Growth of new professional doctorate provision across the UK and Ireland has levelled off, with challenges around funding and perceived status compared to PhDs continuing to constrain their development, according to a new survey of UK and Irish higher education institutions.
Co-authored by the UK Council for Graduate Education and University Alliance, the new report presents a comprehensive snapshot of professional doctorates.
Unlike traditional PhDs, professional doctorates are uniquely positioned to combine advanced research with in-work application, equipping experienced professionals with the high-level skills needed to drive productivity, innovation and the delivery of the UK’s industrial strategy across the IS-8 sectors.
Drawing on responses from 73 research degree-awarding institutions, the report provides an up-to-date assessment of how these applied research degrees are evolving. an up-to-date assessment of how these applied research degrees are evolving.
Key findings include:
- Provision of professional doctorates is widespread but no longer growing – 73% of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and 41% of Irish HEIs currently offer professional doctorates, but growth in this provision has plateaued, with numbers of providers largely unchanged since 2016 and only a small minority of institutions planning to introduce new programmes.
- More than half of institutions (51%) say enrolments are below expectations – 45% of institutions report rising enrolments over five years, 26% report declines, while 28% report no change.
- Parity with PhDs recognised in policy, but not in practice – 67% of institutions report governance parity with PhDs, 64% use the same assessment criteria. However, funders and applicants still favour PhDs, which contribute to recruitment challenges.
- Funding disparities with PhDs persist – the majority of candidates are self-funded, whilst a minority receive employer or external support, with institutions citing limited funding support as a barrier to access for mid-career professionals.
- However, there is emerging evidence that professional doctorates widen participation, with around one-third of institutions reporting improved representation from underrepresented groups, with progress made in diversifying the age and ethnicity of researchers.
The report also highlights a growing strategic “messiness” across the sector, with programme design often shaped by recruitment and income pressures, and some institutions shifting towards ‘structured PhDs’ that mirror professional doctorates, but differ in name. It also points to uneven perceptions in status: with post-1992 universities dominating provision, whilst research-intensive institutions rely more on traditional PhD pathways.
Recommendations
The report calls for clearer institutional strategies, with universities better articulating the purpose and value of professional doctorates to both employers and prospective students. It emphasises the need for sustained commitment to widening participation, building on emerging evidence of their inclusive potential.
It also urges the development of more flexible and inclusive doctoral funding models, ensuring professional doctorates are properly supported alongside PhDs. Stronger recognition from funders and policymakers of alternative doctoral pathways is critical.
Finally, the authors call for clearer funding routes and stronger advocacy from universities, employers and funders to support the role of professional doctorates in linking research, industry and professional practice.
A Sector in Transition
Despite ongoing challenges, the findings point not to decline but to recalibration. Professional doctorates appear to be entering a phase of more selective, strategic growth -shaped by institutional strengths, market positioning, and evolving expectations of doctoral education.
Vanessa Wilson, Chief Executive of University Alliance said of the report’s findings:
“Professional doctorates are a valued and vital bridge between academic research and real-world impact. They are uniquely placed to equip professionals with the advanced skills needed to drive innovation, productivity and deliver the ambitions of the UK’s industrial strategy. However, they are being held back by outdated funding models and persistent misconceptions about their value.
“If we are serious about the value that doctoral study offers in terms of innovation, productivity, widening participation and lifelong learning, we cannot rely on a single doctoral pathway. We need a system that recognises and properly invests in professional doctorates as a key route for professionals to harness advanced research.”
Dr Owen Gower, Director, UK Council for Graduate Education, said:
“UKCGE supports the call for a funding overhaul and a rethinking of the way professional doctorates are viewed within universities. We have long known that concrete action is needed regarding widening participation in the postgraduate sector, but this report offers a golden opportunity – to strengthen routes into doctoral education for those who may never have considered it, and to broaden the experience of candidates so they can better fulfil the needs of employers.”
Professor Jane Harrington, Chair of University Alliance and Vice-Chancellor and CEO of University of Greenwich and Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin, Chair, UK Council for Graduate Education:
“Professional doctorates have occupied an important, if at times contested, place within doctoral education over the last thirty years. Despite sustained interest from some universities, employers and professional communities, there has been relatively little sector-level evidence to help us understand their current position, purpose and future potential across the UK and Ireland. This report provides a valuable contribution to that conversation.“
“Professional doctorates may have an increasingly important role to play in supporting lifelong learning and mid-career development as workforce requirements change to respond to advances in artificial intelligence and drivers such as environmental sustainability, security and healthcare. The professional doctorate offers one possible model through which individuals can develop new expertise, generate impact and contribute to addressing complex societal challenges while remaining connected to professional practice.“
“The future of doctoral education is unlikely to be defined by a single model. Instead, it will depend upon our ability to recognise, value and support multiple routes through which doctoral-level knowledge, skills and impact can be developed. This report makes an important contribution to that discussion and provides a timely evidence base to inform future policy, institutional strategy and sector-wide debate.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Professional Doctorates in the UK and Ireland: Trends, Provision and Institutional Strategies was co-written by University Alliance’s Jennie Eldridge and Dr Rabia Arshad and the UK Council for Graduate Education’s Carolyn Wynne.
The full report can be read here.
Join the Launch Webinar
On Thursday July 9 at 1pm-2pm, the authors of the report will host a webinar to discuss their findings and insights.
Book your place on the webinar here.
Press enquiries
For press enquiries, call Elizabeth Somerville, Director of Communications on 07539 154067.
About University Alliance
University Alliance (UA) represents 20 of the UK’s leading professional and technical universities. Our members specialise in working with industry and employers. Their teaching is hands-on, and designed to prepare students for careers. Their knowledge and research drive industry to innovate, thrive and meet challenges.
Our members are: Anglia Ruskin University, Birmingham City University, Bournemouth University, University of Brighton, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of Derby, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Greenwich, University of Hertfordshire, Kingston University, Leeds Beckett University, Middlesex University, Oxford Brookes University, Robert Gordon University, University of South Wales, Teesside University, University of West London, UWE Bristol, University of Westminster.
The Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) is an enhanced doctoral training programme providing a dedicated national network for doctoral researchers and their supervisors together with research and professional skills training opportunities to support career development both within and beyond academia. It provides a platform where the next generation of researchers can understand the worth of collaborative projects through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and resources.
About the Doctoral Training Alliance
The Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) is an enhanced doctoral training programme, delivered by University Alliance. It provides a dedicated national network for doctoral researchers and their supervisors together with research and professional skills training opportunities to support career development both within and beyond academia. It provides a platform where the next generation of researchers can understand the worth of collaborative projects through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and resources.
About the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)
Established in 1994, the UK Council for Graduate Education is the national representative body for postgraduate education and research. An independent charity, it is the third-largest representative body of its kind in the world, representing 92% of all UK postgraduate research provision and 85% of all UK postgraduate taught provision. It champions and enhances postgraduate education and research by enabling collective leadership on the development of postgraduate affairs across UK HEIs, research agencies and funding bodies.
