Inauguration of LU Doctoral School: European Integration and Baltic Sea Region
Studies (EIBSRS)
Doctor of science:
the latest European concept
Prof. Kęstutis Kriščiūnas
2010 02 25
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Issues
1. Contemporary situation in doctoral education and
employment field
2. Content of reforms in doctoral studies
3. European vision of doctoral studies /programmes:
•
•
•
•
new challenges/objectives for doctor’s/studies
requirements for doctor’s degree
requirements for doctor’s skills
vision of European model of doctoral studies
4. Peculiarities in doctor’s of science environment
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Contemporary reasons for PhD Research
90
80
70
Percentage
60
50
40
f
30
20
10
0
Job satisfaction Work conditions
Career
progression
Research
Social status
Reason
Eurodoc
Security
Social Security
Better
environment
Something to do
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Changing nature of doctoral programmes
• Growing demand of highly qualified labor force in the labor
market (graduates with doctor’s qualification (degree)?)
• The need to move from “apprenticeship” to doctor’s programme:
– From vocational to generic qualification (based on broad scholarship)
– Development of skills
– Diversity of possible doctoral qualifications (professional, practice-based)
• Diversity of contingent
• Growth of graduate schools (strong precondition)
Driving idea for change:
..”the product that the PhD researcher creates is not the thesis – vital
though that is to their subject area through the creation of
original knowledge – no, the product of their study is the
development of themselves” [Sir Gareth Roberts]
Traditional value of doctoral
studies
The value of doctoral
studies in knowledge
society
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Importance of skills to researchers ESF MO forum survey
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What skills make doctoral graduate of social sciences and
economics more employable?
analytical skills
- methodological knowledge and skills
- communication and presentation skills
- management skills
- international, intercultural experience and competence working in such
environment
- language skills
- people and relationship management skills
- computer science skills
- hard science knowledge (to a certain degree) – eg statistics
- interdisciplinary skills and knowledge – broader picture and understanding of the
world
- entrepreneurship
- socials skills in different context (in different socio-economic environments)
- creative thinking, innovation (thinking out of box) – new ideas beyond disciplines
- ethics
- problem solving
- fundraising
-
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Bologna
Process
New approach to
Doctoral Programmes
and to
Dissertations
Ministers meeting in Berlin in September 2003
added an Action Line to the Bologna process entitled
“European Higher Education Area and European Research Area – two pillars of the knowledge
based society” that underlines the key role of doctoral programmes and research training in
this context.
“Conscious of the need to promote closer links between the EHEA and the ERA in a
Europe of Knowledge, and of the importance of research as an integral part of
higher education across Europe, Ministers consider it necessary to go beyond the
present focus on two main cycles of higher education to include the doctoral level
as the third cycle in the Bologna Process. They emphasize the importance of
research and research training and the promotion of interdisciplinarity in
maintaining and improving the quality of higher education and in enhancing the
competitiveness of European higher education more generally. Ministers call for
increased mobility at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels and encourage the
institutions concerned to increase their cooperation in doctoral studies and the
training of young researchers.”
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10 Salzburg principles
http://www.eua.be/eua/en/Salzburg_S
eminar.jspx
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1. THE CORE COMPONENT OF DOCTORAL TRAINING IS THE
ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGH ORIGINAL RESEARCH
At the same time it is recognised that
doctoral training must increasingly meet
the needs of an employment market
that is wider than academia
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2. EMBEDDING IN INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES AND POLICIES
universities as institutions need to assume
responsibility for ensuring that the doctoral
programmes and research training they offer are
designed to meet new challenges and include
appropriate professional career development
opportunities
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3. THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY
the rich diversity of doctoral programmes
in Europe – including joint doctorates – is a
strength which has to be underpinned by
quality and sound practice
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.
4 DOCTORAL CANDIDATES AS EARLY STAGE RESEARCHERS
should be recognized as professionals – with
commensurate rights – who make a key
contribution to the creation of new knowledge
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5. THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF SUPERVISION AND ASSESSMENT
in respect of individual doctoral candidates,
arrangements for supervision and assessment should
be based on a transparent contractual framework of
shared responsibilities between:
• doctoral candidates
• supervisors
• the institution (and where appropriate including other partners)
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6. ACHIEVING CRITICAL MASS
•
Doctoral programmes should seek to achieve critical mass
and should draw on different types of innovative practice
being introduced in universities across Europe, bearing in
mind that different solutions may be appropriate to different
contexts and in particular across larger and smaller European
countries.
•
These range from graduate schools in major universities
to international, national and regional collaboration between
universities
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7. DURATION
• doctoral programmes should operate
within appropriate time duration (three to
four years full-time as a rule)
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8. THE PROMOTION OF INNOVATIVE STRUCTURES
•
to meet the challenge of interdisciplinary
training and
•
the development of transferable skills
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9. INCREASING MOBILITY
Doctoral programmes:
• should seek to offer geographical as well as
interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility and
• international collaboration within an integrated
framework of cooperation between universities and other
partners.
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10. ENSURING APPROPRIATE FUNDING
•
the development of quality doctoral programmes and
•
•
the successful completion by doctoral candidates
requires appropriate and sustainable funding
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EUROPEAN VISION OF
DOCTORAL STUDIES /PROGRAMMES
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The results of modernization process of doctoral
studies
• Doctoral studies in the EU countries are in deep and wide
modernization process yet
• The expected result of doctoral studies:
doctor
 competent in the field (knowledge in the field +
transferable skills)
 capable (generic + transferable skills) make effective
research and communicate it
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The results of modernization of doctoral studies
(the aspects of doctoral studies without general contradictions)
Unique meaning
• universities have “proprium and monopoly” to prepare doctors and issue
scientific degrees
• Universities are responsible for doctor’s quality, although other institutions
(private, research, etc.) could participate in the process
• Doctors degree is unique
• Dissertation remains as the main instrument of doctor’s educating
• Transferable skills being necessary for doctor should be developed specifically
Acceptance in general
•
•
•
•
•
Doctoral students should be educated in Doctoral schools
Consultants from adjacent scientific fields should attend in the process
Every doctoral student should have specific plan of his/her studies and research
Trilateral agreement
Double status of doctoral student
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The results of modernization of doctoral studies
the disputed (yet) aspects
– necessity of “European doctor” with common requirements and
standards
– concept, organization and structure
– requirements for doctor’s dissertation and the
competence/expertise for the doctor
– subjects studied during doctoral studies
– content and structure of dissertation
– publication of scientific results
– ECTS utilization in doctoral studies
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Example of good practice
Doctoral Scholl
at Imperial College London
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Developing skills programmes: a broader perspective on research
training
(Professor Mary Ritter Pro-Rector, Postgraduate Affairs,
Director Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine Imperial College London)
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Where does Europe stand in research training versus the
US and Japan?
•
•
•
•
•
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Ph’D in Science and Technology (S&T):
EU-15: 0.56 (per 1000 inhabitants) aged between 25 and 34 years
Sweden: 1.24
Finland: 1.01
US: 0.41
Japan: 0.25
Italy: 0.10
But the employment rate in Europe is smaller:
– EU-15: 5.4 researchers per 1000 labour force
– US: 8.7
– Japan: 9.7
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European Science & Technology graduates who decide
to work abroad go to the US
• about 4% out of the total pool of European human
resources in S&T (or, roughly estimated, 400 000 out of
11 million) are living/working in the US
• nearly 75% of European Ph’D recipients at US universities
prefer to stay in the US after their PhD
• moreover, ‘lost human capital’ has increased substantially
during the last decade: from 49% in 1990 to 73% in 1999.
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Inauguration of LU Doctoral School: European Integration and
Baltic Sea Region Studies (EIBSRS)
Doctor of science:
the latest European concept
THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION!
Prof. Kęstutis Kriščiūnas
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