Doctorate In Education
There are currently three themes available to those who wish to study for an EdD:
- Education Policy and Leadership
- Education in Urban Contexts
- Post-Compulsory Education
If you would like to discuss which of the themes you might join, please contact the theme leader concerned (see below).
This document will provide you with background information to the programme. It is designed to give you a sense of the different areas of focus available to you and the aims and structure of the programme. We also hope it will help you make a decision about whether to join this dynamic and exciting learning opportunity.
The School of Education at the University of Manchester is an internationally renowned research community. You will join a vibrant research culture and have the opportunity to attend seminars led by academics who are leaders in their field. Specialisms include: education policy (Gunter), school improvement (Ainscow, Chapman, West), school effectiveness (Muijs), urban education and disadvantage (Dyson, Hall, Raffo), primary education (McNamara, Webb), the mathematics curriculum (Williams), and educational psychology (Farrell). Frankham works across a number of fields and is recognised for her expertise in teaching research methodologies.
The EdD programme will help prepare you to conduct high quality research on aspects of your own role or professional culture and critically assess others' research in your field. It will also help to prepare you to support others in research roles. All tutors on the EdD draw on their own research experience, including funded projects, to inform the lectures, seminars and discussion groups that will take place on the course and we, in turn, look forward to learning from your research experiences as the course proceeds. We hope you will decide to join us on a demanding but highly rewarding route to a Doctorate.
Overview of the EdD programme:
Doctoral study focuses on the development of the capacity to do research and to use and critique other's research. A primary concern relates to a critical understanding of the production of knowledge. This programme will support you to ask questions both about the process of developing knowledge and what constitutues 'worthwhile knowledge' in the context of education.
The EdD has the same intellectual and workload demands as a PhD but with two main differences:
- Intellectually you will be required to show how your research grows out of, and is interrelated with, professional inquiry and practice; and
- The support that you get, and the course requirements, are more structured than in a traditional PhD
Programme Structure and Content:
Each EdD group meets one evening per month and three times a year for more intensive study over a weekend (Friday/Saturday). These meetings include taught sessions, seminars, presentations from guest speakers and workshops. As the programme proceeds you will also be expected to present and discuss your own work.
Approximately half of these taught sessions focus on substantive issues relevant to your theme (i.e. issues in policy and leadership, urban education, post-compulsory education and so on). The remaining half focus on research methodology. Groups meet separately for the substantive sessions and together for the sessions on methodology.
The first two years of the course are structured around three areas: 'Rewarding Research', 'Planning Research', and 'Research Methods in Action'. Participants are required to submit three research papers on these areas (each of approximately 10,000 words) in the first two years. This coursework will inform your thinking and writing for your research thesis of 40,000 to 50,000 words in years three and four of the programme. In addition to support from your theme leader, you will be assigned a specialist supervisor who will assist in the development of your work. All research papers have to be completed successfully before progression to the thesis element of the programme.
Meeting Dates 2007 - 2008
Study Weekend One: October 5th/6th 2007, 9.30am-4.00pm
October 25th 2007, 4.30pm-7.30pm
November 8th 2007, 4.30pm-7.30pm
December 6th 2007, 4.30pm-7.30pm
Study Weekend Two: February 15th/16th 2008, 9.30am-4.00pm
March 13th 2008, 4.30pm-7.30pm
April 17th 2008, 4.30pm-7.30pm
May 15th 2008, 4.30pm-7.30pm
Study Weekend Three: June 20th/21st 2008, 9.30am-4.00pm
July 17th 2008, 4.30pm-7.30pm
Meeting dates for 2008/2009 will be negotiated towards the end of year one.
For further information on the three EdD themes, the application requirements and contact details please refer to the PDF below entitled 'EdD Programme information'
- Advice to applicants (PDF, 25 KB)
- Ed.D Programme information (PDF, 106 KB)