Health and Social Care – (Ph.D.)

Our Faculty currently supports almost 50 research degree students in their studies towards Master of Philosophy (MPhil), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Professional Doctorate (PrD) in Health and Social Care.

You will enter the programme as part of a cohort, normally at the start of the academic year (in September or October). Study to MPhil or PhD can be full-time or part-time, but only part-time study is available for our PrD at present. While there is potential to transfer from MPhil to PhD (or vice-versa), the conceptual differences between PhD and Professional Doctorate means that at present there is no possibility of transferring from a PhD to a PrD programme (or vice-versa). Study for MPhil/PhD will require you to undertake an in-depth research study that can relate specifically to your own practice, but alternatively can relate to the wider sphere of your practice, or perhaps to theory underpinning that practice.

The PrD differs from our MPhil and PhD in that the study must be explicitly located within your own practice and employing organisation. Accordingly, the focus of the study is anticipated to relate to the needs of your employer. Our Faculty was the first to establish a combined (interdisciplinary) professional doctorate in 2002 and the award has recently been revalidated to introduce more flexibility through the introduction of intermediate awards of Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Research and Professional Masters degree.

International Doctoral Studies in Social Work (INDOSOW)
From September 2009 we are also offering an additional, innovative PhD through International Doctoral Studies in Social Work (INDOSOW) programme.
INDOSOW is a partnership between four European schools of social work:

* Alice Salmon School of Social Work at the University of Applied Social Sciences in Berlin, in collaboration with the University of Siegen, Germany
* Our University's Department of Social Work and Social Policy
* The Department of Social Work, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
* The Faculty of Social Work at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Funded by the EU for its developmental phase (2006-2009), the programme provides, in addition to the ordinary PhD studies at your home university, three core modules on comparative methodology, theories and models of social work and social policy, and diversity studies. These will be taught as part of a summer school of two weeks which will take place in Slovenia, sponsored by the EU, in 2010 and 2011.

You will have also a supervisor from one of the other universities which you will attend for one semester (the cost of stay abroad can be funded through Erasmus students exchange agreements which we have with each of the partners).
You will be required to develop a comparative research interest, which may result in an empirical study, or in including relevant literature from your host country.
For initial enquiries for the INDOSOW programme only, please contact Emeritus Professor Shula Ramon. Email: shula.ramon@anglia.ac.uk

PhD by published work
A PhD by published work is awarded to a candidate who, having already published work which has demonstrated an understanding of research methods appropriate to the field and an independent and original contribution to knowledge, defends that same published work and its critical appraisal, to the satisfaction of the examiners. Publications submitted shall normally have been published within the last 10 years and should demonstrate a continuing record of publication normally within the last two years. This award will normally completed within one year, and assessment consists of consideration of an abstract (normally not exceeding 300 words) and critical appraisal (normally between 7000 and 10000 words) in addition to a viva voce examination.

MPhil/PhD
During an MPhil/PhD you will undertake an in-depth research study that may relate specifically to your own practice, but alternatively may relate to the wider sphere of your practice, or perhaps to theory underpinning that practice.
You will be required to:

* identify a research project that is original and will make a contribution to subject knowledge. The project will probably, though not necessarily, be an issue that relates to your professional practice
* attend an interview and make a presentation to the Faculty Director of Research Degrees, and potential supervisor(s)
* attend research training/seminar programmes operated by our Research & Development Services and within our Faculty of Health & Social Care .
* work under the guidance of a supervisory team to develop ideas into an original research proposal, to implement the research, and eventually to produce a thesis based on the work. An MPhil thesis is normally up to a maximum of 40000 words, and 80000 for a PhD
* submit your research proposal (normally) within one month of registration
* obtain any necessary research governance approvals. Whilst our University operates a Research Ethics Committee, your project may require application to external Research Ethics and Research & Development Committees, or similar
* following approvals, implement your project
* submit academic material to the Research Degrees Committee, normally within 2 years (3 years if part-time) of receiving approval of the proposal as Confirmation of Candidature, for transfer from MPhil to PhD
* complete annual progress reviews.
* complete a viva voce examination attended by a specialist examiner on your chosen topic who is external to our University.

Completion of the degree will identify that you are an expert in your field and will demonstrate a proven ability to problem-solve and to perform original research at a very high level, and to contribute to the existing body of knowledge within your own specialist field.

For initial enquiries, please contact Julie Smith, Director of Research Degree Students, via Claire Mitchell, Research Degree Administrator, on 0845 196 2362 or email: claire.mitchell@anglia.ac.uk

PrD in Health & Social Care, including the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Research and Professional Masters
The Professional Doctorate (PrD) differs from the MPhil/PhD in that the study must be explicitly located within the your own practice and employing organisation. Accordingly, the focus of the study is anticipated to relate to the needs of your employer. The structure of PrD study also differs from that of PhD in that the course is divided into two distinct stages. The initial stage consists of the submission of three written assignments, with the second stage being the submission of a thesis.
There are two awards which may be undertaken if a full PrD programme is not appropriate - Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Research and Professional Masters - with progression being an option at each stage providing satisfactory progress has been made. Applicants for any of the awards within the PrD programme will normally be expected to undertake our 'Understanding Research' programme.
Stage one of the programme is offered as a full-time option, normally for a period of one year.

Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Research

In order to be eligible for this award you will are required to achieve a pass in each of the tree written assignments, totalling 21,000 words.

Professional Masters

In order to be eligible for this award you are required to achieve a pass in each of the three written assignments, and submit and defend, by oral examination, a thesis comprising a maximum of either 30,000 words (excluding the written papers) or 50,000 words, including the written papers.

Professional Doctorate

In order to be eligible for this award you are required to achieve a pass in each of the three written assignments, and submit and defend, by oral examination, a thesis comprising a maximum of either 60,000 words (excluding the written papers) or 80,000 words, including the written papers.

You will be required to:

* identify a research project that is original and will make a contribution to subject knowledge
* identify a practice mentor, normally a senior manager, within your employing organisation. Your practice mentor will not have a supervisory role, but will advise and facilitate the project in line with organisational objectives
* attend an interview and make a presentation to the Faculty Director of Research Degrees, and potential supervisor(s)
* attend research training/seminar programmes operated by our Research & Development Services (early, mid and late phase programme) and within our Faculty of Health & Social Care
* work under the guidance of a supervisory team during stage one to develop ideas into an original research proposal. As part of this process, you will produce three 7,000 word papers for internal assessment and moderation by an external moderator. A 'pass' must be obtained for each paper before progression to stage two can be considered
* submit your research proposal, normally within one month of registering for stage two of our programme, for approval by our University Research Degrees Committee. Approval is a requisite for progression to stage two
* obtain any necessary research governance approvals. Whilst we operate a Research Ethics Committee, your project may require application to external Research Ethics and Research & Development Committees, or similar
* following approvals, implement the project
* submit academic material to the Research Degrees Committee, normally within 18 months of receiving approval of your proposal, as Confirmation of Candidature
* complete annual progress reviews
* produce a thesis based on the work of up to 60,000 or 80,000 words (maximum); the papers from stage one may be utilised in, or appended to, your thesis
* complete a viva voce examination attended by a specialist examiner on the chosen topic who is external to our University
* evidence will be required of originality and independent critical judgment, constitute a contribution to professional practice and exhibit development of professional competencies.