The Professional Doctorate A Practical Guide

by Fulton, John; Kuit, Judith; Sanders, Gail; Smith, Peter

• ISBN13: 9781137024190
• ISBN10: 1137024194
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-09-04
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Are you interested in studying for a professional doctorate but aren't sure what's involved? This book offers concrete, practical guidance for anyone wishing to study for a professional doctorate degree.

Fully up-to-date and based on the latest developments in the field, The Professional Doctorate: 
- Supports you through every stage of the journey, from identifying your research project and choosing your methodology through to the final assessment
- Gives advice on working with your supervisor, disseminating your findings and influencing your community of practice
- Encourages you to reflect on your personal development and transformation
- Features detailed case studies from real-life students

Based on the authors' extensive experience of working with professional doctoral students, this much-needed resource will help you to master all aspects of this demanding degree.

Author Biography

DR JOHN FULTON is a Principal Lecturer in the University of Sunderland, Faculty of Applied Science. He has a background in mental health and in nurse education and has worked at the University of Sunderland since 1993, teaching on a variety of sport and health related programmes. He has been involved with the Professional Doctorate at the University since its inception, and is particularly interested in the ways in which methods of enquiry can direct the process of the professional doctorate. His research interests are social exclusion and ethnographic approaches to social enquiry, and he has recently completed an ethnographic study on amateur and professional boxing.

DR JUDITH KUIT is a Principal Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, Health and Well-Being in Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of Sunderland. She is a core team member of the University's Professional Doctorate programme and for many years worked in academic staff development where she researched and published in the field of reflective practice. Currently she is the programme leader for BSc Clinical Physiology, a Strategic Health Authority commissioned programme, and its successor, BSc Healthcare Science. The changes in NHS workforce career structures have led her to undertaking research into the area of professional identity and interdisciplinary working in the NHS.

DR GAIL SANDERS is Principal Lecturer with responsibility for Learning Enhancement within the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Sunderland. She has extensive experience in the development of part-time programmes for practising managers, most recently focusing on innovative developments in work-based learning at doctoral level. She is a member of the core team for the university's Professional Doctorate programme, and programme leader for the Business School DBA. Gail's main research interest is in the concept of professional identity and authentic leadership, particularly as it applies to health-care workers.

PROFESSOR PETER SMITH is Programme Leader for the Professional Doctorate scheme at the University of Sunderland. Peter joined the University as an undergraduate student in 1975 and received his Doctorate in 1981. Since then he has held several teaching, research and management positions at the University, where he is currently Professor of Computing. Peter has published over 200 papers on subjects within computing, management and diversity, and has spoken at conferences throughout the world. He has supervised over 30 doctoral students and examined over 50 doctoral candidates at Universities in the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong and Spain. Peter is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society of Arts.

The authors have published widely on the subject of professional doctorates. Collectively, they have supported over 100 students through the different stages of doctoral study. The authors' subject disciplines include sociology, nursing, sports science, education, chemistry, physiology, business, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Choosing Your Research Project and Framing Your Research Question
3. Developing as a Researching Professional Through Reflective Practice
4. Methods of Enquiry
5. Contextualising and Planning Your Doctoral Project
6. Personal Development and Transformation
7. Putting Together a Portfolio
8. The Student/Supervisor Relationship: Expectations and Challenges
9. Dissemination and Influencing Your Community of Practice
10. Assessment and the Oral Examination
11. Case Studies
12. Summary and the Future
References
Appendix: Sample Coursework Assessments