Programme
Doctor of Education
EdD — Three years part-time — £7,500 per year
The Brenkley Doctoral College EdD is designed for professionals whose work is rooted in education — from classroom teachers and school leaders to further education practitioners, educational policy professionals, and university educators. It is a doctorate shaped by the distinctive intellectual traditions of educational research.
Part-time, designed for working educators
Total £22,500. Employer and professional body funding options available.
Specialist supervisors with deep expertise in education research and practice
Who It's For
Built for Education Professionals
The EdD at Brenkley Doctoral College is for anyone who works in education and wants to investigate a significant question through doctoral research. You do not need to be a school teacher — our EdD community includes further education leaders, educational psychologists, university academics, curriculum designers, Ofsted inspectors, and policy advisers.
What connects EdD researchers is a commitment to improving educational practice, policy, or outcomes — and a readiness to do so through rigorous, evidence-based inquiry rather than professional intuition alone.
- Teachers, school leaders, and headteachers
- Further and higher education practitioners
- Educational policy and research professionals
- Local authority and MAT leaders
- International education professionals
Entry Requirements
What We Look For
Academic Qualifications
Master's degree at Merit or Distinction in education, educational leadership, or a closely related field. Applicants from other disciplines with strong professional portfolios in education may be considered.
Professional Experience
Significant professional experience in an education-related role. Senior practitioners with a track record in educational leadership, policy, or practice are particularly welcome to apply.
Research Proposal
A preliminary proposal of 1,500–2,000 words setting out your research focus, its educational significance, and an indication of your preferred methodological approach.
Programme Structure
Three Years of Structured Doctoral Development
Conceptual Foundations
- Philosophy of Educational Research
- Educational Research Design and Methods
- Developing the Literature Review
- Positionality and Research Ethics in Education
- Research Proposal Development
- Supervision meetings (minimum 8/year)
- Two EdD residential weekends
Inquiry in Practice
- Advanced Qualitative Methods for Education
- Fieldwork and data collection
- Data analysis workshops
- Annual Review milestone
- Peer research presentation
- Supervision meetings (minimum 8/year)
- Two EdD residential weekends
Thesis and Examination
- Thesis writing supported by supervisor feedback
- Academic Writing for Education Researchers
- Pre-submission panel review
- Thesis submission (60,000–80,000 words)
- Viva voce examination
- Award of EdD
Taught Modules
Developing Your Research Capability
The EdD combines taught modules with supervised independent research. Modules are delivered online through our learning platform, with live sessions scheduled to accommodate working professionals.
Philosophy of Educational Research
An introduction to the philosophical foundations of educational research — ontology, epistemology, and the implications of different paradigms for research design and methodology.
Educational Research Design
Systematic coverage of research design in education: case study, action research, ethnography, survey methods, narrative inquiry, and mixed methods approaches.
Ethics and Positionality in Educational Research
The ethical dimensions of educational research, with particular attention to insider research, working with children and young people, and institutional power dynamics.
Advanced Qualitative Methods
Detailed coverage of qualitative data collection and analysis methods used in educational research, including thematic analysis, IPA, grounded theory, and narrative methods.
Academic Writing for Education Researchers
Developing the academic writing and argumentation skills required for doctoral-level scholarship — from argument construction to the conventions of educational research writing.
Leadership in Educational Systems
An optional specialist module examining contemporary theory and research on educational leadership — from school leadership to system-level governance and policy.
Take the next step in education
If you have a research question about education that you have been sitting with — about leadership, practice, policy, or learning — the EdD is where you address it rigorously.