Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf) by Public Works

The Doctorate in Professional Studies by Public Works (DProf Public Works) is for high achieving professional practitioners who already have a substantial amount of outputs in the public domain which influence practice and contribute to knowledge (public works).

What is distinctive about the DProf by Public Works is that it is open to all professional areas as the focus is defined by the candidate’s particular work context and area of activity and their own unique area of interest. This may be located within a profession or sector, or may be more individual in nature. The approach is inter-professional and cuts across disciplines (trans-disciplinary) even where candidates have strong roots in a particular profession or occupation. The public works can be in various forms from published works in the traditional sense to other embodied expressions of knowledge. Examples include the preparation of computer programmes, scholarly works, edited texts, specialist reports prepared for government departments and other public bodies, translations, collections of artefacts, videos, photographic records, musical scores, and diagrammatic representations. (Please refer to our case studies listed under the case studies tab)

This award is primarily concerned with the individual critiquing their own contributions and deriving further learning from the knowledge outcomes they have placed in the public domain. The value of this undertaking to the individual is the impact on future directions and outputs and to others it is a valuable insight into the processes and skills required to transform research into useful outputs that influence thinking, action and practice.

The time frame for this award is one year. As a candidate for this award you will undertake a 20 – 25,000 word critique of your public works and present it to a viva panel. With the successful completion of the examination you will achieve a doctorate and can be addressed with the title ‘Dr’.

Course overview

Candidates are mentored to develop an intense and individual critique of their works including positioning themselves and their works in the wider field
The DProf by Public Works acknowledges the contribution made to knowledge and practice of the doctoral level activities of innovators which have brought influential thinking and practice into the public domain. Through this programme doctoral academic credit can be gained in recognition of this achievement
It is the professional equivalent to the PhD by published works. It has the same rigorous assessment methods and criteria but has a focus on the candidate’s quality of critique of outcomes which have emerged from their research outcomes of their professional practice. The focus of any DProf research, whether through the DProf programme or the DProf by Public Works, is situated within the professional working environment and places the candidate at the centre of the enquiry

What will you study on Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf) by Public Works?

Your task on this doctoral programme is to select and organise your public works for submission and prepare a context statement. Regular contact with your adviser and consultant is essential for progress to be made at the correct academic level and also helps to ensure the effective management of any problems which may arise during your period of registration.

If you are a candidate at the start of your second study period, your adviser reports to the doctoral assessment board on the quality of your draft work for the proposed degree, with particular reference to the content, rationale and length of the context statement, and its relation to the public works.

If progress is deemed satisfactory, you may continue to prepare your work for submission. Once your adviser is satisfied that your intended submission, taken as a whole (the public works and the context statement), is likely to be considered to fulfil the requirements for the award of the DProf by Public Works, the work may be submitted for examination.

If concerns about quality are raised by the adviser when they report to the doctoral assessment board, they will advise you that the draft work must be submitted to a programme approval panel (known as the 'registration panel'). A registration panel consists of:

an independent chair
DProf programme leader
your adviser
at least one independent member with experience of assessing research at the appropriate level.

This panel evaluates your work and states what improvements need to be made before it can be submitted for final examination.

How is the Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf) by Public Works taught?

You can enrol throughout the year at a time appropriate for you. The application process involves a detailed statement on which you receive written and oral guidance and the submission of your public works for review by a specialist in your area of influence and expertise. If the review is successful, an academic advisor is assigned to you at the start of your programme. They will advise you on structure and how to meet the doctoral criteria of this award, and are available to you during your period on the programme.

An academic consultant who is a specialist in your area will also be nominated in consultation with you to engage with you on the specialist nature of your public works. You will also have resources such as handbooks and online materials to enhance your learning journey as well as access to seminars, workshops and lectures held at the campus.

Delivery is through the advisor and consultant, the programme handbooks, the virtual learning environment and university learning resources. Candidates are invited to all research seminars and events which are also recorded and posted up on the VLE. A timetable of drafts is worked out between you and your advisor. A viva will be arranged once there is notification of your intended submission date. The viva panel includes two external examiners and one internal.

Assessment

In summary, the examination process is in two parts. First, each examiner independently completes a preliminary report on the public works and context statement you have submitted. Second, you give an oral presentation and discuss your submission of work with the examiners. This is also known as a viva voce. You must satisfy the examiners both in respect of the quality of your written submission and the quality of your engagement during the oral presentation in order to be awarded the degree.

Entry requirements

This is a programme for individuals with substantial professional experience at a senior level who have, through public works, made considerable impact on their profession, on practice and on knowledge. This impact has to be evidenced. In addition, you would normally hold a Masters degree or equivalent in terms of enquiry and project experience.

If you decide that you do not meet the full criteria for the Public Works doctoral route e.g. you may not have enough public works or you want to carry out a piece of innovative research rather than a critical commentary on what you have already done, you may wish to consider the transdisciplinary practiceDoctorate in Professional Studies. On this programme, it is possible to claim doctoral level credits for work you have already done that has had an impact on thinking and practice. 120 credits out of 360 credits can be claimed which reduces the completion time by up to a year.

How to apply

Please read the following guidance and requirements to apply for a place on the DProf by Public Works programme.

In order for the team to review your suitability please send a detailed CV which includes mention of your public works. You will then have the opportunity to have a telephone briefing with the DProf by Public Works Programme Leader to discuss the nature of the programme with you and together you can decide whether it is likely to be an appropriate programme for you and how many public works to submit for review in your application.

Please note that an agreement for you to go ahead with an application is not the offer of a place.

You may then submit your application to the Programme which must include the following:

Completed application form
Copy of your passport (photo and information page) and a passport sized photo
Your public works or easy access links to your works
A completed matrix which is attached to the application form detailing the selected public works, your role in their achievement and evidence of impact or a statement which integrates the information asked for in the matrix

You will also need to include a justification statement (750-1000 words plus the matrix or 1500 words if you are presenting an integrated statement) which addresses the following points:

An evaluation of your professional standing in your organisation and/or professional field (for example, an indication of posts of responsibility held, major projects undertaken, peer reviewed publications)
A summary of the public works you intend to submit
The themes (up to 4) you might like to engage with and which your public works have been concerned with addressing or have emerged out of your public works (e.g. leadership, change agency, compromise)
A justification for the relevance of your public works to your organisation and/or professional field
An indication of your understanding of research and development methodologies which may be appropriate to your public works

Your application will be reviewed by the DProf by Public Works Programme Leader and a reviewer with expertise in your field. If it is deemed acceptable at this stage, you will be invited to attend an interview with two members of the core team.

At the interview, your public works, and your intended context statement will be discussed further. Following the interview, you will be notified whether or not your application has been successful.

The degree can be awarded after a minimum of 2 semesters and after an oral presentation and viva voce.

Public Works

The Public Works are acceptable for review provided there is a permanent record of them, they are public and accessible, and the work embodies a research and development process and influence on practice/knowledge can be evidenced.

In the context statement you must demonstrate:

How you have conceptualised, designed and implemented work that has generated new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of your professional field
The usefulness of the work to specific audiences
The creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review that has merited publication and placed you at the forefront of your profession as opinion leaders
Your advanced research and development capability and advanced project management skills which have been applied to your professional field
Their advanced conceptual understanding, often of an interdisciplinary nature, that enables you to both critically evaluate current advanced professional knowledge in your area of study and evaluate your own methodologies and epistemologies and where appropriate, propose new approaches.

Delivery of this programme is through the advisor and consultant, the programme handbooks, the virtual learning environment and university learning resources. You are invited to all research seminars and events which are also recorded and posted up on the VLE. A timetable of drafts is worked out between you and your advisor. A viva will be arranged once there is notification of your intended submission date. The viva panel includes two external examiners and one internal.

Previous experience of higher education is not a prerequisite. However the public works have to be considered substantial and influential by the reviewer. Substantial may be one complex and impactful work or a series of works or a mixture of outputs that demonstrate research and development links between them. Part of the application process requires you to complete a grid of selected works and why you think they are substantial and the evidence to support your claim.

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