PhD- How do I get one?
Professor Acram Taji
What will I cover?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Some background
Global picture
The Australian situation
QUT status
What is a PhD?
Why do we do a PhD?
Skills required to do a PhD
What makes a PhD student successful
Skills to be developed during PhD
Supervisor’s role
The changing nature of PhD
Questions to reflect on
Our place under the sun
Background
Brisbane
• Australia’s fastest growing city with a population of 2 million
• 26% of residents born overseas
• Over 15% speak a language other than English
QUT
• in the top 10 universities in Australia
Total number of students
International students
Domestic students
44,327
7,093
37,234
Global picture
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
China is world leader in producing PhDs- surpassed US in 2008
In US >1.35 million PhDs produced between 1920 to 2000. 62% in STEM
Asian giant have awarded >240,000 PhDs in the past 30 years
Brazil doubled the number of doctoral students in the decade to 2010
Number of science doctorate in OECD member countries increased by 40% in the
decade to 2010
Egypt PhD enrolments doubled in the decade to 2010
Zimbabwe wants every university lecturer to have a PhD by 2015
Malaysia has a target of 60,000 PhDs by 2023
India’s plan is to graduate 20,000 PhDs per year
EU plans to create 1,000,000 research jobs by 2020
Sri Lankan Status?
The Australian situation
•
•
•
•
1970s Australia had 11 universities and ~500 PhD students
Today >25000 PhD students in Australian universities
Last year >7500 PhD graduated from Australian universities
Federal government largely controls the number of PhDs via available
scholarships- e.g. APA
International students in OECD countries
The percentage of all tertiary students in Australia who are international students is one of
the highest among OECD and G20 countries with available data (2010).
(OECD average = 6.9%)
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
n
% of HDR graduates
The percentage of today's young people expected to graduate from advanced research
programs in Australia ranks as one of the highest among OECD and G20 countries with
available data. (2%, rank 9/36)
4.0
3.5
3.0
Australia
Canada
2.5
Germany
Japan
2.0
Switzerland
1.5
United Kingdom
United States
1.0
OECD average
0.5
0.0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
HDR load as a proportion of total student load
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
%
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
Higher degree research students at QUT over the years
2500
2000
1500
Total
Domestic
International
1000
500
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
HDR enrolments at QUT
Year
Total HDR
Domestic
International
% Int.
2008
1601
1219
382
24
2009
1726
1262
464
27
2010
1873
1296
577
31
2011
2189
1486
703
32
2012
2362
1590
772
33
Top countries for enrolments in 2012 are: China (84), Malaysia (57), Saudi (49),
Sri Lanka (42), Iran (39)
HDR completions at QUT
Year
Total
Domestic
International
% Int.
2008
248
196
52
21
2009
231
182
49
21
2010
277
193
84
30
2011
294
178
116
39
2012
325
204
121
37
• Highest number of completions are in Science and Engineering
• For 2008 to 2012 the top 5 countries (other than Australia) are: China (119), India
(54), Taiwan (49), England (40), Malaysia (39)
QUT status
Faculty
Total
Domestic
%
International
%
Business
175
63
37
Creative Industries
300
88
12
Divn R&C
7
100
0
Education
197
86
14
Health
499
69
31
Law
86
84
16
Science &
Engineering
918
54
46
2,182
67
33
TOTALS
At present 721 IHDR students are enrolled at QUT
% IHDR Completion to total HDR in 2012
2%
4%
3%
20%
5%
BUS
CIF
EDU
HLTH
LAW
SEF
1%
Across QUT 37% of all HDR completions in 2012 came from IHDR
Sri Lankan HDR statistics
Year
Enrolments
Completions
2008
22
0
2009
33
4
2010
41
6
2011
41
10
2012
42
7
2013
72*
Unavailable
• As at 16/11/2013
• The highest number of enrolment (55) is in Science and Engineering Faculty
Status of Sri Lankan applicants for QUT scholarships
Year
Number applied
Number successful
%
2011
32
16
50
2012
35
18
51.4
2013
46
15
32.6
2014
62
13
21
• Total number of applicants has increased but % of success has declined
• More applications from other countries
• Number of scholarships remained the same
The changing nature of PhD?
• PhD remains the pinnacle of formal academic qualification- its “elite” status is being
eroded
• Changes in research environment- greater emphasis on large scale interdisciplinary
research managed to achieve outcomes identified in advance- as distinct from research
whose major aim is to advance knowledge
• Mismatch between supply and demand- too many STEM PhDs for the available jobs
So what is a PhD?
Imagine a circle that contains all human knowledge
By the time we finish primary school, we know a little bit
By the time we finish high school, we know a little bit more
With a Bachelor degree, we gain a specialty
A Master or an Honours degree, deepens our specialty
We start our PhD by reading research papers, which takes us to the
edge of human knowledge
Once we are at the boundary, we focus
We push at the boundary for a few years
Until one day, the boundary gives in
And, that dent we have made is called a PhD
The world now looks different to us
But we must not forget the bigger picture
Why do we do a PhD?
Some of the reasons are:
• We want to learn a lot about a given topic and become a scholar
• We are passionate about inquiry and intellectual discovery
• We have an interest in actively shaping knowledge and a
fascination in new leading edge knowledge that unites teaching
with research
• We want to become analytical and strategic thinkers
• To help us with credibility in our work environment
• To enhance our career opportunities
• We like the title of Doctor…
Sigmund Freud said
Scholars are people who give up power, riches and romance for the
pursuit of knowledge- through which they may gain power, riches
and romance
The PhD Process
Understanding the PhD form
• Background theory
• Gained through undertaking a critical evaluation of the literature in the field
• Focal theory
• What we are researching and why. Establishing the nature of our problem and set
about analysing it
• Data theory
• Appropriateness and reliability of our data sources. In sciences it will entail the
establishment of a theory supported by evidence and justifications of the
experimental approach used
• Contribution
• The importance of our thesis to the development of the field of studies
know yourself
Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI)
• There are 16 personality types.
• Take time to do a test to find your personality type. Then work on the
weaknesses of your character.
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
I am an ESJF:
• Observant
• Cooperative
• Informative
• Expressive
By becoming more self-aware, we can become more comfortable with who we
are and the changes that are taking place in us and around us.
Skill audit- How can I assess my skills?
• Undertake a SWOT analysis- strength/ weakness/
opportunities / threats
• Check the following website- Key skills for PhDs:
•
http://www.portlandpress.com/pp/books/online/fyos/083/0105/0830105.pdf
Top 6 key skills for successfully completing a PhD
•
•
•
•
•
Intellectual curiosity
The ability to work independently and as member of a team
Organisation/ time management
Communication
Academic skills
•
•
•
•
IT skills
Numeracy skills
Statistical abilities
E-literacy skills
• Belief in ourselves
• Tenacity
• Persistence
What makes a PhD student successful?
• Perseverance- PhD is full of:
• Uncertainty
• Rejection
• Frustration
• Tenacity- thick skin
• Cogency
• Ability to clearly and forcefully articulate our ideas- PhD is about the science of
discovery and the art of persuasion
• Balance between clarity and precision
• Your supervisor
• Understanding one’s supervisor
•
•
•
•
Their goals
Their skills
Their likes and dislikes
Their inadequacies
What students expect from their supervisors?
•
•
•
•
Strength in relevant content and disciplinary domains
Understanding methodology and data analysis relevant to the field
Open-minded about different perspectives
Communicate with student openly and frequently with sensitivity and respect
• Avoid derogatory comments
• Avoid meaningless statements-e.g. Rephrase this
• Good listeners
• Critically evaluate student’s work not the student as a person
• Supervisors are their collaborators
Setting expectations
but expect the unexpected too
Important to set the expectations as early as possible in candidature
• Expectations about milestones
• Expectations of each other
• Expectations about the nature of research
• Expectations about writing and turn around time
• Expectations about meetings
• Expectations about communication
• Expectations about the extent of support
• Expectations about publications/ authorship/ IP
Supervisor roles and attitudes
An effective supervisor serves many roles:
•
•
•
•
•
Director (determining topic and methods, providing ideas)
Facilitator (providing access to resources or expertise, arranging field work)
Advisor (helping to resolve technical problems, suggesting alternatives)
Teacher (showing research techniques)
Guide (suggesting timetable for writing up, giving feedback on progress, identifying
critical path for data collection)
• Freedom giver (authorises scholar to make decisions, supports scholar’s decisions)
• Friend (extends interest and concern to non-academic aspects of scholar’s life)
• Manager (checks progress regularly, monitors study, give systematic feedback, help
plan work)
The four ‘I’s of success
• Imagination
• Innovation
• Improvisation
• Imitation
Skills to be developed during PhD
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Research skills and techniques
Research management and leadership
Personal effectiveness
The ability to communicate with public- art of explaining our complex work to a
friend
Networking and team working nationally and internationally
Negotiation
Career management
Cultural understanding
Dealing with and understanding political circumstances
Questions to reflect on
• What is your interpretation of a PhD?
• Why do YOU want to do a PhD?
• What are the characteristics and skills you have right now that will help you
succeed in your PhD?
• What characteristics and skills you would need to develop further along your
PhD journey?
Thank you for your attention
Professor (Mrs) Acram Taji
Queensland University of Technology
GPO Box 2434
Brisbane, Qld., 4001, AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61-7-3138 6800
Email: acram.taji@qut.edu.au
CRICOS No. 00213J