Overview

The Doctorate in Health and Social Care (DHSC) at The Open University UK will also be open to people working as carers, whose role involves them working with the health and social care sector. Informal carers, ‘experts by experience’ advocates and ‘expert patients’ may also make an application to the programme. Applicants whose field of practice is through an informal, rather than paid, role, will need to carefully describe their field of practice and what access arrangements would be needed.

The Doctorate in Health and Social Care (DHSC) programme is located within the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) and therefore draws on existing research expertise specifically from within the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS) and the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care (HWSC).

How does it work?

The OU does not offer research degrees by distance learning or correspondence. The Professional doctorates are blended-learning part-time research degrees (rather than a distance learning degree or a taught course).

Professional doctorates have a dedicated website for interaction and access to resources.

Get more details

Visit official programme website

Programme Structure

We welcome research proposals that fall into one of the following areas of study:

Care and Advocacy

Nursing

Leadership in Health and Social Care

Social Work and Social Care

Check out the full curriculum

Visit official programme website

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2023-10-01 00:00:00

Application deadline not specified.

Language

English

IELTS

6.5

Delivered

Blended

Disciplines

Social Work Health Sciences View 201 other PhDs in Health Sciences in United Kingdom

Explore more key information

Visit official programme website

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

IELTS

6.5

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at The Open University UK and/or in United Kingdom, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Other requirements

General requirements

You can register for a Professional Doctorate from anywhere in the world.

Applicants should normally hold, or be expecting to obtain before the start of the degree in October, a Masters Degree in Education or in Health/Social Care, or a related discipline from a UK/EU university or another recognised degree-awarding body. Applicants should also have at least two years of relevant professional experience or, on the DHSC, informal expertise as a carer, expert patient or advocate.

In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not have a masters degree may be able to demonstrate suitability for postgraduate level research in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed work. Publications, written reports or other appropriate evidence of previous research may count as such evidence.

Make sure you meet all requirements

Visit official programme website

Tuition Fee

Visit official programme website

Living costs for Milton Keynes

848 - 1345 GBP /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Studyportals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based.