Professional Doctorate (Health and Social Care)

Entry requirements

A good bachelors degree, normally 2.1 or above, and/or master's degree, with appropriate practice experience.

This programme is most suitable for health and social care professionals working at senior levels who have responsibility for the development of evidence-based professional practice. You may be a nurse, midwife, doctor, social worker, occupation therapist, radiographer, physiotherapist, podiatrist or if you are in or allied to social care, public health, counselling and psychotherapy.

Typically you will study part-time, while engaged in full-time employment at senior levels of practice. As such you are more than likely to be engaged in challenging roles, often studying against a backdrop of organisational change and uncertainty.

At the end of your study, if you have undertaken research and have registration (where appropriate) in the relevant area you can request an alternative named award:

- Professional Doctorate (Social Work)

- Professional Doctorate (Advanced Practitioner)

The closing date for applications is early September, but there is latitude for late entries (sometimes due to late funding being granted) and variable entry points for APL/APEL routes.

Interview and research proposal is an additional pre-requisite to the online application. Support is provided by the programme lead via email if you wish to seek either clarification around writing your research proposal before you make a formal application.

For more information about this course, please contact the Programme Leader, Dr Elaine Ball: e.ball1@salford.ac.uk

Months of entry

May, September

Course content

Professional Doctorates are linked intrinsically to your workplace. The DProf provides an excellent framework in which to develop a credible research proposal based on issues identified in a clinical or health-related environment. This course has been developed in collaboration with in-service professionals along the key themes of education for:

• Personal strategies for practice development
• Creative decision-making and risk-taking
• Developing presence, influence and political know-how
• Evidence-based practice and research

The programme comprises two years taught modules designed to help you refine and develop your research skills and ideas, then a three year research project during which you write up a thesis.

You have the support of a module team for the first two years of the taught element then in years 3-5 you will have two supervisors to support your research. We have experts in nursing, counselling, social care, public health, occupational therapy, radiography, physiotherapy to supervise your own area of expert knowledge. Developing personal support is one of the most important values informing the DProf programme. You might be a mature student and spent lengthy periods in the workplace; confidence around writing support is built into the taught element.

Variable points of entry are available for applicants who come in via the Accreditation or Prior Learning route - there are 3 to 3.5 year routes via accredited prior learning (APL/APEL). More information can be obtained from the programme leader, Dr Elaine Ball: e.ball1@salford.ac.uk / 0161 295 7280.

At the end of your study, if you have undertaken research and have registration (where appropriate) in the relevant area you can request an alternative named award:

Professional Doctorate (Social Work)

Professional Doctorate (Advanced Practitioner)

Information for international students

International applicants will be required to show proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 (no element below 5.5) is proof of this.