With over 100 lecturing and research staff and dedicated research centres, our School of Education is one of the largest research-led schools of education in the UK with a distinguished reputation for excellence in our research and teaching practice both nationally and internationally. We have a history of 5 star rated research and in the 2008 Research Excellence Exercise (RAE), 80% of our work was recognised as being of international quality. You will undertake advanced research under the supervision and guidance of an experienced member of the School of Education staff.

The (EdD) Leaders and Leadership in Education programme differs from ‘traditional’ doctoral study, mainly due to the fact that an Integrated Study PhD comprises taught modules as well as a research element, whereas the traditional PhD focuses wholly on producing a research thesis.  On this programme, subject modules will explore senior leaders, middle leaders and deputies, and leadership for effectiveness and improvement. Participants will also be encouraged to develop and research their own special interests in leaders and leadership in education, supported by a structured programme of research training.

The programme provides a supportive and structured environment to enable effective individual and group learning with three distinctive characteristic strands which may be summarised as:

• Researching within empirical settings
• Theorising from published research and empirical data
• Reflecting on and improving practice

To complete the Leaders and Leadership in Education Doctorate (EdD) you will need to gain a total of 540 credits: 180 from completing taught modules and 360 from completing your research thesis. In general, the taught elements of the programme will be completed in the first half of the course, enabling you to focus on data collection and thesis-writing in the second half of the course.

The subject modules you will take on this programme will be assessed by assignments including projects directly aimed at analysing and improving the practice of leadership in your own professional context. These are complemented by three research training modules which will enable you to develop your knowledge and application of a range of research approaches, as well as an additional special programme of research training to enhance your ability to design and carry out an extended research project and to write this up as a thesis.

The main four subject modules you will study on this programme look at leaders and leadership from a range of theoretical and practical perspectives. The modules are as follows: 

• Leadership in Education: Senior Managers (on which you will be encouraged to reflect on the specific careers of two or more senior managers from existing scholarship and from your own research) 
• Leaders in Education: Deputies and Middle Managers (a course which explores existing scholarship on the careers and roles of deputies and middle managers in educational settings) 
• Leadership in Education: Effectiveness and Improvement 
• Specialist Research Module for Leaders and Leadership (on which you will learn how to compose a thesis proposal, a literature review and will cover a range of methodologies and methods)

In the second half of the programme you will carry out your research project and write up a 50,000 word thesis. You will also need to defend your thesis and display an adequate knowledge of the discipline within which your specific field of study falls during an oral examination (viva voce). For detailed guidance on the viva process, including practical advice, visit the Graduate School website.

Research Facilities

The School of Education is equipped with the facilities to suit your needs, whatever programme you may be studying with us. As a full-time doctoral researcher you have 24-hour access to work space in our research suite, where there are computer and telephone facilities. You also have access to University libraries and computer facilities, as well as other entitlements such as grants towards conference attendance and photocopying. Many research students work with supervisors in publishing articles and making their work public.

In addition, we have our own Education library, based within the main Education building on campus, with specialised resources including e-journals and education sector-specific literature. The education library has two group study rooms for education students. Both rooms can accommodate up to 15 people. Facilities available include PC and large smart board displays that can be used for presentations and teaching practice. We have also recently refurbished our Student Common Room facilities as an informal learning space for education students.

The Orchard Learning Resource Centre (OLRC) which is situated on our Selly Oak Campus, holds over 200,000 items, encompassing religious studies, social sciences and humanities. Collections include the European Documentation Collection (EDC) of over 10,000 items published by the European Commission and the German, Arabic and Oriental collections as well as the predominantly Russian-language Baykov Collection.

A vast array of IT facilities is available to students and staff within the school. Flexible open access computer clusters and learning suites are available, with school specific software.

To find out more about the facilities and resources available in the School of Education, including online and e-learning facilities, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/education/facilities/index.aspx

The University of Birmingham has recently been ranked 9th in the UK, and 55th in the world, for post-qualification employability in a global survey of universities commissioned by the International Herald Tribune. Over the last five years, an impressive 98.3 % of Education postgraduates have been in work and/or further study six months after graduation.

Birmingham’s Education graduates choose to work in variety of education roles in schools and administrative roles in public and private sector organisations. Work in retail, sales and administration are also popular options. Some chose to continue their education and apply for professional courses such as teacher training. This particular programme will be of interest to those working in education-related settings who aspire towards holding senior or middle leader responsibilities in schools, colleges, universities or in other professional educational contexts. It will also appeal to applicants with teaching and research interests in this area. 

What type of career assistance is available to doctoral researchers in Education?

The College of Social Sciences, to which the School of Education belongs, has specially designated careers advisors and careers consultants who can provide guidance for doctoral researchers on career paths, CVs, training opportunities, application and interviews. The University’s central Careers’ Service also runs workshops and offers personally tailored advice and guidance including 1-1 careers advice and 1-1 CV advice. The Career’s Service runs CV writing workshops especially for postgraduates in the College of Social Sciences, giving advice on how to compile CVs for both employment and for academic roles.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors who run workshops and provide networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with international postgraduate researchers.