PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATES IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: HOW HIGHER EDUCATION IS RESPONDING TO THE CHANGING NEEDS OF INDUSTRY AND THE PROFESSIONS. Paul Chynoweth School of Construction & Property Management, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom, M5 4WT. Email: p.chynoweth@salford.ac.uk Abstract The paper introduces the concept of the professional doctorate and distinguishes it from other forms of doctoral award, including the PhD. It traces the rapid development of the professional doctorate and its recent appearance within built environment schools. It notes the increasing requirement for doctoral education within the field due to the changing nature of professional work and the emergence of the concept of lifelong learning. The shortcomings of traditional doctoral education in meeting the needs of industry and the professions are discussed. The professional doctorate is presented as a more appropriate vehicle for doctoral level study by professionals and a number of programme design issues are discussed. In particular, the special arrangements required for facilitating, and assessing, doctoral-level research by full-time practitioners are explored. Based on experiences in developing a programme at the University of Salford, the paper proposes a model for a built environment professional doctorate as a basis for further discussion. Keywords: doctorate, lifelong learning, profession, practitioner, programme development, reflective practice, research.
1. Introduction Within the last two years the Professional Doctorate in the built environment has emerged as a new category of award within UK Higher Education. At the time of writing one programme (at Anglia Ruskin University) is already in existence and three further programmes (at the Universities of Salford, Northumbria and the West of England) have been approved for launch during the 2006/07 academic year. In view of the rapid development of professional doctorates in other professional areas it seems likely that others will follow within the built environment over the coming years. This paper introduces the concept of the professional doctorate and distinguishes it from other forms of doctoral award, including the PhD. It describes the benefits of the professional doctorate for built environment professionals and discusses a number of programme design issues associated with this type of award. These are illustrated by reference to the particular features of the programme now being offered by the University of Salford. 2. Background Doctoral awards The professional doctorate is, of course, a doctoral level award (a doctorate). Doctorates have been a part of Higher Education since they were first awarded by the University of Paris during the latter half of the twelfth century (Noble 1994). They are recognised as signifying the highest level of academic award which a university can bestow. There is however a level of confusion about the relationship between the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree and doctorates in general. In fact the PhD, which is awarded for a research-based thesis, is a relative newcomer to the field. It emerged in Germany in the nineteenth century and the first award by a British university was not made until 1920 (Bourner 2001). Nevertheless, any form of doctorate is a measure of a particular level of academic attainment and, although the most widely recognised, the traditional PhD is simply one means by which this can be demonstrated. The range of doctoral awards available in the UK is illustrated in Figure 1.
Doctorates Higher Doctorates Eg. LLD, D.Litt, DSc FHEQ Doctorates Honorary Doctorates Research Doctorates Practice-based Doctorates Eg. DMus Taught Doctorates Traditional PhD PhD by Publications MD Professional Doctorates New Route PhD MERIT (Salford) Doctorates in Professional Practice EngD DBEnv EdD DBA DNurse DClinPsych DProf / PrD Others FIGURE 1: Classification of UK Doctoral Awards The changing pattern of doctoral education Despite the continuing availability of the various forms of doctoral award during the whole of the twentieth century the PhD rapidly became the most widely recognised. However, it has recently been the subject of criticism in the UK (OST 1993, Harris 1996, Dearing 1997). The poor completion rates for doctoral students became an area of particular concern for the research funding councils during the 1990s. This was attributed to the low levels of support which have traditionally been provided for PhD students in the UK. Other criticisms focused on the narrow subject focus of the British PhD as an adequate basis for developing the necessary breadth of subject knowledge for aspiring academics. These criticisms heralded the beginning of a rapid period of change within doctoral provision in the UK which has not yet run its course. These included a greater
emphasis on the provision of research methods support for PhD students, and attempts to introduce elements of subject knowledge into postgraduate research provision. This thinking has resulted in closer monitoring of PhD students progress; in the introduction of research methodology training workshops; and particularly in the development of fully structured PhD programmes. The New Route PhD provided by a consortium of 10 British universities is one example of this. The University of Salford s MERIT programme provides a further example in the particular context of the built environment. The vocational context In parallel with these changes the British doctorate has also had to respond to demands that it should be more relevant to the world of work outside the university environment. The complexities of work in the modern world require increasing levels of intellectual sophistication and, at the highest levels, this is said to include the need for the skills provided by doctoral level study (UKCGE 2002). The British PhD had developed as an exclusively academic qualification and was illsuited to fulfilling this new role. The Government s 1993 White Paper (OST 1993) concluded that the traditional PhD is not well-matched to the needs of careers outside research in academia or an industrial research laboratory. The present emphasis on transferable employment-related skills within PhD research training workshops (QAA 2004) is one response to these criticisms. A more radical response has been the rapid development, since the early 1990s, of the professional doctorate as an alternative qualification to the PhD. 3. The Professional Doctorate Nature of the qualification Professional doctorates are similar to other taught doctorate programmes like the New Route PhD and MERIT to the extent that they combine a research project with research training and a taught subject components. However, they differ in terms of their student profile, the mode of study, and the nature of the research output.
The professional doctorate student will be based in an external, non-academic, working environment. They will be seeking to make a contribution to professional knowledge within their field. As with a PhD thesis, this contribution will be an original one. However, it will be in the area of applied, rather than pure, knowledge. It will also draw on the student s existing professional knowledge through a process of reflective learning. Two categories of professional doctorate All professional doctorates involve academic research by a student who is permanently located in the working environment. However programmes may be categorised as either pre-service or in-service awards. The former provide a route to high status employment for those in the early stages of their careers and may be aimed at recent graduates. The UK s Engineering Doctorate (EngD) falls into this category. The majority of professional doctorate programmes in the UK fall into the category of in-service awards and are generally referred to as doctorates in professional practice (Figure 1). They are usually offered on a part-time basis and are aimed at working professionals with considerable experience in their fields. Patterns of growth The first professional doctorates to be introduced in the UK appeared in 1992. Since then there has been a rapid expansion and, less than 10 years later, Bourner et al (2001) were able to describe them as a significant new force in graduate education. By 2000 there were 153 such programmes across 51 UK universities, with a growth rate for new programmes of around 20% per year (UKCGE 2002). The latest survey shows that, by April 2005, this had increased to 186 programmes being offered by 85 universities with a further 27 programmes in the course of development (UKCGE 2005). Early programmes tended to serve a small number of professions with the main qualifications being the EdD, EngD, DBA and the DClinPsych. Since then there has been a rapid proliferation of professional doctorates across the professions including, most recently, within the built environment.
Recent developments Three types of professional doctorate now serve the built environment market. Firstly, in an engineering and technology context, there are now a range of EngD programmes for candidates at the start of their careers. Secondly, there are a number of generic programmes which accommodate built environment candidates alongside those from other disciplines. Finally, the dedicated built environment professional practice doctorate programme is now beginning to emerge as a recognised qualification. It is this form of award which is generating most interest, and which is the focus of the present paper. 4. Increasing Relevance of Doctoral Level Education Doctoral level qualifications are becoming increasingly attractive to built environment professionals, and to their organisations, for a number of reasons. The breakdown of traditional professional boundaries, the development of new technologies, procurement strategies and related management practices within the construction and property sectors all contribute to the increasing complexity of the built environment professional s working environment. These changes are well understood by the professional associations who now place a growing emphasis on continuing professional development and lifelong learning, at all levels, as an essential feature of professional life. There is a recognition that doctoral level study plays a part in this process. The RICS, for example, identify possession of a PhD as one route to the achievement of fellowship status (RICS 2004). The development of mass higher education, desirable in itself, has also diminished the academic status conferred by the possession of an honours degree (UKCGE 2002). As a consequence, society has witnessed an increasing demand for higher qualifications. The expansion of the Masters (and particularly the MBA) market during the 1990s was one example of this. As more professionals acquire qualifications at Masters level a doctoral level award becomes an increasingly attractive qualification for those seeking to distinguish themselves from their peers.
5. Significance of the Professional Doctorate Barriers to doctoral level study Despite the advantages of doctoral level study the achievement of a PhD will rarely be a realistic objective for practising professionals. As previously mentioned, completion rates amongst full time PhD candidates are themselves a matter for concern. The long periods of intense academic study, uncertainties over direction, and the isolation that accompanies this, are difficult to manage. These problems can be magnified many times for candidates who are not involved in the academic world on a daily basis. The professional doctorate model therefore offers the opportunity for candidates who are practising professionals to minimise (but not to eliminate) some of these difficulties. Addressing the needs of practising professionals This is achieved, firstly, by ensuring that candidates study as part of a cohort. Unlike PhD candidates, those studying for a professional doctorate award undertake a structured programme of study with a group of other students who are working towards the same objective, and over the same time scale. This minimises isolation. Loyalty to the cohort can also provide a significant incentive for students to pursue their studies to a successful conclusion. Secondly, the structure and content of the programme is tailored specifically to the needs of practising professionals. To a great extent the professional doctorate concept relies on the programme s ability to unlock candidates existing tacit professional knowledge during the early stages which can then be harnessed as the research develops. All professional doctorate candidates are, by definition, undertaking research within their existing area of expertise, and which is related to their professional role. This is quite different from the situation with a traditional PhD student who starts from a theoretical perspective and then typically builds knowledge through empirical investigation and analysis. The early stages of professional doctorate programmes
therefore provide an induction into the academic environment. They also introduce candidates to the concepts of experiential learning and reflective practice that will enable them to fully utilise their existing knowledge within their research projects. Thirdly, professional doctorate programmes generally adopt a greater flexibility towards patterns of study by candidates in view of the competing demands of their professional roles. This will manifest itself in a number of ways. The pattern of assessment may, for example, differ from the final thesis approach adopted in a PhD context. Another example may be found in the context of variable speed study options. This may involve the inclusion of stepping on and stepping off points at appropriate stages during the programme to accommodate particular career or personal demands that arise during the period of study. Finally, there may be greater flexibility of programme duration than with the traditional PhD. Many universities will, for example, allow a reduced period of study for professional doctorate candidates compared to those required for the PhD. 6. Award Titles Generic awards The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) award title is, of course, widely recognised and therefore carries significant status. The challenge for institutions offering professional doctorate programmes is to identify award titles which have the potential to develop an equivalent level of currency. Despite this, very few institutions have selected a generic professional doctorate award title that can be used for all subject areas in the way that the PhD is used in traditional doctoral study. The recent survey by the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE 2005) records that only 7 of the 186 awards offered nationally carry generic titles. Indeed, somewhat ironically, where institutions do elect to follow this approach, they have been unable to agree on a single sector wide title. Where this form of award title is used it may be described as either DProf, ProfD, PrD or PrDoc.
In fact the survey found that the remaining 179 awards omit the professional prefix entirely and describe themselves simply as a doctorate in a named professional subject discipline. These descriptions are then abbreviated to provide a short series of letters which can be easily recognised when used, for example, on business cards or other professional stationary.
Discipline specific awards A plethora of such awards is now available, including the Doctor of Education (EdD), the Doctor of Engineering (EngD), the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and the Doctor of Nursing (DNurse). Although this approach cannot achieve the sector-wide recognition that the PhD enjoys, it does ensure that the award titles can be tailored to the subtleties and nuances of particular professional cultures and identities. In itself, this guarantees the best chance of widespread recognition of the professional doctorate award within a particular professional environment. Once again however, even within a single professional field, there remain a variety of award titles which effectively describe the same type of award. By way of illustration the various professional doctorate awards in the built environment are described in Table 1. It is hoped that the slight variation in titles is a temporary phenomenon and that a degree of consensus will begin to emerge as other programmes enter the market. Although this must be a matter for sector-wide agreement, the recommendation of this paper is that the DBEnv award offers the best opportunity for a universal, and easily understood, term which offers no possibility of confusion with existing abbreviations. TABLE 1: UK Professional Doctorate Awards in the Built Environment INSTITUTION AWARD ABBREVIATION Anglia Ruskin University Professional Doctorate in the PrD Built Environment University of Northumbria Doctorate in the Built DBE Environment University of Salford Doctorate in the Built DBEnv Environment University of the West of England Doctorate in the Built Environment DBEnv 7. The Salford Built Environment Professional Doctorate Principles of programme design The development of the Salford programme has been guided by three principles. Firstly, the recognition that it must be capable of delivering doctoral level outputs of equivalent standards to the PhD. Secondly, the imperative of having a programme design that, from the very beginning, supports candidates in the process of unlocking
the academic content of their professional knowledge. Thirdly, the need for a programme which is sufficiently attractive to provide a viable alternative for practitioners, to the more well-known PhD award. The resulting programme is illustrated in Figure 2. The first two years is highly structured, modularised, and credit rated. Candidates study six M-level modules, and are assessed on their performance in each of them. The modularised and credit rated element provides a high level of support for candidates during their induction into doctoral level research. The credit structure also provides the mechanism for variable rate study if candidates choose to make use of the stepping on and off points at Pg Cert, PG Dip and Masters degree stages. Integration of modular & research elements Although it is quite common for professional doctorate programmes to include a credit rated modular element at M level, this often takes the form of a cognate taught element, sometimes utilising modules from other taught Masters programmes within the institution. These arrangements can work well if the content of the taught modules is sufficiently related to the subject matter of the candidate s doctoral research. However, if appropriate modules are not available within the institution, the risk is that the taught element serves only to delay the commencement of the candidate s doctoral research. The programme can then become more akin to a taught Masters programme followed by a traditional PhD. The Salford programme attempts to integrate the credit and non credit rated elements by modularising the early stages of the doctoral research process itself, rather than by using the modules to deliver subject-based taught material. The various modules have therefore been designed to provide the necessary stepping stones which practitioner candidates will require as they begin to develop doctoral research projects within their individual professional environments.
PgCert [EXIT AWARD] 60 credits Non credit rated Element Credit rated Element Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Academic & Professional Knowledge in the Built Environment (30 credits) Research Approaches & Methodologies in Built Environment Practice (30 credits) PgDip [EXIT AWARD] 120 credits Stage 1 Stage 2 Knowledge Development through Reflective Practice (30 credits) Practice-based Theoretical Study (30 credits) Preliminary Practice-based Investigation (60 credits) (15,000-20,000 word dissertation + transfer report) Practice-based Research Project (Not credit-rated) Practice-based Research Project (Not credit-rated) Internal Evaluation (44 50 months) Transfer Assessment (24 30 months) MSc/M Res [EXIT AWARD with option to rejoin programme within 3 years] 180 credits Presentation of thesis on recommendation of supervisor Year 5 Practice-based Research Project (Not credit-rated) 35,000 50,000 word thesis, portfolio & viva voce (Minimum 60 months) Doctor of the Built Environment [FINAL AWARD] FIGURE 2: Built Environment Professional Doctorate Programme, University of Salford Doctoral research element Successful completion of the credit rated element results in the delivery of a Masters level dissertation which then provides the basis for candidates doctoral level research during the second (non credit rated) element of the programme. The teaching and learning strategy during the first two years is dominated by regular workshop sessions, supplemented by individual research supervision. As candidates enter the second phase of the programme this emphasis is reversed. Candidates continue to attend workshops throughout the whole of their studies. However, the role of their supervisor becomes increasingly important as their focus shifts from the development of common skills towards the detailed development of their individual research projects.
Candidates progress is monitored during the programme at two formal progression points when they are required to present and defend their work. These are the transfer assessment (after 24 30 months) and the internal evaluation (after 44 50 months). Although the programme is nominally of five years duration, candidates who successfully complete their internal evaluation may, on the recommendation of their supervisor, present their thesis at any time after four years. Assessment would typically be based on a shortened (35,000 to 50,000 words) thesis combined with all previously assessed modular submissions. Candidates also have the option of presenting a conventional (70,000 to 90,000 words) doctoral thesis, for example, if they wish to rework some of their earlier submissions. 8. Conclusions This paper has shown that doctoral education in the UK is undergoing a period of change following criticisms by government and the funding councils. The introduction of the so called taught doctoral programme is a central feature of this. Professional doctorates account for the overwhelming majority of taught doctorates. They continue to experience rapid growth across a wide range of professional fields including, most recently, in the built environment. Professional doctorates in the built environment respond to the professional institutions increasing emphasis on continuing professional development and lifelong learning for their members. This emphasis itself reflects the increasing complexity, and the changing patterns, of work in the construction and property sectors. It is now recognised, by the RICS and others, that the need for an increasingly educated professional workforce includes those with doctoral level qualifications and abilities. The professional doctorate has been shown to provide a more viable route for practising professionals to achieve a doctorate than that provided by the traditional PhD. It recognises the particular strengths and support requirements of practitioner candidates, and tailors an approach which harnesses candidates existing expertise in the support of their doctoral research.
The four existing built environment programmes each adopt slightly different approaches to achieving these aims. This reflects the pioneering nature of these programmes, which have all had to be developed from first principles. The Salford programme has been outlined in this paper as an example of one particular approach, and as a basis for ongoing discussion. It seems likely that increasing commonality in curriculum design and nomenclature will emerge as these programmes become more established, and as further programmes enter the market. A dialogue is now taking place between the programme teams of the four existing programmes. Other institutions that may be developing similar programmes are invited to contribute to the ongoing development of what promises to be a significant new strand in built environment education.
9. References Bourner, T., Bowden, R., Laing, S. (2001) Professional Doctorates in England Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 65 81. Dearing, R. (1997) Higher Education in the Learning Society, The National Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education, HMSO. Harris, M. (1996) Review of Postgraduate Education, HEFCE, CVCP. Noble, K. A. (1994) Changing Doctoral Degrees: An International Perspective, The Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Office of Science & Technology (OST) (1993) Realising our Potential a strategy for science, engineering and technology, Command 2250, HMSO. QAA (2004) Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education, Section 1: Postgraduate Research Programmes September 2004, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. RICS (2004) Fellowship by Achievement: Guidance Notes for Fellowship Applicants, RICS Education & Training. UKCGE (2002) Professional Doctorates, UK Council for Graduate Education. UKCGE (2005) Professional Doctorate Awards in the UK, UK Council for Graduate Education.