The Doctor of Philosophy in English for Professional Development program has been developed on the conceptual basis of social constructivism. It relies on the idea that learning is a process that occurs as a result of social interactions among learners as well as between learners and teachers. This process involves connecting new experiences and information with existing knowledge as well as analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating on the basis of a deep understanding of the social and cultural contexts for the usage of English in professional situations, both locally and globally. This program has been developed during the social disruptions caused by the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), which have resulted in changes to learning styles and an emphasis on self-learning through various media. The program incorporates various learning approaches, principles, and methods for learning English that respond to the needs of users in various professional contexts. Moreover, it recognizes that the development of information and communication technologies has enhanced the role of the English language in professional contexts. English is not only used for general communication in international organizations, but constitutes the language used to transfer knowledge in many professions. Individuals who are proficient in English have more professional opportunities, since they are better prepared to share their knowledge and lead their organizations into the international arena. Hence, there is a growing need to enhance the competency in English for communication and productivity amongst professionals.

     To sum up, this program aims to enable learners to create new knowledge related with the use of English language for professional development by integrating theories and research in applied linguistics and English language.  Learners are expected to have academic leadership skills in English language, have flexible thinking, enable to apply information technology for development of English language learning models, including operate and deliver innovation of English language in context appropriately.