A new report from University Alliance and the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) has found that growth in professional doctorate provision across the UK and Ireland has levelled off, despite increasing demand for advanced workplace-focused research skills.
The report, Professional Doctorates in the UK and Ireland: Trends, Provision and Institutional Strategies, provides the most comprehensive picture to date of professional doctorate provision across the UK and Ireland. Drawing on survey responses from 73 research degree-awarding institutions and extensive desk-based research, it examines the current position, purpose and future potential of these distinctive doctoral qualifications.
Unlike traditional PhDs, professional doctorates combine advanced research with professional practice, enabling experienced professionals to generate workplace impact while continuing their careers. As the UK seeks to boost innovation, productivity and skills development through its industrial strategy, the report argues that professional doctorates have an increasingly important role to play.
However, the findings reveal significant challenges around funding, recruitment and perceptions of status that continue to constrain their growth.
Key findings
The report found that professional doctorate provision is widespread but growth has stalled. While 73% of UK higher education institutions and 41% of Irish higher education institutions currently offer professional doctorates, the number of providers has remained largely unchanged in recent years and very few institutions are planning new programmes.
Other key findings include:
- Growth in provision has plateaued, with only a small number of institutions planning to introduce new professional doctorate programmes over the next five years.
- More than half of institutions (51%) report enrolments below expectations, despite 45% reporting increases in recruitment over the past five years.
- Parity with PhDs exists institutionally but not in practice, with 67% of institutions reporting equivalent governance arrangements and 64% using the same assessment criteria. However, applicants and funders continue to favour traditional PhD pathways.
- Funding remains a significant barrier, with most professional doctorate candidates self-funding their studies and limited access to dedicated support for mid-career professionals.
- Professional doctorates may support widening participation, with around one-third of institutions reporting improved representation from underrepresented groups among their cohorts.
The report also highlights growing complexity across the sector, with some universities moving towards structured PhD models that mirror professional doctorates in practice while retaining PhD branding.
Supporting growth, innovation and lifelong learning
The report argues that professional doctorates are uniquely positioned to support lifelong learning, mid-career development and workforce transformation, particularly as employers respond to emerging challenges including artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, healthcare innovation and economic security.
It calls for:
- More flexible and inclusive doctoral funding models.
- Greater recognition of professional doctorates by funders and policymakers.
- Clearer institutional strategies and stronger articulation of the value of professional doctorates.
- Continued efforts to widen participation in doctoral education.
- Stronger collaboration between universities, employers and funders to support doctoral pathways that connect research and professional practice.
Vanessa Wilson, Chief Executive of University Alliance, said:
“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 economic growth, and to 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 of the 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 the University of Greenwich, and Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin, Chair of UKCGE, said:
“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 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.”
A sector in transition
Rather than signalling decline, the report suggests professional doctorates are entering a new phase of development characterised by more selective and strategic growth. Future provision is likely to be shaped increasingly by institutional strengths, employer demand and evolving expectations of doctoral education.
Read the report
Professional Doctorates in the UK and Ireland: Trends, Provision and Institutional Strategies