Doctor of Professional Practice

Course overview:

The Doctor of Professional Practice (DrPP) is a multi-professional course, not restricted to health professionals, which recognises that contemporary professional practice encompasses a variety of disciplines. The DrPP enables professionals from a wide range of professions or disciplines to create knowledge that advances practice using advanced research skills, creativity, critical thinking, advanced problem-solving and knowledge translation skills, along with analytical and conceptual abilities.

The concept of professional practice is an overarching term that defines all occupations that involve actions rooted in context; actions that are underpinned by education and a body of knowledge. This course fosters innovation and creativity, providing you with the opportunity to critically analyse, synthesise and enhance concepts, meanings and intentions that underpin the theoretical dimensions of actions relating to your professional practice or discipline. The DrPP facilitates you to independently add to and enhance the body of knowledge that determines and defines your professional focus on practice. The professional focus of the DrPP is defined by a piece of advanced independent work specific to your area of professional practice.

The DrPP course contains three Level 8 taught modules (totaling 120 credits) and an independent research project (300 credits) that is assessed by a viva voce examination. You can complete this course as a full-time or part-time student taking advantage of flexible modes of learning accessible through attendance, distance learning or a combination of both. The course structure is dependent on whether your mode of study is full-time or part-time. We offer a broad range of flexible online learning courses from business to creative writing – all designed to fit around you and your other commitments.

How you are assessed:

The assessment methods guide you towards developing the academic skills necessary for studying at doctoral level and to achieve the learning outcomes of the programme.

A variety of assessment methods are used on the programme. Formative assessment is used in a number of modules to support your learning and provide you with the opportunity for feedback on your academic skills, and for the development of your academic writing and referencing skills, before you attempt the summative assessment.

Summative assessment methods utilise a range of approaches such as written reports, statistical analysis, written research proposals, oral and written exam, essays, action plan write up, case study write up, defended poster, journal article for publication, a thesis for the research project and a viva voce examination. The range of approaches used enable you to develop your theoretical knowledge, research skills and key transferable skills including written and verbal communication, IT and numerical skills; relevant to your area of professional practice and research.