I put this thread here because it is not distance learning plus the fact this topic arises from time to time on degreeinfo. Anyway here is a Ph.D. by publication - detailsat http://data.bolton.ac.uk/courses/course_display.asp?single=PhD_pw&mode=single&template=university I attended University of Bolton many decades ago when it was Bolton Technical College .
Hi Ian - Two things occurred to me upon reading the linked program description. The first is that the number of people who might qualify for such a degree will be remarkably small. The second is that it might actually be easier to just enroll in a regular doctoral program. Reading between the lines, this program looks like you'd have to do the whole thing, without any real academic support. All the reseach has to be done solo (no academic support) but it has to be done up to their standards. Then you have to tie together multiple projects into a cohesive whole. If this is the general structure of a PhD by publication then I'd say that people need to let go of this fantasy. This seems to me to be a truly elite degree path.
Although this particular program is limited to a specialty area, the general approach is interesting. Lots of people without doctorates are performing research in specialist areas such as aerospace, anthropology, and geology, and writing papers in peer reviewed journals. In the UK there is a relatively new doctorate, the Eng.D. in which most of the research is done in a industry setting rather than an academic setting.
I think it's a nice alternative. Hopefully, enough people can take advantage of it so that it stays alive.
I work with several engineers pursuing a Ph.D. in materials science at UCI - lots of coursework but their dissertations are based on workplace research.
