Professional Doctorate in Sport - DSport
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
The Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport) is aimed at individuals working in sport who are seeking to advance their skillset and knowledge within their related discipline. The DSport integrates part-time doctoral level study with continuing professional practice, which ideal if you want to study at doctoral level while continuing your professional commitments.
- Level Postgraduate Research
- Study mode Part Time
- Award DSport
- Start date September 2025
- Subject
- Location City South / Alexander Stadium
This course is:
Overview
The Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport) is a part-time multidisciplinary programme leading to a doctoral award.
You will likely be an experienced professional in a sport related area seeking to develop your research capacity, transform practice, and make a direct contribution to knowledge in your applied environment.
You will benefit from being able to work within, and study alongside, a multidisciplinary team of experienced researchers and practitioners. The course draws on the considerable expertise and reputation in sports aligned professions development, education, and practice-focused research in our Faculty of Health, Education, and Life Sciences (HELS).
The course is suitable for professions (including educators) from diverse backgrounds in sport including (but not limited to) sport and exercise science, sports coaching and physical education, sport and exercise nutrition, sports therapy, and other allied sports professions.
What's covered in this course?
- Benefit from being part of a wider doctoral and researcher community in our Faculty, with a strong focus on practice-relevant research and knowledge implementation.
- Carry out significant independent research whilst remaining in your practice area.
- Expand your critical understanding of policy and practice in a multi-professional learning community.
- Advance your appreciation of research techniques and methodologies with a focus on relevance for investigating your own area of practice.
- Generate new knowledge, or make novel applications of knowledge for your specialist field of study, that can have a positive impact on your professional practice and workplace.
- Develop confidence in presenting and defending your research within your area of practice.
“Being a BCU doctoral student has allowed me to make professional connections with peers, faculty, and industry experts, fostering an enriching environment for growth. These connections have not only expanded my network, but also provided opportunities for career advancement. In this supportive atmosphere, I've been able to thrive academically and professionally, laying a solid foundation for my future endeavours.”
Achuthan Shanmugaratnam, current doctoral student in sport
Why Choose Us?
- Expert knowledge – As well as a main supervisor (or Director of Studies) with expert knowledge of your sport discipline, you will have a second supervisor to read and comment on your work.
- Research culture – We have a strong research culture and provide a range of development opportunities to aspiring students.
- Go abroad – Our HELS Go Abroad scheme can help fund international research opportunities so you can gain experience and build your knowledge.
- World-class facilities – The Alexander Stadium was a key part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which is now home to our sports courses following a £5m investment to further develop the facilities.
OPEN DAY
Join us for a virtual Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail. Booking isn't open yet for this event, register your interest and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 5 February 2025
Research Interests
You will be part of the wider research community in the Faculty, led by our research Centre for Life and Sport Sciences (C-LaSS). We recommend you join at least one of the centre’s research clusters, which provide a forum for discussing, progressing, and presenting research through meetings and events. The University hosts an annual research conference that incorporates the work of our doctoral researchers, at which you will be encouraged to present your work. These ongoing activities support your learning and development as a researcher and provide you with a scholarly network, as well as providing a continued sense of belonging to a community, which is particularly important for independent doctoral researchers. You will also be supported to identify and participate in external research and professional networks in your discipline area, such as presenting at conferences and submitting your work to peer-reviewed journals.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: DSport
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 3-5 years
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TBC
International students
Sorry, this course is not available to International students.
If you’re unable to use our online application form for any reason, please email Research.Admissions@bcu.ac.uk.
You must complete a DSport personal statement/research proposal and upload this as part of your application. Please note that we will not be able to process your application without having received your DSport personal statement/research proposal.
Entry Requirements
- Undergraduate degree plus postgraduate qualification
- Work Experience – a minimum of 3 years’ experience working within sport
- Exceptional applicants without a Master’s degree who hold a first class Bachelors degree in a sport-related discipline may be considered. This is dependent upon the academic coherence and promise of their research proposal, and its consonance with the academic expertise of the Faculty
How to Apply
- Complete the online application, which includes a Personal Statement template detailing your area of practice and research interests in two pages using the form below
- Current area of practice – describe your professional role in sport and, if relevant, how it has developed over time
- Research interests – outline the aspect(s) of your role you are interested in investigating. Consider the experience or involvement in research activities you have had to date
- If you have any queries about applying for the DSport, please contact Course Leader, Dr Adam Kelly, via email: adam.kelly@bcu.ac.uk
Course in Depth
Module Stage
Studying for a DSport will mean undertaking a programme that leads to research, which makes a contribution to knowledge. The course normally takes between three and five years through part-time study.
Supervision and guidance from the supervisory team to help the student refine the initial research proposal, research training, completion of the Post-graduate Certificate in Research Practice, participation in research seminars, journal review groups and in-house conference events, pilot studies and completion of research governance procedures.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice is specifically designed to meet the needs of doctoral research students at Birmingham City University and to support the diverse mix of research interests and approaches both across the University and in individual Faculties.
The course is underpinned by a collaborative ethos that promotes the exchange of ideas, critical discussion with peers and interdisciplinarity. As such you will work with doctoral students across the different disciplines within the Faculty as well other research students at Birmingham City University.
The course is delivered primarily through faculty-based workshops and seminars facilitated by the course team. There are also a number of talks by invited researchers, including Professors, Research Fellows and PhD students. Face-to-face sessions are supported by online resources through a blended learning approach and complements regular support from your supervisory team. These sessions are book-ended by two University-wide workshops that bring together PGCert students across the University.
The course aims to present multiple perspectives, practices and approaches where you are encouraged to critique both established and emergent ways of working. It supports you in becoming an independent learner, capable of undertaking research consistent with benchmarks set by external bodies and based on peer-review (normally viva voce).
Knowledge mobilization involves using high-quality knowledge during decision-making processes. The aim of knowledge mobilization is to encourage researchers and key stakeholders (e.g., practitioners and policymakers) to work collaboratively to support research-informed policies and practices. Indeed, personal contact between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers is vital for research uptake and creating evidence-informed practice.
Knowledge mobilization involves moving research from the study (e.g., article, conference, laboratory), into the hands of people and organisations who can put it to practical use. Knowledge mobilization is most often used in the health and life sciences professions, including medicine, nursing, pharmaceuticals, rehabilitation, public health, and sport. When designing research and developing a dissemination plan, key questions to consider are:
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What are the issues that your community is currently facing?
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Who are the key stakeholders you are working with?
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What is the key message (e.g., important findings, this intervention works) and output (e.g., guidance, tool)?
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Who is your audience when disseminating your findings?
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What is the best way of reaching them?
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What resources (i.e., time, money, staff) do you have?
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How will you know if it has been successful?
Throughout your DSport, you will develop a deep understanding of various methodological approaches to capture and interpret data within your respective field of sport. You will also hold an applied skill set that allows you to work with stakeholders within your sporting discipline. The purpose of this core module is to align these two assets to help you implement evidence-informed decisions to your organisational structures and practical settings.
Achievement on the module will not only help you understand how knowledge translation works, but it will also allow you to comprehend how your own research findings from your DSport can be translated into your applied settings moving forward.
As part of this module, you will explore the different disciplinary approaches in sport (e.g., mono-, multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary) and how they are relevant to your sport and related discipline. You will also identify, examine, and explain a guiding framework (e.g., a roadmap for developing the arguments you will use in your own work) relevant to sport and your related discipline.
The different disciplinary approaches and processes in sport are reflected in several theories, models, and frameworks. The use of theoretical frameworks can help to encapsulate various ‘mono-disciplinaries’ and explain how they can influence, interact, and/or constrain one another based on the specific context. It also considers how they can integrate and involve different key stakeholders from both within and beyond disciplinary perspectives to create new areas of knowledge and applied tools. Guiding theoretical frameworks are developed by researchers to explain phenomena, draw connections, and make predictions relevant to real-life settings.You will use a theoretical framework to:
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Examine your thesis title and research/practical problem. The research problem anchors your entire study and forms the basis from which you construct your theoretical framework.
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Brainstorm on what you consider to be the key variables in your research/practice. What factors contribute to the presumed effect?
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Consider the different disciplinary approaches within your sporting context and recognise how they influence, interact, and/or constrain one another.
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Review related literature to find answers to your research/practical question.
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List the constructs and variables that might be relevant to your study. Group these variables into independent and dependent categories.
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Review the key social science theories that are introduced in the module and choose the theory or theories that can best explain the relationships between the key variables in your study.
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Discuss the assumptions or propositions of this theory and point out their relevance to your research.
You will be invited to critically consider how evidence-informed approaches covered in the module are related to you to your own practice area. More specifically, as part of the ‘assessment day’, you will be required to present an explanation of your role and impact in a specific area of sport practice, whilst considering the disciplinary approaches to achieve these intended outcomes, which will be guided by a theoretical framework of your choice. You will also be required to respond to panel questions following your presentation.
The module will enable you to practise skills of advanced academic inquiry that were explored in previous modules, applying techniques of research design, planning, conduct, data generation/collection, analysis and reporting in a focused real-world inquiry of relevance to your professional practice.
We further consider aspects of research ethics and integrity, including practical support with ethical review procedures that you will need to undergo as part of your inquiry.
You will continue to develop and practise skills in writing and communication of research, through writing sets and a mini-conference. Your continuing development as a researcher will also be supported by consideration of planning for conference participation and writing for publication.
Achievement on the module will ensure your smooth transition into the ‘thesis stage’ of the doctorate through testing research and inquiry techniques for fit and feasibility, engagement with research procedures such as ethical review, and further development of your research focus through the analysis of findings.
Thesis Stage
Supervision and guidance in completing the thesis of 50,000 words, clarifying the contribution to knowledge, preparation for examination, further research training presentation of aspects of the research at research seminar and conference events, development of potential papers for publication, participation in teaching activities as appropriate.
Download course specification
Download nowEmployability
The Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport) is recognised worldwide and is often an essential requirement for those wishing to follow an academic or research career in industry or commerce. Our DSport will help you create opportunities to develop research skills that support professional practice, research, and/or academic careers.
Facilities & Staff
Teaching for our Sports courses is split between our £71 million campus in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and the world-class Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham. Our cutting-edge facilities for sports students include a state-of-the-art sport and exercise lab, sports therapy suite, biomechanics lab and physiology labs.
The Stadium was home to the Commonwealth Games in summer 2022, and the University is investing an additional £5m to develop space in the East and West stands as a home for our students.
Our staff
Dr Adam L. Kelly
Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise and Course Leader for Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport)
Dr Adam L. Kelly is Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise and Course Leader for Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport) at Birmingham City University. He also founded the newly established BCU Research for Athlete and Youth Sport Development (RAYSD) Lab, where he currently leads key projects with the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and the...
More about Adam L.Professor Kiara Lewis
Professor of Sport and Exercise Sciences
Kiara is a BASES accredited researcher in psychology, a Fellow of BASES and the HEA and current chair of BASES Division of Physical Activity for Health and BASES Equality, Diversity and Inclusion champion.
More about KiaraDr Lewis Gough
Associate Professor in Nutrition and Physiology
Lewis is part of the Senior Leadership Team in the College of Life Sciences and is the College Academic Lead for REF (Research Excellence Framework). He also holds editorial positions with BMC Nutrition and Frontiers in Sport and Active Living and is known worldwide for his work on sodium bicarbonate supplementation.
More about LewisDr Cain Clark
Associate Professor (Life Sciences) and MRes Course Leader
Dr Clark is skilled in statistics and data analytics applied to public health, nutrition, and sports and exercise. Dr Clark is an experienced academic with an extensive portfolio of scholarly work, including publications, grant acquisition, and supervision. He has a strong interest in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, cluster analysis,...
More about CainDr Peter Thain
Associate Professor and Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy
As a Chartered Physiotherapist and Sports Therapist, Peter has over a decade of experience working in basketball, football and netball. Peter successfully designed and validated the initial BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy, and after three consecutive 100% student satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, continues to lead the sports...
More about Peter