Conceptualisation of a professional doctorate program: Focusing on practice and change

Abstract

Professional doctorates are frequently described as research degrees that combine workplace and professional engagement with the scholarly rigour of the university. This paper draws on findings from an empirical study of a professional doctorate program in nursing. During this study, a curriculum model that focuses on the intersecting spheres of university, profession and workplace was used as a prompt in interviews. Although this curriculum model has become a reference point for any discussion about the framework for professional doctorates in Australia, it became clear during the study that the predominant themes in the nursing program were different to those in the model. The disparity between the accepted model and the findings from the nursing program are discussed and an alternative model is offered. In this alternative model, the university retains its central role, combined with the themes of professional practice and change. These themes provide a curriculum framework that reflects the knowledge, experiences and intentions of both the students and the staff. The broader implications of the alternative model are also discussed.

The organisational impact of undertaking a professional doctorate: Forming critical leaders

“…Conversely, other studies have emphasised the importance of academia and the organisation as social structures that influence how people think and act, affecting how organisations can be changed. Malfroy () argued that the university remains the central pivot for knowledge production and dissemination, whereas the profession and the workplace are perceived as mere vehicles for such actions, a viewpoint also shared by McWilliam et al . (, p. 25), who saw in ‘the conflation of profession, workplace and industry’ little value for knowledge production relevant to the advancement of professional practice.…”

A research agenda for information technology

“…We need to begin comparing and contrasting the PhD to professional doctorate programs and ask what makes the most sense for our field. Professional doctorate programs have grown considerably in the past 25 years in fields such as nursing, audiology, psychology, administration, architecture [10]. While it is an injustice to characterize all such doctorates as alike, a general commonality is on the practice of the field as opposed to the discipline itself.…”

Nurse Practitioner preparation: Is it time to move beyond masters level entry in Australia?

“…A search of Australian University websites revealed seven out of thirty-nine universities offer a Doctor of Nursing or Doctor of Health Science as a professional doctorate for nurses (Australian Education Network, 2010). These practice focused doctorates are seen as an alternative to a research intense PhD, in reality they continue to have a substantial research component as part of the award (Malfoy, 2004).…”

“…Doctoral education in the form of a PhD has been available to Australian nurses since 1987 (Malfoy, 2004) and in 1989 the Australian National Board of Employment, Education and Training called for greater responsiveness on the part of higher education institutions to the needs of industry and the economy, and invited universities to develop professional doctorates in five professions including nursing (National Board of Employment Education and Training, 1989). Subsequently the Professional Doctoral degree emerged on the higher education landscape in the 1990s.…”