw on their professional value-base to inform their work with young people and the wider community, employability and ‘care’, learner autonomy.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on young people’s experiences of alternative education provisions; home education; interventions aimed at retaining and improving the outcomes for students at risk of leaving education or of underachieving.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on education for sustainability in particular countries or contexts, curriculum design.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on blended learning; critical understanding of technology within higher education teaching and learning; critical understanding of learner analytical dashboards in higher education, social networking and social media in education, multimedia pedagogy, e-tutoring.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Outline

Research topics could focus on confidence and teacher educators; work-based learning – developing reflective practice; effective work place mentoring; the links between education and national development, vocational pedagogy, research about FE-based teacher educators, trainee teachers and FE-based teacher education.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

You can apply by: 1) Proposing your own research topic. Explore the skills of our supervisors and/or at the Huddersfield Centre for Research in Education and Society (HudCRES) to see if we have the expertise to support your topic. 2) Applying for one of the research topics listed in this section or for a specific research area within the School.

Places are always subject to eligibility, a review of your proposal and supervisory capacity.

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Researcher Environment

Our postgraduate researchers contribute to our thriving research culture at Huddersfield, in return we provide an experience that enhances your potential and inspires you to think big and become a globally competitive researcher.

Join our community of like-minded people who are passionate for research and gain access to world-leading facilities, advanced research skills training, and expert careers advice.

Reduced inequalities

We recently ranked 6 out of 796 global institutions for reduced inequalities in the Times Higher Impact ratings – this recognises our research on social inequalities, policies on discrimination and commitment to recruit staff and students from underrepresented groups (THE Impact Rankings 2022).

World-leading

We are in the top 50 UK universities for research power, and nearly two thirds of our research environment is classified as world leading and internationally excellent (REF2021).

As a researcher, you’ll gain access to our Researcher Skills Development Programme through the Graduate School, to help broaden your knowledge and access tools and skills to improve your employability. The programme is mapped against Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF), you’ll benefit from Vitae’s career support as well as our own programme. We also have a team dedicated to improving the academic English needed for research by our international PGRs. Our training is delivered in a variety of ways to take advantage of online platforms as well as face-to-face workshops and courses. You can access a range of bespoke training opportunities and in-person events that are tailored to each stage of your journey, including: * sessions on PhD thesis writing, publications and journals, post-doctoral opportunities, poster and conference presentations, networking, and international travel opportunities * opportunity to work and study abroad via the Turing Scheme through The Graduate School * externally accredited training programme with Advance HE (HEA) and CMI * online research training support accessed through a dedicated researcher module in Brightspace, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment * We also hold a series of PGR focussed events such as 3 Minute Thesis * PGR led research conference * informal events throughout the year.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

When you are offered a place on a research degree, your offer will include confirmation of your supervisory team, and the topic you will be researching.

Whilst the University will use reasonable efforts to ensure your supervisory team remains the same, sometimes it may be necessary to make changes to your team for reasons outside the University’s control, for example if your supervisor leaves the University, or suffers from long term illness. Where this is the case, we will discuss these difficulties with you and seek to either put in place a new supervisory team, or help you to transfer to another research facility, in accordance with our Student Protection Plan.

Changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, for example the University being unable to access its buildings due to fire, flood or pandemic, or the University no longer being able to provide specialist equipment. Where this is the case, we will discuss these issues with you and agree any necessary changes.

Your research project is likely to evolve as you work on it and these minor changes are a natural and expected part of your study. However, we may need to make more significant changes to your topic of research during the course of your studies, either because your area of interest has changed, or because for reasons outside the University’s control we can no longer support your research. If this is the case, we will discuss any changes in topic with you and agree these in writing. If you are an international student, changing topics may affect your visa or ATAS clearance and if this is the case we will discuss this with you before any changes are agreed.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by the University’s Terms and Conditions and a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.