PhD Doctor of Education (EdD)

Overview

The Durham Doctor of Education (EdD) is a professional doctorate for leaders who generate knowledge from and for the field. Unlike a pure PhD that prioritises theory contribution for academic careers first and foremost, the EdD centres problems of practice: school and university improvement, learning design, equity and policy implementation. You will complete structured doctoral coursework, defend a research proposal, and produce a dissertation that is both scholarly and actionable. Supervision pairs research faculty with practitioners who understand institutional complexity. Doctor of Education (EdD) is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 3–4 years, and the credit total is 54. Students move from Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner in Education through Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner in Education; Learning Sciences & Pedagogical Leadership; Education Policy, Equity & Systems Reform; Organisational Change in Education Settings; Ethics, Positionality & Professional Judgement; Improvement Science & Programme Evaluation, and finish on Doctoral Viva & Impact Dissemination. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly. Reading is a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. The artefact a marker expects is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Frame and investigate problems of practice with doctoral rigour Apply mixed methods appropriate to educational settings Generate findings that change institutional practice and policy Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.

The EdD is assessed at doctoral standard. Viva voce examination and ethical research conduct match the Durham University's doctoral regulations. Ideal for heads, deans, system leaders, instructional designers and education policy professionals.

Who This Programme Is For

• ✦School and university leaders undertaking organisational improvement research
• ✦Policy professionals in education ministries and NGOs
• ✦Learning designers and EdTech leaders evidencing impact
• ✦Educators preparing for senior academic-practice hybrid careers

Programme Structure & Delivery

Learning Outcomes

• ✦Frame and investigate problems of practice with doctoral rigour
• ✦Apply mixed methods appropriate to educational settings
• ✦Generate findings that change institutional practice and policy
• ✦Lead evidence-informed improvement across complex education systems
• ✦Disseminate research to scholarly and professional audiences

Career Pathways

• ✦School Principal / System Leader
• ✦Dean / Director of Teaching & Learning
• ✦Education Policy Director
• ✦EdTech Research & Impact Lead
• ✦University Faculty (practice-oriented tracks)

Curriculum