EdD Education

The EdD Education is ideal for students interested in a rigorous programme that combines the research elements of a PhD with significant taught components.

This EdD has been designed to accommodate part-time study for full-time professionals. Seminars on a Friday afternoon and saturday allow students to engage with high level ideas while reflecting on their own working practices, contexts and research interests.

Students and graduates from the programme have backgrounds in a variety of professions including roles in traditional Education sectors, including FE and HE, as well as the Police, Fire Service and NHS. Students particularly benefit from the seminar group experience where they are enabled to encounter new ideas and to share responses and reflections in seminars – as opposed to the self-study format of a PhD. In addition, research training is provided.

Our graduates have secured employment in leading roles in numerous schools, FE colleges and HE institutions.

Course details

The School of Education offers wide and varied opportunities to undertake research programmes that will support the growth of research skills and build on subject knowledge. 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 . More than 82% of its research was rated as ‘internationally excellent’ (3*) or ‘world leading’ (4*) in the 2014 REF

To complete this programme you have to gain a total of 540 credits. The programme divides into two parts, a taught element made up of modules totalling 180 credits, and a research thesis which is equivalent to 360 credits. All the taught elements take place on a Friday afternoon and Saturday making this programme ideal for those who wish to study part-time. Research training is provided.

Please view our Education PhD webpage if you wish to complete a research degree by thesis only.

Modules

Stage one

Compulsory modules

Theoretical Perspectives on Education and Learning

Understanding education policies and practices in global, national and local contexts

Designing and conducting educational research

Philosophy of Social Research

Research Design, Practice and Ethics

Fundamentals in Quantitative Research Methods 

Optional modules

Specialist Studies in Education: Theory, Practice or Policy (at M level only)

Educational Practices for Social Justice and Equity

Stage two

EdD doctoral thesis 50,000 words

Fees and funding

Standard fees apply.

For 2019-20 these are £2,160 for Home/EU part-time.

The fees shown above are the annual fees for students starting their courses September in 2019. Please note that where courses last more than one year, the annual fees for subsequent years on the course may increase due to inflation. 

Overseas Fees

Please view our Fees for International Students page for further details. 

For EU students applying for the 2020/21 academic year

The UK Government has confirmed that EU students will continue to be eligible for 'home fee status' for entry in September 2020, and will continue to have access to eligible financial support via the Postgraduate Masters or Doctoral loan for the duration of their course. For more information visit the gov.uk website.

You can also visit our EU Referendum information page for more information and updates.

Learn more about fees and funding

Scholarships and studentships
Scholarships may be available, please view the School of Education Scholarships and Bursaries webpage.

Eligible Doctoral students can now apply for a loan of up to £25,000 to contribute to overall costs. Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government. More details may be found on the international scholarships page.

Entry requirements

Learn more about entry requirements 

International students

We accept a range of qualifications, our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language support - before your course starts

The University offers Presessional English courses for students who wish to improve their knowledge of spoken and written English in preparation for academic study at the University of Birmingham. Students with conditional offers have the option of attending one of these courses instead of retaking IELTS.   

English language support - during your studies

BIA provides free English language services to international students who are currently studying on undergraduate or postgraduate courses at the University of Birmingham.  Services include Open-access English classes, online self-assessment, online materials through CANVAS, email answers to quick questions and individual one to one tutorials.  For a small fee, BIA also offers classes for partners of international postgraduate students and staff, social events including day trips and HOST visits.   

How to apply

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Apply now

OverviewLearning and teaching

Modules are designated either Research or Subject Modules. You have some choice about the balance between the two. You can either take 60 or 80 credits (ie, three or four modules) of subject focused courses but the remainder of 180 credits has to be completed through research training. Subject modules explore the cultures and contexts of learning and theoretical perspectives on teaching and learning. From the outset, this course will provide opportunities to develop and apply ideas toward students' own research goals including a special study in Year 1.

In addition to the research training modules each pathway has its own specialist research module which serves to support the development of your final research plan.

In general, taught elements will be completed in the first half of the course, which then enables students to focus on main data collection and the writing of their thesis in the second half.

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 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.

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

Course detailsEmployability

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 can enhance your professionalism and provide a basis for high quality decision-making which will benefit the learner, other practitioners and policy-makers. 

Recent graduate Winston Bigford discusses his EdD and his current role

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.

Learning and teaching