This Professional Doctorate in Public Affairs and Social Policy offers an intellectually rigorous route to developing original research grounded in professional practice.
This programme presents a unique opportunity for professionals working in areas such as policy, communications, charities, and government to study at doctoral level while influencing policy, strengthening professional practice, and contributing original theoretical insights within their field.
Designing impactful solutions to real-world challenges is common across social policy areas. You'll have the opportunity to engage with two impactful research centres in the School of Business and Law: Bakhita Centre for Slavery, Safety and Social Justice and the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well. Both centres have created active research environments, influencing relevant policy areas through research and contributing to national and international debates on topics relevant to public affairs and social policy. You'll be able to access events, seminar series, interdisciplinary workshops, and conferences hosted within the school and the two research centres.
Delivered entirely online with flexible full-time and part-time options, this programme enables experienced professionals to integrate their expert knowledge with evidence-led research. Building on the MRes in Social Research Methods, the Professional Doctorate equips you with robust methodological and analytical skills to enhance your personal and professional development.
- St Mary’s offers engagement with a vibrant research community of academics who bring expert knowledge, substantial research experience, and reflective professional practice across policy areas shaped by social justice. Through structured study, you'll become reflective practitioner-researchers capable of driving evidence-based change in complex social policy environments. This doctorate gives you the opportunity to combine theoretical knowledge with professional practice, applying research-informed solutions for public benefit within your organisation and sector.
- You’ll enjoy a dynamic and supportive research environment within a faculty that encourages connections across relevant disciplines, including business, law, social science, the liberal arts, theology, education, and cross-cutting policy areas. Your research will both inform, and be informed by, insights from the wider social policy environment.
- The Professional Doctorate bridges the gap between theory and real-world application. You'll design research projects rooted in your own professional experience and practice, generating outcomes that both advance academic understanding and deliver tangible value to a variety of social policy environments and organisations.
- Designed for working professionals, the programme’s distance-learning format allows you to balance study, work, and personal commitments. Recorded lectures, live seminars, and one-to-one supervisory meetings ensure a rich, interactive learning experience accessible from anywhere in the world.
- Your learning is supported by a dedicated supervisory team and a personal tutor.
Interested in becoming a Professional Doctorate (Prof Doc) but not sure it is for you? Find answers to your most asked questions and explore our options.
Please note: this course is subject to validation.
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Course content
Modules
These modules are the modules that were available to students in the 2024/25 academic year and are illustrative of what may be offered for 2025/26.
Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.
Entry requirements
This programme can only be taken upon completion of the MRes in Social Research Methods at Level 7. Successful admission is conditional to completing the MRes or having an equivalent qualification.
A 1000-word outline of your professional context and possible areas of research that offer potential for you to demonstrate how the research could transform your practice.
A CV which demonstrates that you have at least three years’ significant and relevant experience in a professional area appropriate to the programme of study;
An undergraduate degree which matches the descriptor for a Level 7 qualification in the UK Framework of Higher Education Qualifications OR an equivalent academic qualification OR evidence of equivalent experience and learning acquired in a professional context.
Additional requirement information
You will also need to provide two relevant references from two professional referees.
Further Information
For more information about entry requirements please get in touch.
Fees & funding
September 2026
Home
£7,440
International
£7,440
Additional costs
*Please note: Tuition fees are annual and may increase as detailed in our tuition fee variation disclaimer.
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme. Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.
For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage.
For more information about whether you are likely to pay home or international fees, please visit our 'understanding your tuition fee status' page.
Funding
Some research degree students may be eligible for a government loan of up to £25,000 to help cover tuition fees and living costs.
How the degree is taught
Teaching methods
We use a range of teaching methods across the programme’s modules. Teaching most commonly takes the form of a one-hour lecture followed by smaller seminar discussion groups, enabling more in-depth study and the application of concepts and skills introduced in lectures.
The programme also includes interactive workshops, with a strong emphasis on putting research into practice under the guidance of experienced academics. Teaching is designed to support critical reflection and informed engagement with the diversity and difference that characterise social policy in practice.
As an online-only course, all teaching sessions are recorded, allowing students to access material they may have missed or wish to revisit.
In addition, group tutorial sessions are offered throughout the year to support the development of advanced research, writing, and reading skills. These sessions are also recorded, enabling students to engage with them at times that suit their professional and study commitments.
Assessment methods
The assessment strategy is designed to develop skills in rigorous and original research, while fostering the critical integration of academic knowledge with professional practice and values. Critical reflection on students’ own practice forms a central element of assessment, alongside assignments that develop knowledge and expertise in selected fields of study and in the theory and practice of research. Assessments are derived from reflection and discussion about key matters relating to research and professional interests.
Students are assessed through a range of methods appropriate to advanced social research, including project reports, critical reviews of academic literature, research proposals, policy briefs, and essays.
Who teaches this course?
Career opportunities
This degree supports progression into leadership and senior professional roles across the public sector, think tanks, charities, and the private sector, including positions in policy development, analysis, communications, and research. It enables you to design and undertake research grounded in your own professional practice, generating evidence-informed insights that can shape social policy development and implementation.
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Make sure to check our step-by-step guide to application process.
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