Doctorate in Professional Practice DProf

Programme Aims

The Doctorate in Professional Practice programme aims to provide you with the opportunity to:

• Create and interpret new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication;
• Systematically acquire and understand a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of the professional discipline;
• Develop the general ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline, and to adjust the project design in the light of unforeseen problems;
• Develop qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and largely autonomous initiative in complex and unpredictable situations, in professional environments.

Programme learning outcomes

At the end of the Doctorate in Professional Practice programme successful graduates are expected to be able to:

• Make informed judgements on complex issues in their specialist field, often in the absence of complete data;
• Communicate their ideas and conclusions clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
• Undertake applied research and development at an advanced level, contributing to the development of new techniques, ideas or approaches;
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry.
• Demonstrate the ability to lead innovation and / or specialist and educational services within their field to develop practice.

Teaching will be based on individual learner needs. You will develop a bespoke training plan with your supervisor at the start of the programme. Teaching will be accessible from the Doctoral Academy training programme, MRes Health and Social Care and/or relevant units from across the School of Health Sciences, or wider UoM as appropriate. The teaching is designed so as to enable you to balance study alongside existing workplace demands; with the majority of the taught content delivered online.

Teaching aims to provide grounding in embedding advanced research methods in applied clinical practice. Significant independent study is expected at doctoral level. All teaching is delivered by experienced researchers and academics at The University of Manchester. All supervisors are currently practicing in a professional discipline and/or active researchers. This enhance your learning by offering multidisciplinary applied research and professional experience.

Face to face teaching is interactive and is supported by audio-visual stimuli such as PowerPoint slides, images and videos. All units are accessible via our virtual learning environment which contains course information, recommended reading lists, assignments, lecture materials and other material related to the course. Lecturers may set tasks to be completed via the virtual learning environment. This facilitates shared learning and networking with peers/teaching staff.