The course provides a unique integrated and highly flexible programme of study, with opportunities for professional and academic study and development towards a range of professional post-qualifying and academic awards ultimately leading to the Professional Doctorate in Social Care & Emotional Wellbeing.

The academic standard of this Professional Doctorate is equivalent to a conventional PhD, but it enables advanced and intensive learning and research to be rooted in professional practice. Thus it contributes to the professional development of the individual and the wider professional and social care community.

The intermediate qualifications similarly support both professional and academic development. Students on the course undertake work discussion and supervised practice within any of three settings (clinical practice, management/consultation and education/training). They also study theory, observation, policy and research methods. Completion of the doctoral course involves writing an original thesis on an area of professional practice.

Minimum entry requirements are:

• A good (first or second class) honours degree or demonstration of the professional equivalent
• Substantial experience a senior or managerial level as a social care professional in any sector where social care is a recognised aspect of service delivery
• Employment within a social work or social care agency
• Evidence of suitability for senior and leadership practice, a commitment to learning from experience, and deploying psychoanalytic and systemic concepts for professional understanding
• Applicants with either prior-certified learning or prior-experiential learning that closely matches the specified learning outcomes of the taught part of the programme may be able to claim exemption via agreed university procedures. Up to half of the credits for an award may be achieved through accredited or experiential learning. No exemption can be claimed against the research part of the programme or in situations where a professional body excludes it.
• Where English is not the applicant's first language, a minimum IELTS Academic English, or such qualifications as our University deems comparable, score of 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in all components, is required at entry. Such assessment of English language competence must normally have been undertaken no more than two years prior to application, though relevant and more recent study in a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution may be accepted as sufficient proof of ability.

1. Application form
2. A written reference from the student's workplace supporting their application
3. By personal interview. Candidates wishing to register for a Post Qualifying Award in Social Work at the Higher Specialist and Advanced Level who do not possess the Specialist Award will be expected to demonstrate how their previous work and experience evidences specialist level practice.
4. All candidates are required to supply a satisfactory, up to date criminal records disclosure. (This cannot be a photocopy.)

All interviews are undertaken by Trust staff members. Applicants are expected to submit photocopies of their professional and academic qualifications at interview. Candidates will receive written notification of whether they have been successful in their application

The Professional Doctorate in Social Care & Emotional Wellbeing is a flexible part-time course.
Part 1, leading up to MA level and taken over two years part time study, one day a week, consists of a number of taught elements including a course of structured work discussion and professional development. All students take a ‘major’ pathway over two years from clinical practice, management or education. Professional Doctorate students will have a work-related taught and assessed component for their 2nd year.

Part 2, leading to the Professional Doctorate in Social Care Emotional Wellbeing consists of a further taught year of D level modules focusing on continued professional development and the progression of the research proposal. Subsequent years involve supervised work towards a thesis of 40-60,000 words. The normal period of registration and study for the doctorate in Part 2 is 3 years.

Work discussion, theory, observation, policy and research methods are all taught in small seminar groups. Clinical supervision, tutorials and research supervision take place either in small discussion groups or on a 1-1 basis.

In Part 1:
In Term 2 there are the following assessed elements:

• Psychoanalytic & Systemic theories paper: 3000 words
• Work discussion paper: 3000 words
• Reflective assignment: 1000 words
• Infant Observation: 3000 words, plus 2 ancillary observations of 1500 words each

In Term 4 there are the following assessed elements:

• Policy process, organisational cultures and social care presentation/paper: 3000 words
• Professional Practice development paper: 3000 words, plus 2 ancillary recordings of 1500 words
• Reflective assignment: 1000 words
• Individual-in-context (social care) observation: 3000 words, plus ancillary observation of 1500 words

MA clinical and Professional Doctorate route:

• Social care theory and research : clinical, management or educator paper: Term 6, 5000 words
• Clinical Practice Paper: Term 6, 5000 words
• Reflective assignment: 1000 words

In Part 2 for the Professional Doctorate:

• Professional development assignment: Year 3, 3,000 words, plus 3 ancillary recordings of 1,500 words
• Reflective assignment: 1000 words
• Psycho-social Research Methods & Literature Review Paper: Year 3, 4,000 words
• Research & Policy paper: Year 3, 3,000 words
• Institutional Observation paper: Year 3, 3000 words, plus 1 ancillary observation of 1500 words

Doctoral proposal and doctoral thesis of 40-60,000 words

This course is a unique course of study that offers opportunities to develop professional practice to a very high standard. It integrates practice, policy and research and contributes to the development of the individual and the professional and social care community. The course thus aims to contribute to the consolidation and recovery of professional identity. Students will develop capacities for leadership in relation to colleagues and services.

Throughout Part 1 and Part 2 of the course, students have opportunities to develop and discuss their ideas and experiences in small seminar groups and individual tutorials/supervisions. All the assignments provide opportunities for making creative contributions to understanding practice based on experience. In Part 2, students undertake a year of D level taught modules, followed by research in an area of professional practice relevant to their own interests leading to the writing of an original thesis (40-60,000 words).

Registration of the research component can only take place following a recommendation from the relevant School Research Degrees Sub-Committee to the university Research Degrees Subcommittee of the suitability of the candidate to undertake research, of the programme of research, of the supervision arrangements and of the research environment. These approvals require appropriate academic judgement to be brought to bear on the viability of each research proposal.

Candidates for a Professional Doctorate must successfully complete all assessed elements from the taught part of their programme before award of the degree can be made.

Once the research stage of the programme is reached progression will be formally reviewed annually by a Panel comprised of staff with appropriate academic and professional expertise who are independent of the candidate's supervisory team. The School Research Degrees Sub-Committee and the university Research Degrees Subcommittee monitor the reports from these Panels.

The examination of the research component of the Professional Doctorate has two stages: firstly the submission and preliminary assessment of the research; and secondly its defence by oral examination.

This is an extremely flexible course that facilitates the professional and academic learning of social work and social care students at different stages of their careers. It offers a range of post-qualifying and academic awards - ultimately leading to the Professional Doctorate in Social Care & Emotional Wellbeing. This is one of a limited number of professional doctorates in social care in the UK and unique, in that it provides a therapeutic and practice based course, emphasising learning from experience, leading to various intermediate qualifications and, ultimately, the doctorate.

The programme initially provides opportunities to develop specialist and advanced social care practice, leadership and management skills and later sophisticated capacities for research based independence of thought and action in relation to the most demanding of practice and management contexts. Our experience on closely related programmes is that students often achieve a much clearer sense of professional direction in their careers, resulting in promotion or advancement. The key to this lies in achieving much increased professional confidence, rooted in highly developed capacities to respond to intellectually and emotionally demanding challenges and organisational contexts.

Support is offered through the individualised learning course, one to one relationships with tutors and supervisors and learning in a small group setting.

The Graduate School is responsible for providing a focus to the support of our postgraduate research students and for our institution's research and scholarly strategy.

Professional Doctorate students will have at least two and not normally more than three supervisors, who together demonstrate an appropriate range of academic and professional experience. One supervisor shall be the Director of Studies with responsibility to supervise the candidate on a regular and frequent basis.