PhD by Published Works

Candidates seeking a Doctorate by Published Work must be University of Buckingham graduates or members of staff. Graduates of other universities seeking to obtain a Doctorate by Published Work should contact the university from which they graduated.

The candidate must submit published scholarly work which gives clear proof of a significant and original contribution to the knowledge of the discipline. This contribution should consist of the discovery of new knowledge, or the exercise of a new and independent critical approach, e.g. the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory, or the revision of previously held views. The candidate must show, by means of a 20,000 word commentary on the submitted work and in a viva (oral examination), that they appreciate the relationship of their special work to a wider field of knowledge.

Registration must be for a period of one year, during which time the candidate will have regular supervisions with the Supervisor and be guided in accordance with the same process and provision as if registered for a PhD by research programme.

The degree of PhD by Published Work may be conferred on:

(a) graduates of this university of not less than five years standing;

(b) graduates of another university of not less than five years standing who have also held an appointment as a member of staff of this university for at least two years;

(c) graduates of another university of not less than five years standing who have also held a Fellowship of this university for at least two year.

The degree of Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) by Published Work may be conferred on:

(a) holders of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB BS), or equivalent approved medical qualifications, of not less than five years standing who have held an appointment as a member of staff of this university for at least two years;

(b) holders of the degrees of MB BS, or equivalent approved medical qualifications, of not less than five years standing who have held a Fellowship of this university for at least two years.

In the first instance, a person wishing to pursue a Doctorate by Published Work should submit an application through the University website for the PhD in the discipline in which they wish to be considered, including, in place of the usual research proposal, a summary of their published work and an explanation of how it meets the criteria for the award.

This application will be forwarded for consideration to the appropriate Research Officer. If the application is approved, the Research Officer will identify a supervisory team, who will be appointed for a term of 12 months and be responsible for providing assistance to the student in preparing the submission for the degree. The fee shall be equivalent to one year at the typical PhD fee rate.

Further details can be found in the University’s Research Degrees Handbook, Section 1.3.