Degree of Doctor of Education

RESOLUTION

The Degree of Doctor of Education is governed by Resolution No. 555 of the University Court which took effect on 1 September 2005 with provision that:

1.    The Degree of Doctor of Education (EdD) may be awarded by the Senate of the University of Glasgow in the College of Social Sciences (the College).

2.    The Senate may make Regulations governing the award of the degree, which are subject to the approval of the University Court. These shall be stated under 'Regulations'.

3.    The early exit award of Master of Science (MSc) (Advanced Educational Studies) is also included in the Regulations.

REGULATIONS

A candidate admitted to the Programme leading to the award of the Degree of Doctor of Education must follow the instructions issued by the School of Education and be aware of the content of the Programme Specification and the Programme Document which will contain further details on the Programme including further requirements associated with the award.

1.     Admission

Before being considered for admission to study for the Degree of Doctor of Education, a candidate must normally have:

a)   obtained a first degree from an institution of higher education recognised by the Senate,  and

b)   obtained a postgraduate qualification, normally at Master’s level, in education or a related discipline, and

c)   a minimum of five years professional experience in education.

2.     Duration of Study

2.1   The minimum period of study for the award of the Degree is four calendar years of part-time study where prior learning has been recognised in accordance with §3. The normal duration of the Programme without such recognition of prior learning will be five years of part-time study.

2.2   The maximum period within which the Programme must normally be completed is six years from the date of initial registration. Where the College has approved suspension of study for a period of time, the maximum period of study permitted shall be equivalent to six years plus the approved period of suspension.

2.3   A candidate who has not completed the Programme, and the duration of whose period of study has reached the limit prescribed in §2.2, may apply to the College Higher Degrees Committee (or equivalent) for permission to extend his or her period of study by a maximum of one year. Such application must be accompanied by evidence of the candidate’s progress and an explanation for the delay in completion, and must be supported by the candidate’s supervisor and the Programme Director. Where the student has fulfilled the minimum period of part-time study required by the regulations, and has not submitted the thesis for examination, the student shall be registered with a ‘thesis pending’ status for the final session. If further supervision is required, the College may require the student to register as a full-time or part-time student.

3.     Recognition of Prior Learning            

Credit may be awarded towards the completion of the Programme for courses or examinations satisfactorily completed while following another programme at the University of Glasgow or at another institution. Such award will be made in accordance with procedures approved by the College Higher Degrees Committee and set out in the Programme Handbook.

4.     Structure of Programme

The programme will consist of six taught courses, each carrying a value of 45 credits, and a research project leading to the submission of a dissertation or equivalent research portfolio.  In other respects the taught courses and research project will conform to the descriptions set out in the Programme Handbook.

5.     Minimum Requirement for the Award of Credits

Credits for taught courses shall be awarded subject to the fulfilment of required conditions. The minimum requirements for the award of credits are set out in the Code of Assessment at §16.40 – §16.44 in the ‘University Fees and General Information for Students’ section of the University Calendar.

6.     Progress

A candidate must achieve a grade C or better in all course components in each year in order to progress to a further year of study or research.

7.     Dissertation or Research Portfolio

The dissertation or research portfolio must be written in English and must consist normally of not fewer than 50,000, and not more than 60,000 words. It must be the candidate’s own account of his or her research and must be accompanied by a declaration to this effect signed by the candidate.

A candidate must submit two copies of the dissertation which must include a summary of 250–1,000 words. The summary must be an adequate and informative abstract of the work, suitable for publication by the University. The submitted copies of the dissertation may be soft-bound but otherwise should generally conform to the British Standard Institution’s Recommendations for the presentation of theses (BS4821:1990) which is available for consultation in the University Library or from the College Graduate School.

In signing a submission form, the supervisor is confirming that the work was undertaken by the candidate. The wording of the form makes it clear that the supervisor's signature does not endorse that the work has been completed, nor does it indicate that the dissertation has achieved the required standard for the award of the degree. A candidate may submit a dissertation against the advice of the supervisor but in such cases the supervisor may state the position in a report submitted to the Convener of the Committee of Examiners.

If approved for the degree, one hard-bound copy of the dissertation and one electronic copy shall be deposited with the University Library. The bound copy should normally be produced to the standard defined in BS4821:1990, and the electronic copy must conform to University Library specifications published at http://theses.gla.ac.uk/format.html. It is the University's normal practice to make the bound copy available for consultation in the Library, and to permit computer download of the electronic copy through its repository service, Enlighten.  Such access may, however, be restricted under provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

8.     Assessment

8.1   Each candidate will be assessed on all taught components of the Programme and on the dissertation or research portfolio.

8.2   For each academic session, assessment and reassessment are, in so far as not modified by these regulations, governed by the Code of Assessment which is contained in the ‘University Fees and General Information for Students’ section of the University Calendar published for that session.

8.3   An oral examination of the candidate must be held in the presence of all of the examiners of the dissertation or research portfolio. This may include arrangements for remote access by one or more of the examiners if necessary.

9.     Examiners

The thesis shall be examined by one or more examiners appointed by the Senate from among the experienced academic staff of the University, and by one or more External Examiners appointed by the University Court on the recommendation of the Senate. No person who has been involved in the direct supervision of the research student may be appointed as an examiner. The internal examiner shall not undertake any duties which have been allocated to the Convener (see PhD Guidance Note 4) andshall act as an examiner in the normal way. In the case of a submission by a member of staff or a former member of staff two of the examiners must be external. A thesis may be examined by two external examiners without the appointment of an Internal Examiner, with the approval of the Dean of Graduate School

10.   Recommendation of the Examiners of the Candidate’s Dissertation or Research Portfolio

The examiners of the candidate’s dissertation or research portfolio will recommend to the College Higher Degrees Committee or equivalent one of the following outcomes:

a)   the Degree be awarded unconditionally.

b)   the Degree be awarded subject to certain minor corrections of detail or of presentation specified by the examiners. These shall not involve changes of substance to the dissertation or research portfolio. The corrections shall normally be carried out within one month of receipt of the specifications to the satisfaction of the internal examiner.

c)   the Degree be awarded subject to certain changes of substance in a specific element or elements of the dissertation or research portfolio specified by the examiners. These shall not involve a revision of the whole dissertation or research portfolio or of a major proportion of it. They may, however, include a requirement to carry out a further period of research in order to strengthen the dissertation or research portfolio. The revisions shall be carried out within a timescale determined by the examiners and shall be confirmed by all of the examiners.

d)   the dissertation or research portfolio as a whole is unacceptable. The candidate is invited to resubmit the dissertation or research portfolio taking account of the comments of the examiners. The resubmitted dissertation or research portfolio will be examined on one occasion only. It will be resubmitted within a timescale to be determined by the examiners but normally no later than 12 months after the date of the joint report notifying the candidate of the requirements for revision. A resubmission fee will be charged to cover the examining costs.