Program Overview

Higher Doctorate

Overview

A Higher Doctorate is awarded for published work of the highest quality. We ask candidates to submit a collection of their published work and a commentary that demonstrates its impact on the subject. Your application should be supported by a professor from the University of Sunderland.

There is a high level of scrutiny for all applications. The Higher Doctorate Panel includes the University’s Vice–Chancellor, and the examiners will be leading authorities in your field of study.

The University of Sunderland awards four Higher Doctorates:

• Doctor of Letters (DLitt)
• Doctor of Science (DSc)
• Doctor of Technology (DTech)
• Doctor of Laws (LLD)

Higher Doctorates are rarely awarded and they are elite qualifications that will mark you out as an outstanding contributor to your field.

Why us?

• Higher Doctorates are awarded for research outputs of exceptional distinction
• You have the option to study this programme at our Sunderland campus or via distance learning

Entry requirements

Applicants will typically be full-time members of the research staff of the University, or Visiting Professors, with at least three years of service.

Applicants can also be people from outside the University who are leading authorities in their field. In this case, you should have a sponsor who is a professor on the full-time teaching staff of the University of Sunderland. You should have completed a Masters degree at least four years ago, or an honours degree at least seven years ago.

We ask applicants to write a statement of no more than 1,000 words that outlines the significance of your contribution to knowledge and the impact within your chosen area.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

Fees are:

• £4,100 if you are from the UK/Europe
• £6,000 if you are an international student

Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.

If you are applying for a student loan to finance part-time study, the loan must be taken over the maximum permitted time of six years. If you are applying for a student loan to finance full-time study, the loan must be taken over the maximum permitted time of four years.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Related courses

• PhD Doctor of Philosophy
• MPhil Master of Philosophy