QMU PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE CANDIDATE HANDBOOK

Professional Doctorate Regulations

This Handbook complements and must be read in conjunction with the University’s Professional Doctorate Regulations.

The Professional Doctorate Regulations serve as the definitive reference point and take precedence over the Handbook.

It is an expectation that all Professional Doctorate candidates and supervisors read the regulations, as well as this Handbook. If you have any questions about the regulations, or the Handbook, please contact us at the Graduate School.

Welcome from the Head of Graduate School

A very warm welcome to Queen Margaret University’s Graduate School. We are delighted that you have chosen to undertake your programme of doctoral study with us, and we look forward to supporting you with this over the next few years.

Enrolling on a doctoral degree is one of the biggest decisions you have made regarding your education and learning in your career. Gaining a doctorate level

qualification requires significant personal discipline, time and commitment to your study. The sense of achievement at the end, though, is immense, and gaining a doctorate opens up many opportunities for career advancement.

It is not uncommon for doctoral candidates to view their study as being all about their PhD or Prof Doc and consisting mainly of a ‘solo’ research activity, involving many extended hours of reading and/or writing papers and chapters. At QMU, however, we encourage you to see this period of study as a doctoral level learning programme that requires an intensive period of learning across a full range of research skills – after all, it can be the launch-pad for future career development and progression. The programme is about gaining that doctoral award, however, it involves so much more. For example, the Researcher Enhancement and Development (READ) programme, teaching, networking and other relevant scholarly contributions within the Research Centre or Institute and Division you are attached to that develop your doctoral level capabilities.

We also want your doctoral programme experience to be based around feeling part of a learning community. The importance and power of peer support cannot be underestimated during doctoral level study, so please make sure you engage in the community of doctoral candidates, supervisors and academics that exists at QMU. Because in the end it is the community of learning that grounds you and your study and gives you the strength to stay engaged and curious, and to design and craft your thesis.

Finally, you will find further information on the Graduate School throughout this Handbook, including details of colleagues who can support you with different queries and stages of your journey. If you are unsure, at any point, who to contact, please send a message to our generic email address: Graduate School Email Address. Typically, our Graduate School Officer will be your first point of contact and they can let you know whether there is anyone else you need to contact with your query.

Professor Jan Dewing

Head of the Graduate School

Email:Jan Dewing Email Address

QMU Doctoral programmes

QMU offers a suite of doctoral degrees. These are listed below with a note of some of the key features. All of the degrees (except for the READ programme) lead to the award of Doctorate, and all of them require candidates to reach the same standard and meet similar criteria at level 12 on the Scottish Credit Qualification Framework.

Award	Requirements
PhD PhD by Creative Practice	The PhD is awarded on satisfactory completion of a thesis of 70,000 to 100,000 words (30,000 to 40,000 for the PhD by Creative Practice). There are no taught modules.
Professional Doctorate Candidates can exit with post- nominal qualifiers, depending on the focus of their studies	The Professional Doctorate is awarded on successful completion of three modules and a thesis of approximately 45,000 words. The research is normally carried out at the candidate’s place of employment.
PhD by Publication (Prospective)	The PhD by Publication (Prospective) shares most of the characteristics of the PhD and is normally awarded on the basis of a series of peer-reviewed academic papers, books, citations or other materials that have been published, accepted for publication, exhibited or performed. These are accompanied by a substantial commentary linking the publications. This degree is open to candidates who do not yet have a full set of publications.

The above programmes are usually completed within three years (full-time) or six years (part- time). Candidates on the programmes also participate in our Researcher Enhancement and Development programme (READ). This comprises three modules, successful completion of which leads to the award of Doctoral Certificate.

Award	Requirements
Phd by Publication (Retrospective)	The PhD by Publication (Retrospective) has the same final assessment requirement as the Prospective route. It is open only to candidates who have a collection of suitable publications. This means that it can be completed in a shorter time frame of a year.

Our doctoral community includes candidates from each of the above degrees. We also have a number of candidates on joint PhDs with other universities. Through our development weeks, networking and communication channels, and partnership working with our Doctoral Candidates’ Association, we strive to develop and maintain an inclusive and person-centred research culture.

We hope that this Handbook will be helpful to you as you progress through your studies.