PROGRAMMESPECIFICATION

FOR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES ATALLLEVELS

Name of Programme:MasterofProfessional Practice

Final award(BSc, MAetc):MProf

Awardinginstitution/body:

University ofBuckingham

Teachinginstitution:University ofBuckingham

SchoolofStudy:BuckinghamBusiness

School

ParentDepartment:BLEU

Length oftheprogramme:

2-3YearsMethodof study:Part-time

FrameworkforHigherEducationQualifications(FHEQ)LevelProfessionalbodyaccreditation:

Level 7Relevantsubjectbenchmarkstatement(SBS)

Criteriaforadmissiontotheprogramme:

UCASCode

ApplicantsshouldnormallyhaveaMastersdegreeinarelevantsubject,fromarecognisedinstitution,togetherwithaminimumoffiveyears'managerialexperience.

Allprospectivestudentswillbeinterviewed.

Cohort(s) towhichthisprogrammespecificationisapplicable:

Sept2015onwards

SummaryofProgramme

TheMasterofProfessionalPractice (MProf) isauniquepart-timedegreedesignedto enhanceexecutiveandprofessional practice. Theprogrammeisdesignedforpeoplewhohaveachieved,or expect toachieve,seniororganisational positionsand/orwhowish to enhancetheirexecutive and professionalskills. Theaims ofthe programmewill beachievedthroughthe application ofsoundtheory andrigorousresearchintorealandcomplexissuesincontemporary businessandmanagementwithin the electedspecialist fieldsof Operational Excellence,Accounting and Financeor BusinessAdministration.

Thepurpose oftheprogrammeisto provide an opportunityforbusinessandmanagement professionalsto understandtheirownbusinesscontextmorecriticallyand tofind solutionstokeychallengesintheirworkingenvironment byapplyingrigorousresearchprinciples.

Through aseries ofnineresidentialworkshops, theMProfprogram providesstudents with fundamentalknowledgeabout thescienceofmanagementwith aspecialfocusonresearchmethods, includingquantitative and qualitative methods,which aredesignedaroundthechosenspecialisms.

TheMProfawardisdistinct from theMResawardin thefollowingrespects:

  • There isconsiderableweightgiven tothetaught component,whichcomprises an integral andkeypart oftheprogramme,and theassessmentof thetaughtcomponentcontributesdirectlytowardsthefinalaward.
  • TheMprofincludes a dissertationthat willmakeacontributiontoknowledgewithin therelevantareaorareasofprofessionalpractice.
  • Participants willinvestigate theresults ofapplicationofconceptsandtheories in a particular workingenvironment rather thancontributeoriginalknowledgeintheir chosenfield

Employerswillbenefitfromsupportingstudents on theprogramme bybuildingknowledgefor competitiveadvantage anddevelopingandretainingkeytalent.

EducationalAimsoftheProgramme

BuckinghamBusinessSchool’sMasterofProfessional Practiceaimsto developbusinessandmanagementprofessionals’abilityto integraterigorousacademic/critical analysiswithpracticalrelevanceandapplication. Theintention isto enablethem to becomemoreeffectiveevidence-basedpractitionersand tocontributetothedevelopmentoftheir professionthroughthefurtheranceof knowledge. Insodoing, it seekstoimprove thequality oftheirprofessionin thearea ofoperationalexcellence,management, accounting andfinance.

Theoveralleducationalaimsofthe programmeareto:

  • Develop the students’proficiencyinresearch, methodological andanalytical skills
  • Promotecritical thinkingand theabilityto dealwithcomplex,interdisciplinaryfacetsoforganizations
  • Foster professional development skills,suchas Lean,leadership, management,accountingandfinance
  • Provide the highest levelofmanagementeducation

Inaddition, the MProfaimsto have apositiveimpactonorganizationalperformancethroughboththeenhancement ofthe students’ knowledgeandtheimpact oftheresearchthey mayundertake.

ProgrammeOutcomes
Knowledgeandunderstandingof:
1.Researchmethodsforbusinessstudents
a.Demonstratea detailedandcriticalunderstandingof applicabletechniquesfor research andadvancedacademicenquiryor professional practicein thefieldofmanagement andorganizationalstudies
b.Create andinterpretnewmanagementknowledgethroughoriginalresearchorother advancedscholarshipoftherequisitestandardtoextend thefrontierofbusinessandmanagement studies,orthe areaofprofessional practice,andmeritpublication
c.Evaluate the issuesgoverninggoodresearchpractice andethical behaviour
2.Masteryofanappropriatebodyofknowledge
a.Demonstratea comprehensiveunderstandingof recent professionaldevelopments,current theoreticalframeworksandapproacheswhichhavedirect relevance totheirownprofessional context
b.Makeinformedjudgmentson complexissues
c.Combinedifferent approaches toatopicandsynthesisethemcoherently
d.Contributetothedevelopment ofnewtechniques, ideasorapproachesinachosenfield. / → / Teaching/LearningStrategy
Taughtcourses will takeplacein thefirst andsecondyearofthe programme. Eachstudentwillhave a Programme Director ofStudiesanda1stand 2ndsupervisorwiththe possibilityofanadditionalpractice-basedadvisor.
1. In linewith thestandardresearch pedagogy,students willreceive:in-depth trainingthroughnine2.5-dayresidentialinteractiveseminarsandworkshopsandfollow-upassessmentswithfeedback.Thiswillenablestudentstodeveloptheir researchskillsandbe assessedontheircompetenceinthesevariouselementsofresearchpedagogy.
2. Students will be requiredtoundertakeself-directedreadingandresearch basedontheirbroadresearchtopicinorder tobuild up anunderstandingofliterature, methods, academicwritingetc.;
3. Students will be requiredtomaintainregularcontact (i.e. throughmentoringandcoaching)withsupervisorsinspecialistsupervisoryteams.Thislevel ofsupportwillensurethestudents’workismonitoredandmeetstherequisitestandards.
→ / AssessmentStrategy:
Thekeyassessmentoutputisa30,000-wordresearchthesisand/orportfolioofpublishedpaperstoarequisitestandard(e.g.3papersin2*orabovepeer-reviewedacademicjournals).
Severalmodulesincludepeer-reviewedpresentations.Allmodulesaredesignedtosupportstudentsindevelopingtheirabilitytoarticulateanddefendtheirresearch.
Eachmodulewillprovidespecificformativeassessmentopportunities(seeassessmentdetailsbelow).Asthemoduleswillbedeliveredbyteachingteamsinsmallgroups,itispossibletoprovideanenhancedfeedbackprocessonformativework,analogoustothepeerreviewprocessforconferencesandjournals.Theprogrammebuildsthethesisthroughoutthetaughtmodulesas
follows:
Module1.Detaileddoctoralresearchprojectproposal.Module2.A5-8,000wordsoutlineintroductorychaptersummarisingthetheoreticalandcontemporarythinkingintheappropriatespecialism
Module3.Apaperof10-12,000wordsthatincludesacriticalliteraturereviewoftheextantknowledgeinthecontextoftheresearchandataxonomicstudyofknowledgeintheresearchfield.
Module4.Apaperof8-10,000wordsthatclearlysetsoutanddefendsthechosenmethodologicalposition,aswellassimilarlysettingoutanddefendingtheproposedmethodsandtimescalefordatacollection.
Onsuccessfulcompletionofthetaught,thestudentwouldprogresstotheresearchstageoftheMProf.Thisincludes:
A15,000-wordresearchprojectspreadoverapproximately10months.
Regularmonthlyreportbacksessionswithindividualsupervisor
AMProfpresentationandviva
Cognitive(thinking) skills:
1.Abilityto userelevant quantitative andqualitativetoolsfordataanalysisinbusinessandmanagementandstudies
2.Criticallyevaluateevidence,
3.Challengeexistingmanagementpractices
4.Makeinformedjudgementsoncomplexissuesin thebusinessandmanagementstudiesfield, oftenin theabsenceofcompletedata / → / Teaching/Learning Strategy:
1.Workshops
2.Seminars
3.Studygroups
4.Remotementoringandsupport
→ / AssessmentStrategy:
1.Peer-reviewedpresentations
2.Writtenchapters
3.Preparationof publishablepapersfor 2*andabovepeer-reviewedjournalarticles
4.Peer-reviewedconferencepapers
Practical/Transferableskills(ableto):
1.Utilise aresearch-basedapproachtosolvingproblems,
2.Adoptasystematicapproach tocollectingandanalysingdata,
3.Offer an independentand openmindforthe analysisandinterpretationofevidencewithinbusinessandmanagement studies
4.Effectivelycommunicatecomplexmanagerialandorganizationalideasandarguments, using arange ofmediato bothspecialistandnon-specialistaudiences.
5.Developorganizationally-relevantskills,such asprojectmanagement / → / Teaching/Learning Strategy:
1.Workshops
2.Seminars
3.Studygroups
4.Remotementoringandsupport
→ / AssessmentStrategy:
1.Time management and achievable researchplans
2.Clarityofcommunicationinpresentationsandconferences
3.Peer-reviewedpresentations, discussionsanddebates
ExternalReferencePoints
Thefollowingreferencepointswereused indesigning the programme
  • FrameworkforHigherEducationQualifications(
  • RelevantSubjectBenchmarkStatement(s)(
  • Other (list)

Pleasenote:Thisspecificationprovidesaconcisesummaryofthemainfeaturesoftheprogrammeandthelearningoutcomesthatatypicalstudentmightreasonablybeexpectedtoachieveanddemonstrateifhe/shetakesfulladvantageofthelearningopportunitiesthatareprovided.Moredetailedinformationonthelearningoutcomes,contentandteaching,learningandassessmentmethodsofeachcourseunit/modulecanbefoundinthedepartmentalorprogrammehandbook.TheaccuracyoftheinformationcontainedinthisdocumentisreviewedannuallybytheUniversityofBuckinghamandmaybecheckedbytheQualityAssuranceAgency.
ProgrammeDirector(s) Name(s):
Dateof Production: / April 2015
Dateapproved bySchoolLearningandTeachingCommittee
Dateapproved bySchoolBoardof Study
Dateapproved byUniversityLearning andTeachingCommittee
DateofAnnualReview: / September2016

PROGRAMMESTRUCTURE

Two-yeartaughtprogramme,equivalent to 180 creditsatLevel 7:Module1(Seminar1) - Designingprofessional research (20 credits);

Module2(Seminars2& 3)-Theoriesandcontemporarythought ineither:OperationalExcellence (40 credits), or;

AccountingandFinance (40 credits)

Module3 (Seminars4, 5 &6)- Engaging withtherelevantbodyofknowledge (60 credits);Module4 (Seminars7, 8 &9)- Methodologicalframework(60credits);

All moduleswill be deliveredthrough 9x2.5dayresidentialSeminarsfollowed bya10monthindividuallymentored researchprogramme,equivalent to60creditsat Level 7

Date / Assessment / Programme
1stSeptember2015 / Programmelaunchandinduction / InductionSeptember2015–January2016
18thJanuary2016 / Stage 1 TaughtProgramme starts / Workshop 1 –21st-23rdJanuary2016
31stJanuary2016 / Assessment1DraftProposalsubmitted / Workshop 2 –31stJan –2ndFeb2016
16thJune2016 / Workshop 3 –16th-18thJune2016
3rdNovember2016 / Assessment2IntroductoryChaptersubmitted / Workshop 4 –3rd-5thNovember2016
2ndFebruary2017 / Workshop 5 –2nd–4thFebruary2017
6thApril2017 / Workshop 6 –6th-8thApril 2017
4thMay2017 / Assessment3 LiteratureReviewsubmitted / Workshop 7 –4th-6thMay2017
6thJuly2017 / Workshop 8 –6th-8thJuly2017
28thSept2017 / Workshop 9 –28th-30thSept2017
5thNov2017 / Assessment4ResearchMethodssubmitted / Presentationandsubmissionof first3chaptersof thesis5thNov2017
Jan 2018 / Stage 2progressiontoResearchphase
(ifapplicable) / ExamBoarddecisiontoprogress tomentoredresearchstageif applicable.