The PhD journey at Teduka commences with doctoral seminars tailored to the student’s academic preparation for doctoral research. This is followed by doctoral conferences to ensure the PhD candidate is guided through the process of research dissemination and networking. Once these milestones are achieved, candidates embark on their dissertation research, culminating in the defense of their work before an expert panel.

Every PhD candidate is paired with a doctoral supervision team composed of: (i) the principal supervisor, who shall have extensive expertise in the area the candidate intends to research; and (ii) the co-supervisor who shall have extensive experience in research methodologies, particularly in the research method the candidate intends to employ for his doctoral thesis. These academic mentors offer guidance throughout the research process, ensuring that the students’ work remains innovative, impactful, and aligned with global academic standards.

Recognizing that groundbreaking research often occurs at the intersection of disciplines, ITA promotes interdisciplinary studies. PhD candidates have the flexibility to engage with external faculty and stakeholders in research, ensuring a holistic and enriched research experience.

Graduates of ITA’s PhD programme are primed for successful careers in academia, research institutions, policy-making, consultancy, industry leadership roles, and other sectors where deep expertise and analytical skills are paramount.

This PhD programme is meticulously designed to uphold high academic standards, ensuring that future scholars receive an education that is both .transformative and globally revered. In addition, this PhD is developed to address the unique requirements and methodologies inherent in diverse academic disciplines, from Natural Sciences to the Arts and Humanities. Recognizing these differences, the program offers tailored support structures to ensure all doctoral candidates can achieve their academic goals effectively.

The programmes overall objectives aims to:

• Cultivate a comprehensive and systematic understanding of a specific field of study, equipping candidates with the depth and breadth of knowledge necessary to engage in advanced research and thought leadership.

• Enable candidates to master diverse research methodologies that are fundamental to conducting rigorous scientific or scholarly inquiry in their respective fields, ensuring they can design, implement, and adapt research projects with high levels of scholarly integrity.

• Encourage the development of original research that contributes significantly to the extension of knowledge in the field, aiming for outcomes that merit national or international publication and peer recognition.

• Develop candidates’ ability to perform critical analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of new and complex ideas, facilitating innovative thinking and problem-solving skills within academic and professional contexts.

• Enhance candidates’ proficiency in communicating complex ideas and research findings clearly and effectively to a range of audiences, including academic peers, industry professionals, and the broader public.

• Prepare candidates to contribute to and promote technological, social, and cultural advancement in a knowledge-based society through their research and its applications in academic, industrial, and policy-making settings.

• Instill a strong sense of ethical responsibility and integrity in conducting and disseminating research, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations in the creation and application of knowledge.

• Foster an environment that encourages interdisciplinary research and collaboration, enabling candidates to integrate perspectives and methodologies from various disciplines to address complex challenges.

• Prepare candidates to assume leadership roles in academic, industry, or government sectors, equipped with the skills to drive initiatives, influence policy, and contribute to the strategic development of their fields.

• Encourage a commitment to lifelong learning and continual professional development, ensuring that graduates remain responsive to changes and advancements in their field and broader societal needs.

The PhD programme is structured as follows:

i) Doctoral supporting activities

Throughout the doctoral journey the student will be documenting related activities in the Doctoral logbook. The logbook will be shared with the doctoral supervision team and doctoral committee to assess the progress made by the students and to ensure that specific learning components pertaining to this programme are reached. This must include: (i) compulsory activities organised by the Higher Education Institute, notably the Doctoral Seminars; (ii) information on the progress of the thesis; (iii) Supervision meetings and notable outcomes; and (iv) other supporting non-compulsory activities which the student may wish to undertake for his/her academic development (e.g. organisation of conferences, publications, delivery of presentation, outreach on research etc.).

Doctoral Progress Biannual Reports:

To ensure continuous evaluation and support for doctoral candidates, Teduka International Academy mandates the submission of a biannual progress report. This requirement serves as a crucial checkpoint in assessing each student’s academic and research advancements throughout their doctoral journey. These progress reports must detail the candidate’s research activities, milestones achieved, any challenges encountered, and plans for the subsequent reporting period. The report also provides a platform for candidates to reflect on their learning and development, align their objectives with feedback from supervisors, and adapt their approaches as necessary. Supervisors review these reports to offer constructive feedback, ensure that students remain on track with their research timelines, and address any issues that could impede progress.

Doctoral Seminars:

Two doctoral seminars will be organised by Teduka in the first two years of the students’ PhD programme:

– Seminar 1 – Reviewing Academic Literature

This kick off seminar will allow doctoral students to: (i) gain a comprehensive understanding of various literature review frameworks and select the most appropriate type for their research; (ii) enhance their ability to critically assess scholarly work and to express complex ideas effectively in writin; and (iii) be better equipped to make informed decisions about research methods and methodologies, considering the strengths and limitations of each approach in the context of their specific research aims.

– Seminar 2 – Doctoral conference

The doctoral student will present his research proposal and their initial phases of the research to the general public and to other academics in his/her field. The aims of this conference are to prepare the PhD student in terms of communication and delivery and ensure that the message that he/she wants to convey is done in the most effective way without losing the audience. The conference will be organised over three days: the firs day shall include visual presentations and oral presentation of research topics by doctoral students (using PowerPoint or similar applications); the second day will be dedicated to reflection on the outcome of the first days and discussion on improvements and peer-to-peer evaluation; and the third day the same students will present their research again in the form of a poster taking into account the suggested improvements discussed during the previous day.

– Seminar 3 – Advance research methods and Academic writing retreat

Here doctoral students will attend a three-day activity which will focus on academic writing skills at the use of advance research methods at doctoral level. This will consolidate the learner’s knowledge and ensure clarity and high academic standards in the way the written material is presented. The topics that shall be covered include but are not limited to: (i) structure; (ii) effectiveness of paragraphs; (iii) Employment of reporting verbs and their effective use; (iii) referencing; (iv) qualitative and quantitative methods in doctoral research; and (v) Do’s and Don’ts’s in academic writing at doctoral level.

ii) Independent learning

Independent learning and self-study and supervision for the thesis (the indicative supervision hours are in the first section, i.e. Hours of Total Learning – this refers to 240 hours of supervision.

(iii) The Thesis

After the introductory seminars, students have regular individual tutorials in which they are given detailed guidance in the development of their topic and in the form and content of their final research.

The student is free to propose their specific topic within the academic discipline, which will be refined and approved during the induction period.

The topic, the form and content of the doctoral thesis must be negotiated with the appointed doctoral supervision team and approved. The purpose of interim submissions is to provide formative feedback through individual tutorials. Interim submissions are required as written drafts but may also include or be supplemented by other forms of presentation.

Students will have access to detailed learning material on the online learning platform. Therefore:

a) The module will be delivered through supervision meetings and tutorials when necessary, individually, whereby the purpose of the dissertation is explained, and a direction of research given;
b) The student will be exposed to autonomous research skills to enable one complete the task within the time framework allocated;
c) Finally, the learning process becomes a more intimate one, where a doctoral supervision team is allocated to each student. It is expected that the student will then carry more self-study sessions with oneself and meet the members of the doctoral supervision team at least once every four weeks.

Prospective students must be in possession of:

– An MQF/EQF level 7 full qualification with at least overall Merit obtained from a recognised college/Institute/University in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science or Technology (depending on the field of study the learner chooses to focus) followed by an interview which will determine the prospective students’ aptitude for doctoral studies;
Or
– A First Class Honours degree obtained from a recognised college/Institute/University in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science or Technology (depending on the field of study the learner chooses to focus) followed by an interview which will determine the prospective students’ aptitude for doctoral studies;
Or
– Relevant publications in referred academic journals in the field of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science or Technology (depending on the field of study the learner chooses to focus) followed by an interview which will determine the prospective students’ aptitude for doctoral studies.

The PhD programme can be either followed on a full-time or part-time basis. In each case the duration is set as follows:

The Doctoral Student can request an extension in case he/she/they are not in a position to finish on time. An addition 2-year extension can be granted

Open throughout the academic year

Information about the PhD tuition fees and fees structure may be obtained by sending an email to the sales team on sales@teduka.eu

Prospective students who wish to apply for this programme are encouraged to follow the Teduka application process by clicking the APPLY NOW button and follow the steps