As a core part of the EdD programme, the thesis offers an opportunity for students to explore in depth an educational topic or issue pertinent to their interest and/or their professional practice. Emphasis is placed on the originality and quality of the research, as well as its theoretical and practical contribution to the educational field.

Each student will have a Principal Supervisor and a Co-supervisor who will guide him/her through the thesis journey. Through a series of consultation meetings with supervisors, students will seek advices, discuss research topics and methodologies, report progress, review work completed, and finalise their work.

Students are expected to demonstrate in the thesis their abilities to design and undertake research in rigorous and ethical ways, and report the research in a recognized academic form. The anticipated length of the thesis is about 40,000–60,000 words in English. Students can seek approval from the Programme Management Committee if they need to write their dissertation in Chinese or go beyond the word limit.