Professional Doctorate in Health

Programme

Qualifications and durations

This is a distance-learning programme.

• Part-time Doctorate in Health (up to 4-8 years)

This programme can also form part of the MSc Research in Health Practice.

Overview

The Professional Doctorate in Health is a unique modular blended learning programme, designed for a range of health and social care professionals who are interested in furthering their development as expert practitioners and researchers in practice.

By studying this programme you will develop your critical thinking about practice and health service delivery. In addition, you will address the key professional issues that define the work that takes place in practice, such as ethical matters and evidence and values-based practice.

By utilising web-based delivery blended with Summer Schools (typically five days in length), the programme aims to meet the learning needs of busy health and social care practitioners. A Personal Development Adviser (PDA) supports learning throughout the programme. Your PDA will utilise learning needs analysis and personal development planning techniques to provide motivation.

Programme features

• Carry out independent research and understand research methods whilst remaining in your practice area.
• Choose your learning style within a flexible environment amongst a multi-professional community.
• Expand your understanding of policy and practice in the context of international healthcare systems and service.

View a video about this programme »

Programme structure

This is a flexible programme. Students typically study over four years, however there is opportunity to complete units in up to eight years.

Year one

• Research project preparation and planning
• Introduction to practice based research
• Research design and methods
• Evidence into practice

Year two

• Research project design and development
• Professional issues in health 1 (policy)
• Professional issues in health 2 (practice)

Year three/four (Doctorate)

• Thesis

View summary table or Programme & Unit Catalogue for further information.

Please note:

• The programme catalogue and units listed above are applicable for the 2012/13 academic year only and should be treated as an example of the programme content. Students beginning or continuing their studies in 2013/14 and beyond should not assume that later years of a programme will be in the format displayed here.
• Programmes and Units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
• Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.

Learning and teaching

Teaching takes the form of study guides and online discussion boards (through the virtual learning environment), and compilation of portfolios bringing together research and practice based study.

A Summer School is held once a year at the University (most often in September). You will attend one Summer School/Induction during your first year, and one Summer School at the beginning of the second year.

Your tutor will provide support for your assignment preparation, as well as learning needs analysis and personal development planning.

The ‘research and thesis’ phase will be supervised by a panel of specialists; comprising a University academic member of staff (to ensure that the work is of a sufficient standard), and a practice-based specialist (to ensure that the work is at the forefront of practice).

Methods of assessment

Assessment consists of a combination of written assignments, literature reviews, research protocols and reflective accounts.

You will also produce a portfolio of evidence of application to practice, and have to undertake a face-to-face transfer interview and a final viva.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

If you have studied, but not completed or received an award, for postgraduate units from another institution, you may be eligible to transfer credit for this prior learning.

You can gain APL for up to 18 Masters-level credits (this credit must have been obtained within the previous five years).

Claims for APL will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further details or view the FAQ page.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

• First or 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate subject, from a recognised university, and
• five years post-qualification, graduation or registration experience in an appropriate context (normally health, social care, education or clinical/medical context).

Professional requirements

The minimum non-graduate qualifications accepted on this course would include applications from individual practitioners who have been involved in practice-based research and may have built up significant experience and expertise in particular research methodologies and approaches may elect to submit a portfolio of evidence for examination that demonstrates that the applicant is capable of demonstrating the learning outcomes of a specific M-level unit of the first phase of the programme.

English Language requirements

Certificates must be dated to within two years of the start of the programme of study.

• IELTS 7.0 (with not less than 6.5 in each of the four components)
• TOEFL 600 (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test) with a score of not less than 4 in TWE or 100 (internet-based test) with not less than 24 in each of the components.

If you wish to improve your English proficiency before commencing your studies, pre-sessional language training can be arranged through the English Language Centre.

References

• Two references are required. The first of these must be an academic reference, the second must be a practice based/employer reference.

Read details for how to apply to study.

Financial information

Costs

• Tuition fees

Deadlines

• 28 June 2013 for International Students (who need to apply for a UK Visa).
• 31 July 2013 for Home/EU students.

Contact

Admissions Officer
Email: hss-doctorate-admissions@bath.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 5233

Related links

• Frequently Asked Questions about this programme
• Department for Health
• Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate School

Our Research

Main areas of research

The Department carries out research and teaching in health, medicine, exercise and sport, making significant contributions to national and international health agendas.

The Department aims to produce high-quality research with a strongly applied focus. We aim to contribute to promoting the health of the population and to improving the quality and efficiency of the health services that people rely on and pursue this agenda with a variety of partners at local, regional, national and international levels. Our work is organised around the two main themes of population health and healthcare. We are also pleased to offer a range of Research degrees.

Population health

Historically, health policy has focused almost exclusively on sickness services provided by agencies such as the National Health Service. Although this focus on healthcare remains hugely important, it is increasingly complemented by aspirations to improve the health of the population by tackling the social determinants of health such as poverty and pollution and by encouraging people to adopt health promoting behaviours such as healthy diets and increased physical activity and to stop health damaging ones such as smoking. There is also growing national and international concern that improvements in health should be fairly distributed by reducing health inequalities. The Department for Health organises its work related to population health improvement in three main ways. Much the largest element in the population health portfolio is related to sport, health and exercise science, but the School attaches growing importance to tobacco control and health inequalities.

Healthcare

The Department’s expertise in Healthcare focuses on innovation in the design, delivery, organization, and evaluation of healthcare interventions. We have a particular emphasis on disabling and distressing, long term or life-limiting conditions, such as chronic pain, stroke, dementia, rheumatic disease, and severe mental health problems. Current research activity involves collaborations with NHS colleagues in Bath at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases – RNHRD, the Royal United Hospital, the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Care Trust, the Pan Bath & Swindon Primary Care Research Consortium and RehabNET.

Faculties in the Department have significant research expertise and experience in a range of topics including:

• Addictions and addictive behaviour
• Alcohol, drugs and the family
• Assistive technology and rehabilitation
• Child and adolescent cognitive behavioural therapy
• Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
• Dementia care
• Evidence based pain management
• Leadership and change
• Mental health service development and evaluation
• Spondolarthropathy disease and related disability
• Stroke rehabilitation
• Work, health and wellbeing.

About the Department

Introduction

The School for Health was established within the University of Bath in 2003, to centralise the high profile research and teaching in the health-related disciplines already taking place throughout the university, so creating a single entity through which links with the health sector at national and international level can be channelled, co-ordinated and developed.

In 2010 the School joined the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and became the Department for Health, providing excellent opportunities for academic teaching and research collaborations with other departments, such as Psychology and Social & Policy Sciences. The Department's postgraduate teaching and research programmes now form part of the Faculty's new Graduate School, also launched in 2010, providing postgraduate students with dedicated support and a strong community in which to base their studies - whether on campus or by distance learning.

In keeping with government initiatives surrounding population health and more general public concerns, the Department divides its activities between two main pillars: Healthcare and Population Health – one focuses on the NHS, healthcare and health services research and the other focuses on population health, healthy living, sport & physical activity and tobacco control; each of these groups, in turn, contain both teaching programmes and research activities. Furthermore, there is a bridging spine between both pillars and which houses the Professional Doctorate in Health, Research in Health Practice and the administrative, finance, learning & teaching development, marketing and support activities of the Department.

The Department’s aims are:

• To develop a research portfolio that is both of the highest academic standard and has applications in the real world
• To build on external links with the public services and other bodies concerned with health and society
• To innovate design and delivery of healthcare services
• To change corporate approaches to healthy organisations
• To support government reform of health and social care provision
• To identify and facilitate opportunities for academic collaboration and new developments.

The Department's postgraduate taught programmes combine academic excellence with flexible and innovative design and delivery; our postgraduate portfolio is distinguished by the provision of a number of Professional Masters and a Professional Doctorate programme designed to be studied part-time by learners working in a wide range of healthcare roles from all around the world. All our postgraduate courses are taught online and this has proved to be one of our unique selling points, with students able to continue within their practice area or working environment whilst gaining a further qualification.

The Department is renowned for its exemplary attention to educational design, integrating knowledge with research evidence and resulting in programmes which are highly relevant to contemporary practice; in addition, the Department boasts some of the most innovative and successful approaches to online and part-time education, recognised through a number of awards.

At all levels, learning and teaching in the Department provides a strong focus on high quality education for real world situations and produces graduates with skills and knowledge relevant to professional roles and in high demand from employers.

Teaching programmes on offer within the Department include:

• Sport & Exercise Medicine, the world renowned flexible masters programme exclusively for doctors
• Sports Physiotherapy, a specialist programme designed by physiotherapists for physiotherapists
• Research in Health Practice, a programme launched in 2008 aimed at health and social care professionals interested in conducting their own research
• The innovative Professional Doctorate in Health which focuses on both Population Health and Healthcare within the Department, providing a doctoral level programme to develop expert practitioners and researchers in practice.

Facilities, equipment, other resources

Sport and exercise science and medical science laboratories. Close links with the English Institute of Sport and the Department of Sports Development and Recreation.

International and industrial links

There are current links with primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, the two hospitals in Bath and colleagues in industry. The Department works closely with esteemed international academic institutions, and individual health practitioners, in order to meet the regional, national and global challenges facing health and social care.

Careers information

Postgraduate research students gain a wealth of experience to assist them with their next step and are offered personal career advice at the University. The Department has an established research training skills programme for all research students. The taught programmes enable students to extend their health and social care career pathways and to build important networks for further professional opportunities.