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Original research shaping teaching, policy, and learning science
Online or on campus
The PhD Education programme supports scholars investigating how people learn and how systems enable or constrain that learning. Research areas include EdTech efficacy, inclusive pedagogy, teacher professional development, and higher-education policy. You will complete doctoral coursework, pass candidacy, and produce a dissertation contributing new knowledge — with pathways for practising educators researching their own institutions. PhD Education is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 3–5 years, and the credit total is 60. Students move from Advanced Research Methods in Education through Advanced Research Methods in Education; Seminar in Learning Sciences; Education Policy & Comparative Systems; Doctoral Writing & Ethics; PhD Candidacy Examination; Doctoral Dissertation Research, and finish on Doctoral Dissertation Research. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly. Reading is a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. The artefact a marker expects is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Design mixed-methods educational research studies Contribute original findings to peer-reviewed education journals Translate research into policy and practice recommendations Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.
The 60-credit pathway combines advanced Year 1 coursework with multi-year supervised research. Practitioner-researchers may study problems of practice within their institutions under ethical governance; career academicians focus on theory-building publications and conference dissemination.
Faculty spotlight
Professor Alex Morgan leads learning-sciences research; Dr. Aisha Okonkwo specialises in comparative education in Africa and the UK.
Study online
Online tuition is free. Online examinations are free. There is no exam fee for online study.
On-campus study
Prefer to learn at our Edinburgh campus? Campus tuition and campus examinations are charged. The published campus price is on each programme page.
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDD701 | Advanced Research Methods in Education Advanced Research Methods in Education (EDD701) is a 6-credit course on PhD Education, with 60 notional learning hours. By the end, students can design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly, using Advanced Research Methods in Education as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration.
| 6 · 60 h |
| EDD702 | Seminar in Learning Sciences Seminar in Learning Sciences (EDD702) is a 6-credit course on PhD Education, with 60 notional learning hours. By the end, students can design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly, using Seminar in Learning Sciences as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration.
| 6 · 60 h |
| EDD703 | Education Policy & Comparative Systems Education Policy & Comparative Systems (EDD703) is a 6-credit course on PhD Education, with 60 notional learning hours. By the end, students can say who decides, under which rule, and draft a note a professional could read, using Education Policy & Comparative Systems as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a statute or instrument, a case or policy paper, and a commentary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a memo or draft clause with sources and a revision note. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course is academic. It does not admit the student to practise law and it is not a qualifying law degree.
| 6 · 60 h |
| EDD704 | Doctoral Writing & Ethics Doctoral Writing & Ethics (EDD704) is a 6-credit course on PhD Education, with 60 notional learning hours. By the end, students can design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly, using Doctoral Writing & Ethics as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration.
| 6 · 60 h |
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDD801 | PhD Candidacy Examination PhD Candidacy Examination (EDD801) is a 0-credit course on PhD Education, with 10 notional learning hours. By the end, students can design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly, using PhD Candidacy Examination as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration.
| 0 |
| EDD802 | Doctoral Dissertation Research Doctoral Dissertation Research (EDD802) is a 36-credit course on PhD Education, with 360 notional learning hours. By the end, students can design a short sequence for a named group of learners and the criteria that would mark it fairly, using Doctoral Dissertation Research as the working context rather than a generic management example. The course is taught in three movements. First, students establish the terms and the decision the course is about. Second, they apply the method to a case, dataset, text, or design and compare it with a weaker alternative. Third, they revise the work after feedback and state what the conclusion cannot support. Preparation uses a curriculum extract, an assessment specification, and an evaluation summary. Seminar time is for the decision, not for reading the materials aloud. Assessment is a plan with outcomes, a task, criteria, and a note on bias. A pass requires a clear method, evidence a marker can check, and an explicit limit. Credit is not awarded for summary alone. This course does not confer a teaching licence, QTS, or equivalent registration.
| 36 · 360 h |
Modules are assessed through a published mix of coursework, applied projects, and examinations. Exam windows are announced in advance so students in other time zones are not forced into overnight sittings. Alternative arrangements are available where documented.
The published duration is 3–5 years. Teaching language: English. Actual time-to-complete depends on mode and any recognised prior learning.
You may study this award fully online from your country, or — where published — on campus at Brigant. Online study does not require a student visa. Campus study may.
Degree tuition for this award is published as £0 / tuition-free on the online pathway. Examination or administrative fees may apply at checkout — never an annual tuition invoice. Check the Fees page for any extras.
Requirements are grouped on this page (academic, English, documents, research). Equivalent qualifications are considered. English may be waived after prior English-medium study.
Assessment is typically a mix of coursework, projects, and examinations. Doctoral awards include a thesis or dissertation and an oral examination. Details sit in the programme specification and module outlines.
Recognition of the award for local employment, professional licence, or ministry attestation is decided by your employer or regulator. University of Brigant publishes verification pages for certificates. We do not claim automatic equivalence in every country.
Start an application on this website. Progress is saved from the first step. Admissions: admissions@brigant.uk.
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