This is your opportunity to explore an area of your interest within the field of education. The Doctor of Education degree qualifies students as experts in their fields and is designed to give practitioners from diverse education settings the opportunity to extend their professional and academic knowledge. At the heart of this programme is the research thesis, where you can undertake independent research of an educational phenomenon, issue or topic of relevance to professional practice. There’s a strong collaborative spirit, and the support students give each other is a key element in this programme. The Doctor of Education programme is cohort-based, with a new cohort starting each semester.
Minimum entry requirements
Other requirements
Supervision of the Doctor of Education thesis is subject to the availability of staff.
The programme has two parts: the research portfolio (four papers) and the thesis. The portfolios in the first two part-time years aim to support, encourage and prepare you for your thesis where you pursue an original piece of research relevant to a specific area of study or practice. To participate in this degree, you need a high level of individual student and group responsibility. This interactive approach is consistent with effective learning strategies for adults.
Research portfolio
The research portfolios are key elements in a successful Doctor of Education proposal and the thesis, and cover four specific domains of research competency, for example literature and methodology.
Completing the research portfolio is integral to preparing your thesis, and you need to complete the portfolio before starting your thesis.
Thesis
For your thesis you undertake advanced study based on independent research of an educational issue or topic relevant to professional practice. The research and learning methods are student-centred, and designed to heighten your awareness of the broader context of education and develop critical academic and research skills. To prepare you for research at doctoral level, your master’s degree should have included a thesis or substantial dissertation.
Graduates will have studied a specific topic in education in depth, and gained skills that will assist them in a wide range of positions, including educational management, research, civil service, public institutional education, formal and informal social and leadership roles, and senior roles in the education system.