Practice Portfolio in Health and Social Care (Research)

The PhD by Practice Portfolio provides a route for experienced health and social care practitioners, educators, and policy makers to achieve a Doctoral level qualification based on the contribution that they have made to their field of practice.

This programme requires participants to bring together their existing work through the production of a portfolio and written commentary which demonstrates the original and significant contribution that they have made to their field of practice. This can, but does not have to, include a substantial research component.

For PhD by publications, candidates should submit between three to five high-impact publications, which will form the intellectual basis of the examination for the award.

This programme is assessed by the submission of a portfolio of selected work, a 15,000 word commentary, and normally an oral examination (viva voce).

Portfolio

The works selected for the portfolio should be focused and coherent. They may include papers, chapters, books, policy documents, educational programmes, service transformation projects, and reports to name some example. All of the work chosen should be publicly available. The works selected should normally have been undertaken during a minimum period of three years and need to have contemporary relevance. The volume of work needs to be comparable with that expected from a three-year full time PhD.

15,000 Word Commentary

The commentary needs to set out the proposed basis for the award by placing the work in its wider context. The commentary shall be up to 15,000 words in length and constitute a critical review including;

• An abstract of the portfolio as a whole including the key theme(s)
• A summary of each of the materials submitted including the aims and objectives of the work
• An overview of interrelationship between the materials and how they sit within the broader discipline area and existing literature
• A critical reflection of the techniques used to conduct the work
• A critical discussion of the impact of the projects in practice
• A critical review of the original contribution the work makes to the field of practice
• Conclusions and recommendations for future work.

The commentary should achieve a depth of scholarship comparable to that required for the award of PhD by thesis.

Oral Examination

An oral examination will normally take place within four months of submission of the portfolio and commentary. Candidates will be examined by two external examiners and one internal examiner, and the process will be overseen by an independent viva chair. Following the examination and recommendation made by the examination team it may be necessary to undertake some amendments to the portfolio and/or commentary in order to satisfy the criteria for the award.