Doctoral Education in Europe: The Convergence of Diversity

1
Doctoral Programmes for the European Knowledge
Society
Professor Ella Ritchie Pro-Vice-Chancellor
(Teaching Learning), Newcastle University Chair
of Quality Network, EUA Doctoral Programme Project
2
Aim of Session

• To situate the third (doctoral) cycle of Bologna
  within the wider European context
• To give a brief overview of doctorates across
  Europe
• To assess the relevance of the doctoral cycle
  agreements for the UK

3
Multiple European Processes

• The Lisbon Strategy
• The Bologna Process
• The European Research Area
• Are these processes reciprocal and reinforcing?

4
Lisbon Strategy

• EU-wide initiative 2000
• Goal to ensure that Europe becomes the most
  competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy
  in the world capable of sustainable economic
  growth with more and better jobs and greater
  social cohesion (EC 2001)
• - Achieved through Open Method of Co-ordination
  (OMC)
• Shift from knowledge economy to knowledge society

5
Lisbon Strategy Universities

• Priorities for education, training and research
  in re-launched Lisbon Strategy
• New demands on Research and Training, and for an
  open and competitive labour market
• Graduate education now at centre of debate on
  strengthening Europes competitiveness

6
Bologna

• A larger (46 countries) Europe looking for
  convergence through common structures and tools
  (began in 1999)
• Voluntaristic process
• Goal of creating a European Higher Education Area
  by 2010

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Bologna Process Key Objectives

• Overriding goals
• Creating a coherent and cohesive EHEA
• Improve employability
• Increase mobility
• Enhance the attractiveness of European Higher
  Education (transparency and compatibility)
• Develop a common quality assurance framework
• Maintain the commitment to the social dimension
  (access)

8
Bologna Process 10 Action Lines

• Adoption of system of easily readable and
  comparable degrees
• Adoption of three cycles
• Establishment of system of credits (ECTS)
• Promotion of mobility
• Promotion of the European dimension in Higher
  Education
• Lifelong Learning
• Role of HEIs and students
• Promoting the attractiveness of European Higher
  Education
• Linking the EHEA and research areas through
  focus on doctoral programmes

9
European Research Area (1)

• Launched by European Commission in January 2000
• Aim is better integration of Europes scientific
  and technological area and creation of better
  overall Framework conditions for Research in
  Europe
• Barcelona Council (2002) set objective to
  increase research investment levels in EU to 3
  of GDP by 2020

10
European Research Area (2)

• Development of Framework Programmes
• Establishment of single Labour Market for
  Researchers
• Implemented European Charter for Researchers and
  Code of Conduct for their recruitment
• Future shape of ERA under consultation

11
The Member States of the EU
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Signatories to the Bologna Process
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Framework Programme Countries
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Doctoral Cycle of Bologna

• Promoted within the European Commission by both
  DG Education Training and DG Research as
  fundamental to
• Improving doctoral provision
• Increasing mobility of early stage researchers
• Ensuring competitiveness of EHEA

15
Diversity of Doctoral Programmes (1)

• Diversity in structure, length, organisation
• Diversity in status of young researchers
• Diversity of Research Training
• Diversity of supervision and assessment

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Diversity of Doctoral Programmes

• Clip of Marcin Pekalski

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Diversity of Doctoral Programmes

• Clip of Dr Jocelyn Mawdsley

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Diversity of Doctoral Programmes (2)

• Traditional model
• Doctorates training
• Professional doctorate
• Taught doctorate

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Diversity of Doctoral Programmes (2)

• Clip of Dr Jocelyn Mawdsley

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Why so much Diversity?

• State tradition legal framework, regulatory
  framework, autonomy, centralisation
• Institutional organisation
• Structure of profession
• Disciplinary differences?

21
Why so much Diversity?

• Clip of Dr Marie-Laure Muiras

22
Common Challenges

• National pressures efficiency, knowledge
  transfer, employability
• Funding
• Global competition
• Value of doctorates to employers and society

23
Common Challenges

• Clip of Dr David DHaese

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Common Challenges

• Clip of Dr Marie-Laure Muiras

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Where are we now?

• Principles, Descriptors, Declarationsand the
  London Communiqué (May 2007)
• Recognition of diversity of programmes
• Importance of training/transferable skills
• Need for frameworks for supervising and assessing
  doctorates

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Building from Diversity The European Case

• Doctoral education is embedded in wider academic
  and institutional contexts
• Need to understand these diverse contexts
• To promote and share good practice across the
  wider Europe
• To enhance the quality of doctoral provision
• To strengthen Europes research base and
  competitiveness

27
Building from Diversity The UK Case

• UK leads in many aspects (quality assurance,
  skills development, but no room for complacency)
• Need for more knowledge about European systems
• Bologna needs to be understood in relation to
  other national and international developments