Overview
Application deadlines
Monday 30 November 2026
Interview deadlines
Friday 19 December 2026
Weekend Study School dates
The first weekend study school will be held on 29/30 January 2027
Our Doctor of Education (EdD) postgraduate research degree is currently recruiting for the January 2027 cohort.
The EdD is offered on an exclusively part-time basis with one intake starting in January.
Our EdD is targeted at experienced professionals with a responsibility for education within their own organisation/workplace setting. Run on a cohort model, we offer 10-12 places for doctoral researchers to join this exciting EdD programme each year. The programme has been designed to enable experienced professionals to engage in work-related research that makes a real difference to their own organisation. Teaching and supervision over the first two years of the taught component of the programme takes place during weekend (e.g., Friday afternoon/Saturday) and summer school blocks to fit around the demands of our doctoral researchers’ busy work commitments. This is complemented by four Saturday schools offered in years 3, 4 & 5 each year when our doctoral researchers are supported by their supervisory teams during the thesis writing stage. The Brunel EdD offers a high-quality doctoral training and supervision experience for a small cohort of experienced professionals who see doctoral study as a way of making a real difference to the profession as well as to themselves personally.
Our EdD programme aims to:
- provide a framework of research skills and experience over the first two years of the course which will enable you conduct an original piece of research related to your own experience, interests or professional contexts
- facilitate your development as a fully competent independent researcher, able to understand and use research techniques appropriate to your subject area, and become knowledgeable about methodological approaches used by other researchers across the field of social science
- enable you to critically think through how you can use your existing knowledge and skills in different contexts, apply them to a variety of problems and to your own future research activities
Progression from Y1 to Y2 of the course requires the submission of a historical paper/literature review grounded in your professional context
Similarly, progression from Y2 to the thesis writing stage is marked by the submission of a professional contextual study paper.
The final award of the degree is decided upon the assessment of your EdD thesis and your performance in the viva voce examination.
Our EdD students are a vital part of our thriving doctoral research community here at Brunel, providing you with access to academic and professional development opportunities, offered by the department and the University as a whole.
For further information, please contact EdD Programme Lead Dr Andrew Carroll at andrew.carroll@brunel.ac.uk.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure.
Doctor of Education (EdD) programme of study
There are four study blocks in the taught component of the programme spread across the first two years (6 weekend study schools per year) with end of year papers as follows:
Year 1
ED6700: Improving education and enhancing educational professionalism
- The (recent) history of educational improvement in the UK and abroad, particularly from the perspective of policy (including standards-based improvement; inspection and improvement; measurement, curriculum reform, learning outcomes; league tables)
- The possible contributions of research to educational improvement (including action research; school effectiveness and improvement; teacher judgement; teacher activism)
- The literature on professions, professionalism and professionality, and its relevance for education (including conceptions and definitions of professions, professionalism and professionality; teacher professionalism; teacher agency; teacher autonomy). Enhancing professionalism (including the role of teachers, of research, of policy; the role of accountability)
ED6701: Making sense of education: Theory, history and policy
- Theories of education (with a particular focus on how educational theories and forms of theorising differ from theories and theorising in other practical fields and academic disciplines)
- The history and development of education as a scholarly and academic endeavour, in the UK and elsewhere. The history of education (with a particular focus on the history of school education and educational reform)
- Trends in education policy in the UK and elsewhere (including critical analysis of political dimensions of education policy and how such policy helps or hinders educational practice and educational professionalism)
End of year 1 task: 10,000 words historical paper on a topic of personal choice
Year 2
ED6702: Making sense of educational and social research
- The development of the social sciences and the interrelationships between science, social science and educational practice
- The history of educational research and its status among the social and behavioural sciences
- Normative and moral dimensions of social and educational research
ED6703: Close-to-practice research; design, skills and judgement
- Understanding different approaches to research in education (including the difference between explanatory, interpretative and critical research)
- Main approaches and designs of close-to-practice research (including action research, evaluation research, case study and ethnography). Principles of research design. Data collection, data analysis and data interpretation in close-to-practice research
- Improvement of practice and the role of research. Values, ethics and politics of close-to-practice research
End of year 2 task: 10,000 words paper based on an empirical inquiry (topic of personal choice) within own professional context
Years 3, 4 & 5 – Thesis writing stage
There are four Saturday schools for each year group spread across the academic year
Annual research conference
The department organises a research conference in July each year and doctoral researchers in all year groups are expected to present either an oral or poster presentation based upon their ‘work in progress’
Careers and your future
You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Student Professional Development (SPD) runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.
In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.
UK entry requirements
The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1). A Masters degree is desirable and relevant experience in an education related field is essential.
An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.
Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 5 (min 4.5 in all subscores)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2026/7 entry
UK
£2,619 part-time
International
£10,200 part-time
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
Some courses incur additional course related costs. You can also check our on-campus accommodation costs for more information on living expenses.
Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
The programme has been designed to enable senior professionals to engage in work-related research that makes a real difference to their own organisation.
Teaching and supervision over the first two years of the programme's taught component takes place on weekends (e.g., Friday afternoon/Saturday) and summer school blocks to fit around the demands of our doctoral researchers’ busy work commitments.
This is complemented by four Saturday schools offered in years 3, 4 & 5 each year when our doctoral researchers are supported by their supervisory teams during the thesis writing stage.
The Brunel EdD offers high-quality doctoral training and supervision experience for a small cohort of experienced professionals who see doctoral study as a way of making a real difference to the profession as well as to themselves personally.
Assessment and feedback
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.
