There are many reasons why you might choose to embark on a PhD. For instance, you might be keen to secure a teaching role with a UK Higher Education Institution, where a Doctoral level qualification is typically a prerequisite; you might be looking to pursue a career in research; or you might be keen to make a significant contribution to your industry and the development of professional practice.
Regardless of your motivation, undertaking a PhD is a significant commitment, both in terms of effort and, typically, time. The good news is, however, that there are some flexible routes to pursuing a PhD, with both full-time and part-time options available.
Our article discusses the variety of programmes available if you are looking to pursue this level of study.
Can I do a PhD in a year?
Some universities, especially those outside of the UK – with a focus on America and Europe – will offer prospective candidates the opportunity to “fast track” through an online programme, which may be completed in one or two years.
This condensed version of a traditional PhD programme allows those who are already employed – perhaps in industry research – to complete their degree whilst continuing their work. An additional benefit to candidates will be the cost-effective nature of completing Doctoral study in a shorter time period than traditional programmes. In order to identify fast track opportunities, we would encourage you to review the specific information offered by individual providers via their websites.
What is an integrated PhD?
An integrated PhD programme will typically involve a four-year qualification, with completion of a research Masters degree (also known as an MRes), before moving onto a three-year PhD. These are only offered by a minimal number of universities across the UK, with support through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
This type of PhD will involve practical experience and advanced research, balanced with taught materials. This enables students to consider subject-specific methodologies, as well as building a range of transferable skills to support them in their chosen professional field or industry.
This route effectively shortens the overall time to complete a Doctorate, compared to the traditional pathway, and has a greater focus on developing advanced research skills through the initial Masters component, offering a helpful opportunity to prepare students for the research phase.
What is meant by a PhD by thesis?
This is, arguably, the most common way of achieving a Doctorate, which involves three to four years of research at university – with support from a PhD supervisor – to produce a final thesis based on your original research proposal.
The specific requirements of a thesis will vary from institution to institution, but once completed, you will be required to defend your work in front of an expert academic panel during your viva.
How can I achieve a Doctorate by publication?
An increasingly popular route, especially for those already working within universities, involves submitting previously published work. This might include books, book chapters and journal articles, which can be brought together to produce a coherent body of work. This work should also demonstrate original contribution to a particular area of study or practice.
This can be a positive route for mid-career academics who have not had the opportunity to complete a standard Doctorate degree. The specific requirements for the publications vary from organisation to organisation – as does the time taken to complete this route – but the published work, overall, will be assessed with the same rigour as a traditional PhD by thesis. Once collated, your work will be presented to an academic committee, with an allocated supervisor available to assist you in selecting the publications to submit.
What is a Professional Doctorate?
As the name suggests, this type of Doctorate tends to be geared towards current professionals in sectors such as healthcare, teaching and education, and engineering and manufacturing. Their focus tends to be on a substantial taught component, with a smaller research project required.
A professional Doctorate can be completed on a part-time basis, and can last between two to eight years, with starting dates in October or January.
You are likely to consider a Professional Doctorate if you are focused on a real-world issue impacting on your employer, workplace or sector, with an emphasis on contributing to both theory and professional practice. Examples of titles for graduates from professional Doctorate degrees include Doctor of Education(EdD), Doctor of Engineering (EngD), and Doctor of Medicine (MD).
What are executive programmes?
Executive PhD programmes are typically designed for professionals who are keen to advance their career, without taking time out of the workplace to complete academic study. These programmes recognise the prior experience and expertise of industry professionals and can take anywhere between two and seven years to complete depending on the mode of study.
Executive programmes are more likely to be offered as online, distance learning opportunities. This allows greater freedom for students to conduct research remotely, enabling them to maintain their professional responsibilities, whilst advancing their academic goals.
This route can be particularly appealing to those who are established in their profession and who wish to conduct research directly related to their professional interests and goals, allowing greater scope to address real-world challenges and develop effective and practical solutions. Candidates will receive support from supervisors – typically online – but will still be required to attend in-person meetings and undertake research skills training.
Which is the right route for me?
When determining which pathway to a PhD is right for you, we would encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my end goal with my PhD? – Are you an established professional wanting to advance your career? Or are you fairly new to research and need to advance your skills?
- How much time do I want to dedicate to my Doctoral level studies? – If you are aiming to spend as little time as possible on achieving this higher level of qualification, then a fast-track programme or an integrated route are likely to be better options for you.
- Do I already have published academic work I can draw on? – If this is the case then a PhD by publication, a Professional Doctorate, or an executive programme might be more appropriate.
Whichever route you decide to take to achieve your Doctorate, make sure you draw on the support from those around you, including your supervisor, and regularly engage in the training and development opportunities available to you. You can explore and identify potential PhD opportunities now by using our search tool.
With all the due respect to the information provided in the article, I think that the explanation on the focus professional doctorates, “ Their focus tends to be on a substantial taught component, with a smaller research project required” can potentially lead to misunderstandings concerning the research focus,
In my view, which is supported by my own experience, it could be better to emphasise the distinction in the “type of research conducted”and/or “type of the knowledge generated” rather thanthe scale of the research project, sticking with the following explanation in the QAA’s Doctoral Degree Characteristics Statement (2020):
“ Professional and practice-based doctorates usually contain taught elements with significant lecture and seminar content, but final award of the doctorate is based on a supervised research project, projects or portfolio” (p.9)
Although some practice-based doctoral research projects may include practice-related materials among their outputs such as artworks, in which case the accompanying thesis can be shorter, this doesn’t necessarily apply to all professional doctorates, nor does it warrant this being viewed as a tendency. In fact, for example in business, research projects that are even larger in scope than would be expected of a traditional PhD are not a rarity.