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Abstract

Now in its fourth year, the Doctorate in Professional Practice (DProfPrac) within Otago Polytechnic's Capable NZ (College of Work-based Learning) faces a challenge to demonstrate its rigour to a range of internal and external stakeholders. Having celebrated its first completion in 2021 and with others in the offing, now is an appropriate time to celebrate the intensity and authenticity of the organisation's distinct species of DProfPrac. In broad terms, the programme requires candidates to create new practice-led knowledge through a process strong in developing reflective and self-managing practitioners. The doctorate aims to implement and develop the Middlesex model of professional doctorates (Costley & Lester, 2010); indeed, representatives of this organisation serve as annual external reviewers of the developing programme. The programme is also open to scrutiny from within, such as research quality gate-keepers and the broad doctoral mentoring team. Further, it is closely watched by other tertiary providers of similar qualifications, and those wishing to enter the doctorate space. Universities watch to see if the professional doctorate offers legitimate threat to traditional and thetic models of representing coming to know. Is it a threat? There is clear pressure on demonstrating the robustness of the programme and, in turn, each candidature's rigour.Having a clear understanding of 'rigour' is crucial to the sustainability and quality assurance of programmes positioned at levels 9 and 10 on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) framework, particularly during times of 'super-complex' change. If, as Barnett (2000 might suggest, super-complexity is characterised by the constellation of critical moments comprising threats both inside the system (restructuring, amalgamation) and outside it (COVID-19, the world in turmoil, residual neoliberalist ideology), such educational providers must look to their sustainability to endure, and loss of survival would lead to rigor mortis.