Doctor of Professional Studies in Health and Social Care DProf

The module is designed to provide opportunities for:

1. Exploring and critically evaluating students' proposals for their research questions, design, methodology, methods, and ethical considerations regarding their theses.
2. Formulating and presenting a research protocol along with all necessary information for their application.
3. Confirming the supervisor for each student’s thesis.

This module will build on the comprehensive philosophical, theoretical, and practical research approaches covered in the previously taught modules. Through reflexivity and critical appraisal, you will develop a robust research proposal that aligns with the research protocol and demonstrates ethical sensitivity.

The module’s content is structured to support the development of the thesis proposal. The primary output will be a written thesis proposal that includes a brief literature review, a study design, and a methodology and methods section.

The aim of this module is to help you confidently justify your research approach and design, ensuring that your chosen methodology aligns with your research question. Throughout the module, you will develop the skills needed to create a coherent study design that fits your research paradigm. Additionally, you will learn how to critically evaluate research conducted using a range of different methodologies, empowering you to make informed decisions throughout your own research journey.

The module content further develops links between methodology theory and research study design in health and social care, looking at the practical implications of methodology for research methods, including:

1. Implications of methodology theory for study design – application of different methodologies to research, including experimental and quasi-experimental approaches; grounded theory; phenomenology; ethnography; narrative inquiry; discourse analysis; case study. Assessments of validity or trustworthiness in research studies.
2. Data tool development and data collection skills: questionnaire development and use; interview schedule development and interviewing skills.
3. Data analysis skills: statistical analysis; qualitative analysis; development of databases to facilitate analysis. Role of reflexivity in data analysis and discussion.
4. Large-scale, multi-site research including randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and cohort studies.
5. Desk-top research: meta-analysis; systematic literature reviews.

This module is designed to develop and enhance the critical competencies essential for successful doctoral study, including advanced thinking, analytical reading, critical appraisal, creativity, and intellectual exploration. It provides a structured introduction to the nature and scope of doctoral research by engaging you in a systematic examination of the foundations of knowledge and epistemological inquiry.

Throughout the module, you will be encouraged to cultivate key attributes for independent research, such as self-motivation, self-direction, effective time management, and learner autonomy. These skills will be integral to navigating the complexities and demands of the doctoral journey.

In addition, the module will support you in beginning to identify and refine potential areas of research interest. These early explorations may form the basis for the development of the thesis proposal and, ultimately, the doctoral thesis itself.

All taught modules must be successfully completed before students can undertake the thesis module (NM8008). This module gives you the chance to deeply explore a topic that is directly relevant to your chosen field of practice. It encourages you to engage with, and contribute to, the expanding body of applied knowledge and professional practice in your area. Most importantly, it supports you in making an original contribution to knowledge through your research. As the final stage of the programme, the Thesis module builds on everything you’ve learned and developed throughout your taught modules, bringing your doctoral journey to its meaningful conclusion.

The module aims to:

1. Provide students with an opportunity to investigate, systematically and in depth, a topic of direct relevance for their chosen area of application.
2. Enable the student to draw on and contribute to the growing body of applied knowledge and professional practice.
3. Enable the student to make an original contribution to knowledge.

This module is designed to develop an advanced understanding of the theoretical and philosophical foundations that shape research in professional practice. Through critical engagement with key concepts, students will examine how different worldviews, assumptions, and analytical lenses influence the way problems are framed, evidence is interpreted, and knowledge is constructed within their discipline.  In doing so, students will demonstrate doctoral‑level insight into how theory and philosophy inform methodological choices, rigour, and the generation of meaningful, practice‑enhancing knowledge. 

This module supports doctoral students in developing the relational, communicative, and reflexive capacities essential for advanced research practice, drawing explicitly on the principles of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework.  There is an emphasis on  wellbeing and personal effectiveness, guiding students to explore their organisational capabilities and the management of self. . In doing so, the module supports holistic researcher development across multiple Vitae RDF domains, enabling students to cultivate the resilience, integrity, and reflective capacity required for sustainable and impactful research practice.