If an individual wishes to pursue a change in their practice or organisation, or to conduct an organisation research and development project which could include to spearhead the efficient use of resources, or to increase performance yet reduce operational costs, or drive and test innovation or competitiveness, or to gain recognition and respect from their wider practioner network at regional, national or international level - then undertaking a Professional Doctorate is one route to achieve these goals and ambitions.
Within a Sustainable Built Environment: Architectural, Building Services Engineering, Conservation, Construction, Development, Environmental Public Health, Housing, Landscape, Planning, Policy Makers, Project Management, and Surveying disciplines could consider developing and implementing a professional change project.
Examples of projects could include: validating design details to improve efficiency of the building fabric, through monitoring performance on the build stock; developing, implementing and refining key performance indicators to reduce resource use and costs in a building or series of buildings; developing and testing design and construction guides for a novel type of building design or construction system; developing a user guide for dwelling occupants to better manage fuel poverty; developing a new service delivery to increase the number of homes built or repaired in a given time-frame; developing a tool to increase the translation of design details into buildable construction details; developing and testing new fire evacuation strategies to be used by the fire and rescue service and housing associations; developing a mitigation strategy to minimise pollution from construction sites; developing a new construction system and validating by user testing; developing methods to recycle and reuse waste from construction sites; developing methods to recycle water from bio-waste to be reused; developing a community renewable energy strategy. The options are very wide and include all stages the built environment life-cycle and disciplines working in, or engaged in trying to achieve a Sustainable Built Environment.
A Professional Doctorate should be informed by existing knowledge and/ or theory, and lead to a original and significant contribution to a change in professional practice or organisational practice; within the built environment context.
The programme is modular and includes four modules across three phases.
Candidates can apply from any country aross the globe, since the majority of supervision and tuition is delievered online; apart from a three day indution at the start of the programme and an annual review day with supervisors.
"While working for my employer I had the opportunity to pursue a professional doctorate with Cardiff Metropolitan University. This education path has helped me grow my knowledge and understanding in the field of sustainability, and in particular, the alternative source of water use for this type of building. In addition, I had the opportunity to present my research at various international conferences and develop papers for several journals, which I would have never been able to experience if I wasn’t enrolled in this program. My supervisors were key to this development while providing me with relevant and regular support at the academic and professional level."
Geraldine Seguela, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi