Health and Social Care

Our programme has been developed for practitioners who are pursuing professional careers as consultant nurses or therapists, clinical specialists, advanced practitioners, practice development professionals, social workers, senior managers and leaders of healthcare.

Professional Doctorate HSC

We offer you the opportunity to develop advanced research skills and to apply them to professional practice issues through independent research. You'll have opportunity to make a significant contribution to professional practice and to improve service delivery and performance within your employing organisation and across the wider professions.

The doctorate comprises of a taught component in your first and second year, and a doctoral research component in your third to fifth year. The research study will culminate in a doctoral thesis specific to a profession or in the general area of health and social care. It leads to one of the following awards:

Doctorate in Health and Social Care
Doctorate in Nursing
Doctorate in Occupational Therapy
Doctorate in Optometry
Doctorate in Physiotherapy
Doctorate in Radiography
Doctorate in Midwifery
Doctorate in Social Work
A professional doctorate is similar to a PhD in the sense that it allows you to carry out original research and contribute new knowledge. All doctoral graduates are considered experts in their field and can use the title ‘doctor’. The main difference between a PhD and a professional doctorate is that the research is rooted in the researcher’s professional practice.

For further information about the course and an informal discussion, please contact Dr. Adéle Stewart-Lord adele.stewart-lord@lsbu.ac.uk