Professional Doctorate Degrees - regulations (programme commencing January 2019)

General

A candidate must undertake a course of instruction and research approved by the relevant School Board as outlined in the syllabus and handbook for the programme.

Each award requires successful completion of all the modules and assessed work stipulated for that award.

All awards under these Regulations are made on the basis of the accumulation of Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) (Level 11 and 12) credits. Conformity to the requirements of SCQF regarding the relative proportions of Level 11 and Level 12 work in a Doctoral or lesser programme must be demonstrable. The Diploma exit point requires a minimum of 120 SCQF credits, the Masters exit point requires a minimum of 180 SCQF credits, and the final Doctoral Degree requires a minimum of 540 SCQF credits (with a minimum of 420 at Doctoral level). The actual credit value awarded may be set above these minima at the discretion of the Programme Director and the relevant School Board. SCQF credits cannot normally be used as 'duplicate' credits: that is, they may be used towards accreditation for the Diploma or the Master's degree or the Doctoral degree, but not towards more than one of these awards.*

Admission

A candidate for admission to the programme must have:

• a first degree in a subject relevant to their proposed course of Doctoral study
• other evidence of their capability of following a course of study at Doctoral level deemed satisfactory by the Programme Director

Applicants should be aware that Professional Doctorates are not pre-service vocational qualifications and do not convey certification of fitness to practice any profession.

A candidate shall be required to matriculate in each year of study and pay the required fee.

Candidates who do not speak English as their first language must demonstrate a level of competence in English at least equivalent to an IELTS score of 7.0.

Duration of Study

A candidate may undertake the course of study for an award within the programme on a part-time basis. Candidates must satisfy the Programme Director that they will be sufficiently accessible to their supervisors to satisfy the requirements of the programme.

A candidate may be granted Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) by the Programme Board for the first module of the programme only (‘Leadership in Professional Practice’), on the recommendation of the Programme Director.

The normal minimum period of study to complete the requirements for the award of the Degree shall be four calendar years from the date of first matriculation. However, RPL for the first module of the programme is available under these Regulations. Accordingly, the minimum period of registration for the degree for candidates with agreed RPL may be three calendar years and eight months. 

The maximum period of study to complete the requirements for the award of the Degree shall be six calendar years from the date of first matriculation.

In exceptional circumstances and with sufficient cause, the period of study for any of the awards may be extended by up to one additional year with the approval of the Programme Board on the recommendation of the Programme Director.

Assessment

Assessment of the work of the programme shall be as approved by the Programme Board and prescribed by the examiners, contained in the course handbook.

Assessment may include written work, outputs and products in other media, oral presentations and project work. In volume this work should equate in total to the written work expected for a PhD. degree (70,000 - 100,000 words) (and proportionately for the lesser awards). The work must meet the quality standards required of Doctoral level work and comprise an original contribution to research or policy or professional practice or combinations thereof.

Every candidate will be examined in relation to their thesis via a viva voce.

In order to complete the requirements for an award, a candidate must satisfy the examiners in all elements of the assessment for that award.

Supervision

Each candidate will be allocated two academic supervisors and shall report to them at such times and in such a manner as they may require. Academic progress will be monitored at regular stages during the programme.

Progress

A candidate whose performance of the work of the course is deemed by the Programme Director, in consultation with the supervisors and examiners, to be unsatisfactory may be required to discontinue studies at any time during the programme.

No candidate may progress to the Master's level without having successfully completed the requirements for the award of the Diploma.

No candidate may progress to the Doctoral level without having successfully completed the requirements for the Master's Degree.

Board of Examiners

The Board of Examiners shall consist of the academic staff giving instruction and supervision on the programme together with an external examiner or examiners appointed by the Court on the recommendation of the Senatus as advised by the Programme Board in consultation with the Programme Director.

Schedule

Art and Design

• Doctorate in Professional Practice DProf 

Business

• Professional Doctorate in Business Administration DBA
• Professional Doctorate in Management DMan 

Education and Social Work

• Professional Doctorate in Social Work DSW
• Professional Doctorate in Education DEd
• Professional Doctorate in Community Learning and Development DCLD
• Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology DEdPsych 

Humanities

• Doctorate in Professional Practice DProf 

Medicine

• Doctorate in Professional Practice DProf

Nursing & Health Sciences

• Professional Doctorate in Health Sciences DHSci 

Social Sciences

• Professional Doctorate in Social Sciences DSSci 

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* Note: the Professional Doctorate awards offered by the University shall be such as are recorded in the Schedule to these Regulations.