Candid portrait of smiling early 50s woman in businesswear and headscarf holding stack of composition booklets and looking away from camera.Candid portrait of smiling early 50s woman in businesswear and headscarf holding stack of composition booklets and looking away from camera.

Course Summary

The EdD is for professionals working in schools, universities, educational businesses, agencies or voluntary bodies who would like to research into any aspect of pedagogy, teaching or learning.

Education, pedagogy, teaching and learning continue to be at the forefront of cultural debates, since they help us understand our identities and values as a society. Our EdD is designed to support graduate professionals working across the education sector to conduct original doctoral research in this continually changing field.

You will study under the guidance of our team of active researchers who have international reputations in their field and who will support you throughout the course.

You will undertake taught modules that are delivered over six weekends each year to fit in with the busy schedules of working professionals. Evening seminars, workshops and conferences are held regularly to supplement the course; some weekend sessions are taught in situ, such as the creative education workshops in the galleries at Tate Liverpool.

 

 

What You'll Study

Our six taught modules focus on the theory and practice of professional work in education, and cover research methodologies, social theory, creative and cultural practices, and education philosophies. The course culminates in the thesis: an extended research project into an aspect of your professional work, which may be partly practice-based.

Modules

This module introduces key concepts and theories underpinning contemporary educational research situated within social science. Students will explore the main paradigms of social science research and will examine some of the associated philosophical, theoretical, and methodological debates, alongside a variety of empirical approaches that are applied to education. Students will evaluate the affordances and drawbacks of some research methods appropriate to the field of education. Students will critically reflect on the complex, diverse and often problematic nature of educational (and social science) research, and its relationship to practice in professional contexts. The module will equip students to analyse and evaluate key ethical issues associated with research. Critical reflection and reflexivity are important themes within the module, in supporting students’ development towards becoming researching professionals.

The module aims to ensure that students develop a critical understanding of how their research and practice is situated in local and international perspectives, contexts and debates, so that they appreciate the complexities involved in the theoretical positions and empirical experiences that such perspectives, contexts and debates generate. Students will be supported to engage in a critically informed understanding of aspects of the local and of the global and identify any significance in their relationship. This will enable students to apply critical insights taken from these areas in relation to their own practice and research.

Creativity in practice explores the complex relations between creativity, theory, practice and policy. It covers a variety of approaches to creativity in professional practice and research, from that of the professional artist creating expressive works, or educators engaging their learners in creative production, to the creative policy maker or the educator incorporating creative practices into their curricula design. The module is designed to encourage the exploration of the potential of creativity in educational research and practice through interdisciplinary encounters, and through its application in professional and research contexts.

The module aims to sensitise students to the relationship between cultural structures and critical education. Through this process, students will develop an appreciation of how their professional practice constitutes cultural work in which learning, in its varying forms, is an outcome of diverse struggles. Through autoethnographic approaches, students will be supported to engage with these struggles alongside the subtle nuances, differences and complexities in everyday social encounters in their professional contexts. This immersion will also enable students to critically reflect on their histories and professional experiences to cultivate a deeper awareness of their own positionality in the research process alongside the politics of representation.

The focus of this module is the study of the philosophical and theoretical foundation of the domain that will inform the thesis. Philosophical positions will be illuminated through the study of postmodern, feminist and post-colonial theories, as well as other perspectives pertaining to the disciplines and research interests of students. Teaching is designed to stimulate analysis of discontinuities and systems of thought that relate to professional research and practice. This means justifying and interrogating theory and philosophy that will underpin the doctoral thesis.

This module will draw upon the learning form the previous modules to enable students to develop the design and methods for their thesis research. It will build upon the chosen philosophical and theoretical perspectives studied in earlier modules. Designing research that adheres to principles of honesty, rigour, transparency and open communication, care and respect, accountability and doing research that is ethical are central to the module. Opportunities for critical dialogue that responds to justifications and explanations of the proposed research will be fundamental and will provide insight into researcher and professional praxis, alongside broader contexts for understanding researcher integrity.

Ethical approval for this proposal will be sought through the School of Education Ethics Committee at an appropriate time following transfer to the thesis stage.

In this module, students undertake an extended empirical and/or theoretical research project, focussing on their professional knowledge, research, experience and practice.  The thesis stage builds on existing understanding of positionality, ethics, reflexivity, appropriate methods for professional doctoral research and researcher integrity, as well as methodological, theoretical and philosophical considerations. During this period students will work with supervisors to refine their research design from PR8001, normally complete a literature review, gather data to address their research questions; analyse and discuss the data; draw conclusions in relation to their research questions and reflect on their research, its original contribution to knowledge and its significance, making recommendations for future practice and research. Students may also carry out research through practice and submit a body of research represented through practice-based work, equivalent to up to 50% of the word count of the thesis. Within a professional doctorate, practice may be used as as a legitimate research method. Building on the Thesis in Context module, research that adheres to principles of honesty, rigour, transparency and open communication, care and respect, accountability and doing research that is ethical are central to the module. 

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

Who You'll Learn From

Dr Emma Arya-manesh

Senior Researcher
Dr Emma Arya-Manesh

Dr Sally Bamber

Senior Lecturer
Sally Bamber

Dr Deborah Pope

Senior Lecturer
Dr Deborah Pope

Dr Simon Poole

Associate Professor
Simon Poole profile photo

Dr Steve Lambert

Associate Professor
Dr Steve Lambert

How You'll Learn

You will study as a member of a supportive peer group, and will be encouraged to develop distinctive themes for research grounded in your own professional practice.

The assessment of taught modules comprises written and practical assignments based on small-scale research projects. The final assessment is based on your doctoral thesis and viva. Creative practices may form part of your thesis.

Contact hours are 20 per taught module. You will also be expected to undertake 400 hours’ private study per taught module, and 3,000 hours for the thesis.

Entry Requirements

Normally students will have completed a Master’s degree before enrolling on the Education Doctorate, and will be (or have been) working in an educational context.

Normally students will have completed a Master’s degree before enrolling on the Education Doctorate, and will be (or have been) working in an educational context.

See below for your country specific requirements. Please note, some programmes have special entry requirements and if applicable, these are listed below.

English Language Requirements

For more information on our English Language requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

Where You'll Study Exton Park, Chester

Fees and Funding

£2,503per year (2025/26)

The tuition fees for home students studying the Doctor of Education (EdD) in 2025/26 are £2,503 per year.

£7,542per year (2025/26)

Fees for International students studying this part-time course in 2025/26 are £7,542 per year.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees. 

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships. 

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Your Future Career

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Enquire about a course