Viewing course details for 2024 year of entry

Code: 004N102
Attendance: Part-time
Start: September 2024
Fees: £6,300 (UK) * £8,900 (INT)*
Duration: 4 years part-time
Course Leader: Ifan Shepherd
Study mode: Online

Currently Reading: Course overview

Why study the DProf Professional Practice at Middlesex University?

The Business School's DProf is designed to raise the level of professional capabilities of practicing senior managers and executives. It does this by developing your skills of reflective practice, by enhancing your knowledge of leading-edge areas of business, and by providing an opportunity to develop your capabilities in practice-based research by means of a major research project.

Our DProf is designed for busy senior managers and executives who want to gain new insights and perspectives into leadership and management based on critical exploration of their own evolving professional practice. It is particularly appropriate for those wishing to improve their capability to lead and manage change in an established or new organisation without having to seek time off for formal study. A key role is played in your capability enhancement by the capstone research project, which enables senior practitioners to improve their professional practice by undertaking rigorous research into that practice.

Course Highlights

It is the professional equivalent of the academic PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), but designed specifically to support participants in undertaking practice-based research into their workplace activities. While the knowledge gained from this research is equally rigorous to the PhD, it is distinctive in that the participant is placed at the centre of their research investigation, and their findings tend to be highly applicable within their organisation
It provides participants with the opportunity to enhance their professional capabilities at an advanced level. These capabilities will feed into, and be evaluated through, the participant's research project
Because senior professionals have achieved a significant amount of both formal and informal learning, sometimes over many years, the DProf provides an opportunity to make a claim for academic credits against relevant prior learning
Participants' study paths and projects are tailored to meet their individual needs and interests, and those of their organisations
Each participant may choose a subtitle for their doctoral award which reflects their chosen specialism (See the list of subjects/professions in the 'Subject focus' section under the Course Content tab)

For more information, please contact professionals@mdx.ac.uk

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About your course

What you will study on the DProf Professional Practice?

The course is divided into three main phases: the first and second last for a minimum of one semester (6 months) each, and the third continues for a minimum of three further years. During the first two phases of the course, you will be supported by online study resources, peer-group discussions, and the support of a personal academic advisor. For the third phase of the programme of study, you will undertake a major research project that focuses on the work you are undertaking in your organisation as senior professionals, typically in a change leadership role.

Throughout the course, which is studied part time, your focus is on your professional activity in an organisational context. The DProf provides a structured framework for critically understanding your work-based activity, and equips you to operate as a reflective professional practitioner. The research project provides an opportunity for you to critically evaluate the learning you have achieved while leading significant change in the workplace, and to express this in writing in a systematic way that is both informed by and informs relevant theory.

Modules

Here is a brief overview of what you will study each year

Phase 1:

This module provides an opportunity to show that you are equipped for the high-level work required on the rest of the doctoral programme in three areas: the ability to learn from experiential practice; the professional capability to lead workplace interventions of the kind that will form the basis for their research investigations; and the ability to undertake practitioner-oriented research.

These capabilities are reported in a piece of persuasive written argumentation (the Review), supported by relevant documentary evidence, which critically evaluates and sets out your credentials for work at doctoral level in all three areas. Much of this review is retrospective, in that it considers your personal and professional learning leading up to this course, and your research competence to date. Some of it is more future oriented, in that it considers how well you are equipped to lead and manage emerging and new workplace activities, and how you intend to improve your capability for achieving these changes.

The Review forms the basis for any claims made for the recognition and accreditation of prior learning (see below), both in relation to professional learning and research capability (such claims are included as appendices to the review).

Phase 1:

As part of your Review of Professional Capability, you are invited to submit written claims (supported by relevant evidence) for the academic accreditation of your prior learning, typically in an organisational context. If you do not make such claims, or you make them but they are deemed to be inappropriate or insufficient for the credits claimed, then you will take one or more elective modules in their place. These modules will focus mainly on: the development of reflective practice skills; the development of practitioner research skills; and the development of specific professional capabilities.

Phase 2:

The main aim of this module is to enable you to consider the range of approaches and methodologies relevant to advanced professional practitioner research work, and to use this knowledge to design and plan one or more doctoral research projects aimed at developing your capability as a practitioner-researcher, advancing your organisation, and contributing to your community of practice and/or profession.

The outcome of this module is a Learning Agreement, which you draw up to summarise the nature of the research project you intend to pursue in the final phase of the course. This will identify the professional activities in your organisation that will form the focus of your research, the research approach and techniques to be used in your investigation, and expected outcomes for yourself, your organisation and your profession.

Phase 3:

This module provides students with a means of applying the research skills gained during phase 1 to a substantial project focused on their evolving role as change leaders within their organisation. The project provides a context in which the candidate will integrate and develop further their professional practitioner skills and knowledge. The project topic will be chosen in discussion with the academic adviser and the candidate's chosen consultant(s), and will have major outcomes in terms of personal professional development, organisational benefits and broader relevance to the professional community to which the candidate belongs.

The aim is for students to develop a project in relation to a specific organizational issue or problem. It enables students to demonstrate proficiency in relation to the scope of the relevant issues identified, consider relevant literature relating to the project, collect and apply data, consider the financial implications including any cost/benefit analysis in relation to justifying specific recommendations as well as consider any other relevant implementation issues.

Register your interest

How will be DProf Professional Practice be taught?

You can start the DProf in October each year, and you study part-time, typically over a period of four years. The programme was specifically designed for busy professionals who are unlikely to be unable to attend a university on a regular basis while studying for their doctorate. All study is therefore undertaken by distance learning, using modern communication technologies, including: web study resources, online discussion forums, email, Skype, etc.

Moreover, each participant has the support of a dedicated academic advisor throughout their period of studies, in addition to drawing on tutors, a possible specialist consultant and other participants in their cohort. We do not have conventional lecture or seminar classes on campus, nor do we require attendance at residencies, summer schools, or block teaching periods. This means that there is no need for overseas students to acquire a student visa, because residence in the UK is not required for study on the programme. Of course, all programme participants are welcome to visit us on campus any time they wish, whether it is to use our extensive on-campus facilities, or to meet their academic advisors and other programme staff. The only mandatory attendance is at our Induction Day, which immediately precedes the start of the programme.

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Additional needs

We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.

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Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.

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Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.

Entry requirements

             
             Qualifications
We normally require a masters degree or above
You should also have a minimum of five years managerial or professional experience in a full-time senior position
Managerial experience means managerial responsibility for people, and/or functions, and/or technical expertise, and would normally, typically involve experience of change leadership

Academic credit for previous study or experience

If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your Middlesex University programme of study. For further information please visit our Recognition of Prior Learning page.

Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions

Entry onto this course will require an interview.

Qualifications

We accept the equivalent of a masters degree or above from a recognised overseas qualification. You should also have a minimum of five years managerial or professional experience in a full-time senior position. Managerial experience means managerial responsibility for people, and/or functions, and/or technical expertise, and would normally, typically involve experience of change leadership.

To find out more about the qualifications we accept from your country please visit the relevant Support in Your Country page.

If you are unsure about the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office for support.

Visas and immigration

You will not need a visa to study in the UK if you are a citizen of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you are a national of any other country you may need a visa to study in the UK. Please see our Visas and Immigration page for further information.

English language requirements for international students

You must have competence in English language to study with us. The most commonly accepted evidence of English language ability is IELTS 6.5 (with minimum 6.0 in all components). We also normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification.

Visit our English language requirements page for a full list of accepted tests and qualifications. If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, we offer an intensive Pre-sessional English course.

Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions

Entry onto this course does not require an interview, portfolio or audition.

Please download an application form from our online portal.

Applicants are recommended to submit the following documents along with their application form:

Letter of Application (can be found within the application form)
Copy of the passport/ EEA National ID card/ Photo Card Driving Licence (UK only)
Qualification documents and transcripts
CV
English language qualifications, if applicable (please see our English Language Requirements for more information)

Once complete, please email your application form and supporting documents to us.

Fees and funding

The fees below are for the 2024/25 academic year:

UK students¹

Part-time students: £6,300

International students²

Full-time students: £8,900

Help from your employer

Your employer can contribute towards the cost of your postgraduate study as part of their staff development programme.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.

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We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

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