European Doctoral Careers: global, transsectoral, interdisciplinary

1
European Doctoral Careersglobal,
trans-sectoral, interdisciplinary

• Chris Park
• Graduate School Director, Lancaster University
• Senior Associate, HE Academy

2
Dimensions of mobility

• Geographic
• Sectoral
• Disciplinary

3
Fundamental questions

• Who owns the doctorate?
• Universities
• Custodians of academic standards
• Institutional autonomy
• National responsibility
• QAA criteria, standards
• ???
• International interest
• Bologna
• International recruitment employment

4

• Who cares about the doctorate?
• Multiple stakeholders, multiple perspectives
• Students
• Supervisors
• Academic departments
• Institutions
• Disciplines
• Funding bodies
• Employers
• The nation

5
Drivers

• Sustaining the supply chain of researchers
• Recruitment
• Funding
• Efficiency, cost-effectiveness
• Status of researchers
• Growth of interdisciplinary applied research

6

• Preparation for employment
• Doctorate as labour market qualification
• Expectations of doctoral candidates
• Expectations and requirements of employers
• Transition and mobility

7

• Internationalisation
• Global competition for doctoral students
• Harmonisation with Europe
• Bologna, 3 cycles
• Entry requirements to doctorate
• Length of doctoral study

8
Responses

• Increased formalisation
• Research Degree Awarding Powers
• Institutional regulations frameworks
• National framework expectations
• QAA Code of Practice, FHEQ
• RC Joint Skills Statement
• Research Degree Programmes
• Graduate Schools
• Supervision

9

• Increased emphasis on skills development and
  training
• Doctorate as research training
• Development of research training programmes
• Integration of training skills development into
  overall student experience
• Assessment of doctoral students

10

• Diversification of doctoral awards
• Traditional PhD
• PhD by publication
• New Route PhD
• Professional Doctorate
• Practice-based Doctorate
• etc

11
Conclusion

• rapid and transformative changes are under way
  in all aspects of our society in business and
  industry, in government and politics, in our
  society as a whole, and certainly within
  education. These circumstances require is to
  address the question, How can the PhD meet the
  needs of the society of the 21st century?
• Nyquist (2002) USA