Michelle Pyer
Associate Professor in Child & Family Wellbeing
level:PG;top_up:false;international:false;foundation:false;clearing:false;full_time:false;part_time:true;start_month:April;location:Waterside
Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care
Key Facts
-
Duration
5 years part time
-
Level
PostgraduatePG Doctor of Professional Practice
-
Starting
April
APR
-
£2,750 per year with registration ordinarily five years (with an annual increment of 5%).
-
Waterside
Updated 25/02/2026
Overview
Advance your professional impact with a practice-focused doctorate designed for working professionals in health and social care. Study flexibly, research real-world challenges, and develop the leadership and research expertise to drive meaningful change.
The Doctor of Professional Practice (DProfPrac) is designed for experienced professionals in health and social care who want to advance their careers, lead meaningful change and make a lasting impact.
This practice-focussed doctorate allows you to research real-world challenges that you face in your professional role, enabling you to generate knowledge that benefits service users, your organisation and profession. You will develop advanced research, critical thinking and leadership skills that support progression in senior, strategic or consultancy roles.
The programme is offered on a part time basis, making it possible to balance doctoral study with professional and personal responsibilities. You will be supported by academics with extensive research experience and join a community of practitioner-researchers who are committed to improving practice, policy and outcomes across health and social care. We also work with our amazing alumni and visiting scholars to ensure you receive high-quality practice-led insights that support your professional growth.
On completion, you will graduate with the confidence, credibility and expertise to influence practice, inform policy and lead evidence-based change and local, national or international levels.
Please note that we are unable to support Student VISAs for this course due to its part-time nature. However, international applicants holding other types of VISAs may be considered, provided their VISA permits them to engage in study..
For further information about the Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care and about our next intake, please contact Dr Michelle Pyer, Programme Leader, by email at Michelle.Pyer@northampton.ac.uk
Highlights
- Engagement in advanced research within an inter-disciplinary and multiprofessional learning environment.
- Study as a cohort within facilitated modules (years 1 and 2).
- Work with a dedicated supervisory team to complete your own doctoral thesis (years 3-6).
- Hands on experience of project work from early on in the programme.
- Work with research leaders across a range of fields.
- Peer learning with recent alumni of the programme.
- A range of assessment methods applied through facilitated modules, including the opportunity to submit a paper for publication.
Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally meet the following criteria:
- Be able to demonstrate that you have achieved 180 credits at Level 7 (through Accredited Prior Certificated Learning). This will normally be in the form of a Masters degree in a cognate subject, completed within the 10 years prior to enrolment. Applicants holding a Masters degree completed more than 10 years prior to enrolment will need to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Programme Leader, updating of their knowledge and skills at the equivalent of Level 7 during the past 10 years.
- A minimum of 3 years relevant work-experience at an appropriate level (e.g., demonstration of leadership, autonomy or advanced practice).
- Due to the work-based nature of the award students should currently be employed in a suitable workplace environment to support learning and assessment on the programme.
- Please download the Research area form to submit alongside your application.
We regret to inform you that we are unable to support Student VISAs for this course due to its part-time nature. However, international applicants holding other types of VISAs may be considered, provided their VISA permits them to engage in study.
Find more information about applying for research study.
All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:
- Minimum standard – IELTS 7.0 (or equivalent)
for study at postgraduate level.
For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.
What You'll Learn
We are passionate about delivering this programme, which we have designed for experienced clinicians and practitioners in health and social care. During your first two years with us, you will study seven modules which offer a sound grounding in research theory, methods and application. Our modules offer you extensive opportunities to work directly with a range of different types of data, including that arising from your own project work. Assessments include presentations, proposals, academic posters and a journal article which you may choose to submit for publication.
Our programme team is made up of Professors and Associate Professors from the Faculty of Health, Sport and Behavioural Sciences, and we carefully plan our delivery to enable you to make links from research specialists from across the institution and further afield. During the second year of your studies, you will be allocated a critical friend; a senior researcher within the institution, who will support you to finalise your thesis idea into a detailed proposal, ensuring that you are ready to hit the ground running with your own research from the start of year three.
From the start of year three, you will work with a supervisory team of at least 2 senior researchers, chosen to meet your support needs of both your research topic and the research methods you will use. The research study (thesis) element of the course can last up to four years, culminating in a viva voce examination where you will defend your thesis with both internal and external examiners. The thesis element of the programme follows the same procedures and regulations as our PhD students, including annual reviews and an internal presentation to other staff and students plus a viva which takes place after the first 18 months to endure adequate progress. All of these are designed to support your progress through the programme. The thesis is examined to the same standard as conventional PhDs but is typically half the length (with a proportionately small research project) to recognise the assessments that were undertaken in the first two years. Unlike a PhD, there is a requirement that the research for the thesis element should make a contribution to practice.
Postgraduate Research Student satisfaction with our extensive support programme is evidenced by our university ranking 1st in the 2020 UK Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), up 3 places from 4th in 2018. In the 2019/20 PRES results, 91% of students taking the survey were satisfied with their research degree experience. Our staff are proud of what we do, and even prouder of what our students achieve.
Compulsory Modules
Project Design and Ethics
Code: GRA8007
Evaluation and Audit in Practice
Code: GRA8008
Developing Research Leadership
Code: GRA8009
Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis (Health, Education & Society)
Code: GRA8012
Advanced Qualitative Methods (Health, Education & Society)
Code: GRA8013
The Research Proposal (Health, Education and Society)
Code: GRA8017
Principles of Research (Health, Education and Society)
Code: GRA8018
Thesis Module (Health, Education & Society)
Code: GRA8023
Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 25/26. The modules relating to the academic year 26/27 will be available from June 2026.
The programme has been designed to enable students to demonstrate:
- An original contribution to the advancement of professional knowledge and practice in an area of professional activity through the identification, development and execution of original research based in a health or social care practice environment.
- Systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge appropriate to an area of health and social care practice.
- Advanced knowledge and understanding of relevant methodologies for research and the advancement of professional practice.
- Engagement in advanced research within an inter-disciplinary and multi-professional learning environment in a flexible and blended way.
- Independent critical judgement related to a specialist area of professional health or social care practice.
- A contribution to the achievement of the modernisation agenda by development of research leadership in a health or social care practice environment.
What is the application process?
You can apply for this programme directly to the University. You will be asked to complete a short application form about yourself, and to upload the following documents:
- Personal statement.
- Brief overview of your proposed research area (1,000 words).
- Photocopies or scans of your Masters certificate and transcript and other relevant certificates.
- Two references (you can find a reference request form here)
- Evidence of English language ability (where English is not the first language).
- Change of name document, if your application and certificates are in different names.
All applicants are expected to attend an interview, usually completed remotely, with the Programme Leader and Deputy Programme Leader.
How will I be assessed?
Practice related assignments, including hands-on project experience (audit or evaluation). Assessments within the first two years of facilitated modules include:
- Extended essay
- Research proposal including appropriate application for ethical approval for research
- Case Studies (using data sets)
- Portfolios
- Seminar presentation
- Literature review
- Reflective accounts
- Journal article.
The Professional Research Module is assessed by completion of a doctoral thesis and viva voce examination.
Do the modules run on the same day of the week for every session?
Feedback from previous students has told us that running the modules on the same day each time can lead to some people missing out, for example where they are regularly in clinic on a Wednesday. For this reason, we run module days on a range of different weekdays to enable students to attend for the majority of sessions across a module. Where possible we set module dates six months in advance of them running to ensure that as busy professionals, students are able to plan them into their work schedules.
Fees and Funding
2026/27 Tuition Fees
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 26/27 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- Part Time: £2,750 per year with registration ordinarily five years.
There are no additional costs for this course other than potential research costs arising from the thesis element of the award which will depend on the project. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 25/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- Part Time: £2,675 per year with registration ordinarily five years.
Staff
Jackie Campbell
Professor of Neurophysiology
John HORTON
Professor
Cristina Devecchi
Associate Professor in Education
Federico Farini
Professor of Sociology
Katy-Louise Payne
Senior Lecturer - Learning Disability Nursing
Tereza Aidonopoulou
Senior Lecturer in Education (SEN and Inclusion)
Careers and Employability
The Doctor of Professional Practice is designed for professionals who wish to extend their influence within their current field and progress into roles with greater responsibility and strategic impact. The programme supports the development of advanced expertise that can be applied directly to professional practice, organisational leadership and service improvement.
Graduates often continue to develop their careers within health and social care, moving into senior leadership, advanced practitioner, consultancy or policy-focused roles. The doctorate also provides a strong foundation for those who wish to contribute to teaching, research, professional education or academic practice, either within higher education or alongside ongoing professional work.
By completing a programme of practice-based research, you will enhance your professional credibility and capacity to lead evidence-informed change.
Facilities & Community
As a doctoral researcher at the University of Northampton, you will have access to a range of facilities designed to support advanced study and professional research. These include a dedicated postgraduate researcher study spaces, modern teaching rooms, and comprehensive library resources, both on campus and online.
The University’s library provides extensive access to academic journals, databases and specialist research materials relevant to health and social care. You will also benefit from online learning platforms and digital resources that support part-time study. Our University research centres and institutes offer communities of researchers to support collaboration, knowledge exchange and the development of high-quality research grounded in support and a love of what we do.