Doctoral education in the UK: ideal models and the stark reality

Professor Mick FullerChair of UK Council for Doctoral EducationMember of Steering Committee, EUA-CDE

Head of Graduate School, Plymouth University

PGR PGT Batchelor

Other UG Total

Over 2.5M students

4% 19% 57% 20% 100%

UK student population

data from HESA

PG numbers overall (HESES)

Millward Inside Government 2014

Numbers of PGR starters (75-80% FT)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Academic year

Nu

mb

er o

f st

arte

rs

Full-time PhDFull-time MPhil to PhDPart-time PhDPart-time MPhil to PhD

PhD study Trends and profiles1996-97 to 2009-10 HEFCE 2011

81% decadal increase

Mean age 27.8 yrs

16%decadal increase

Mean age 38.9 yrs

Numbers of PGR starters by origin

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Academic year

Nu

mb

er o

f st

arte

rs

UK

International

EU

PhD study Trends and profiles1996-97 to 2009-10 HEFCE 2011

57%

122%

115%

UUK 2013

0 20 40 60 80 100 1200

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Mean no PhD’s awarded/yr

25% - 4 Universities (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Manchester)25% - 18 Universities (Russell Group)25% - 32 Universities (Russell Group + some others)25% - 66 Universities (Alliance + MillionPlus)

HEFCE Issues report 2013

Who funds UK FT PhD’s?Major source of

tuition fees FT

(PGR starters) UK EU

Internatio

nal

Research Councils 3,255 35% 500

20

% 125 2%

Charity/British

Academy 320 3% 145 6% 335 6%

Institutions 2,415 26% 660

26

% 1,205

20

%

UK Government 665 7% 85 3% 145 2%

UK industry 270 3% 80 3% 245 4%

Overseas 125 1% 90 3% 1,645

27

%

Other 615 7% 255

10

% 410 7%

No financial

backing 1,755 19% 735

29

% 1,995

33

%

Total 9,420

100

% 2,550

100

% 6,105

100

%

Who funds UK PT PhD’sMajor source of

tuition fees PT

(PGR starters) UK EU

Internatio

nal

Research Councils 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

Institutions 660 18% 55 10% 65 11%

UK Government 250 7% 30 6% 10 2%

UK industry 400 11% 25 5% 25 4%

Other 250 7% 40 7% 60 10%

No financial

backing 2,055 57% 365 71% 430 73%

Total 3,615

100

% 510 100% 590

100

%

Response mode research grant funding and research student funding Engineering and Physical Sciences RC (EPSRC) Natural and Environmental Sciences RC (NERC) Biotechnological and Biological Sciences RC

(BBSRC) Medical RC (MRC) Economic and Social Science RC (ESRC) Arts and Humanities RC (AHRC)Large equipment research grant funding Science and Technology RC (STSC)

Research Councils UK (RCUK)

Old Individual studentships Research grant tied studentships CASE studentships

The Roberts Agenda (generic skills) – 2004-2011

New Block grant studentships – DTC/CDT/DTPs CASE studentships

The changing face of RCUK research student funding models

Government funding for PGR

AHRC

BBSRC

EPSRC

ESRC

MRC

NERC

STFC

HEFCE

SFC

HEFCW

DELNI

0 50000000 100000000 150000000 200000000 250000000 300000000

RC’s = £400M

RDP = £240MQr = £1018M

Millward Inside Government 2014

Government RCUK’s - DTC/DTP/CDT/IDC Innovate UK – Knowledge Training Partnerships (KTPs)

European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie (ITN/IDP), Erasmus Mundus doctoral

schools Industry – Pharma, Chemical, Engineering/Manufacturing

companies Universities – from Government funding and

Philanthropic donations Charities – Leverhulme, Cancer Research Foundation,

British Council International government sponsors

Major funders of PhD training

Generic elements for ideal research student training - RCUK

Discipline congruent Quality research activity Critical Mass of PGR students; 50 -100+ Subject specific skills training especially in year 1 eg a

PGCert/Dip or compulsory modules (structured training) Cohort approach to management and training Generic skills training and career development Industry contacts and internships Partnerships with other institutions/networks - mobility Conference support

CDTs Single institution Speciality research training + generic skills training Industrial collaboration cohort

DTPs/ITNs Partnership of several institutions Structured training in yr 1 + generic skills training Internships/Placements Mobility (experience in another lab/Uni) cohort

Common themes of block grant funding for PGR

You must have a good funding track record from the research council you are applying to – high starting thresholds e.g. BBSRC £7M in last 3 years (means RC will only place students where it has placed research funds – blocks out new/developing units)

You must have good completion rates of previously RC funded PGR students – over 70% submitted within 4 years

You must have an already established good training programme

You must match funded the studentships (additionality) – min of 25-50% of the number requested i.e you need to commit University money to the “pot”

Stark realities of getting RCUK block grant funding

Need to have entered in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) REF2014 is made up of 36 subject disciplines (was 63 in RAE08) Unis choose who to enter and which disciplines to enter (R&T staff – T

only, staff not eligible) The quality of each discipline entry is judged on:

Quality of Outputs – best 4 outputs per academic entered Quality of Research Environment – research income, research student

completions, research strategy Quality of Research Impact

This gives a profile of quality: proportion of 4*, 3*, 2*, 1*, uc The Quality profile then goes into two algolrhithms to calculate funding

(Mainstream Qr and Research Degree Programmes (RDP) Qr) RDP depends on weighted Quality rating x Nos of current Home PGR

students Mainstream Qr depends on a weighted Quality rating x Nos Staff submitted

X subject weighting

Getting HEFCE PGR grant

Original statement was: “To fund quality research wherever it was found”However this saw more of the money distributed away from the top research intense Unis and so a weighting was introduced2009 – weighting 7x4* + 4x3* + 1x2* (no funding for 1* or uc)2012 – weighting 3x4* + 1x3* (no funding for 2* less for 3*)2015 – weighting 4x4* + 1x3* (even less for 3*)

Net effect: concentration of funding

Changes to the weightings

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 1400

2000000

4000000

6000000

8000000

10000000

12000000

14000000

16000000

RDP allocation

RDP income post 92 RDP pre 92 RDP specialist colleges

£

European Commission Horizon 2020

“The Commission will propose a common approach to help ensure that the next generation of doctorate holders can actively contribute to the Innovation Union with a further one million more PhD holders by 2020”

doctoral training should have a certain critical mass, doctoral programmes should include transferable

skills training, such programmes should respect the principles of the

European Charter & Code, doctoral candidates should acquire the ability to

challenge disciplinary borders doctoral candidates should spend some research time

abroad and in industry in the broad sense.

Ideal = expensive model Expensive = fewer studentships 2 tier system emerging Concentration effects to fewer Unis/Depts Not all PhD students are 22-25 yrs PT studies not facilitated by the model Professional doctorates not included What jobs do they get – not all can become

academics ( < 20%) Are they being trained for the right job?

Stark realities of new models of PGR funding

  University AllianceHighest-earning 20

Universities forResearch Income

% change in Doctoral graduates (2002-03 to 2012-13) 134% 41%

% change in share of UKHE Doctoral graduates (2002-03 to 2012-13) 2.8% -2.8%

% change in total research income (in cash terms 2002-03 to 2012-13) 63% 92%

% change in share of UKHE research income (in cash terms 2002-03 to

2012-13) -0.28% 4.9%

Does Concentration lead to better Doctoral training?

Queen

Mar

y, U

nive

rsity

of L

ondo

n

Unive

rsity

of L

iver

pool

Aston

Uni

vers

ity

Unive

rsity

of S

heffi

eld

Unive

rsity

of C

entra

l Lan

cash

ire

Unive

rsity

of B

radf

ord

Unive

rsity

of M

anch

este

r

Lond

on S

choo

l of E

cono

mics a

nd P

oliti

cal S

cien

ce

Unive

rsity

of N

ottin

gham

Unive

rsity

of H

ull

Unive

rsity

of R

eadi

ng

Unive

rsity

of D

urha

m

Unive

rsity

of B

irmin

gham

Cranfi

eld

Unive

rsity

Unive

rsity

of B

ath

Liver

pool

John

Moo

res U

nive

rsity

Unive

rsity

of P

lym

outh

Unive

rsity

of W

arwic

k

Nottin

gham

Tre

nt U

nive

rsity

De Mon

tfort

Unive

rsity

Keele

Uni

vers

ity

Royal

Hol

loway

, Uni

vers

ity o

f Lon

don

Unive

rsity

of H

udde

rsfie

ld

Birkbe

ck C

olle

ge

Unive

rsity

of S

alfo

rd

Brune

l Uni

vers

ity

Golds

mith

s' Col

lege

Anglia

Rus

kin

Unive

rsity

Unive

rsity

of B

olto

n0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

HEFCE 7 yr completion rates for FT students 2010/11

%

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

4,894

163,717

116,677

21,778

135

103 101

61

Average Public Research Funding (QR+RCUK)

Average number of spin offs and start ups

Ave

rag

e

Pu

bli

c R

ese

arc

h F

un

din

g (

£)

Ave

rag

e

Sta

rt U

ps a

nd

Sp

in O

ffs

Rise in Graduate Schools 2000 – 2013 Graduate Schools now in most Universities

Some institutional wide Some faculty/discipline based

As some Unis became successful at getting CDTs/DTPs/ITNs then this has challenged the overall management of them to prevent re-inventing the wheel

Current trend is the rise in the “Graduate College” which is the institutional wide Graduate School

How are new models of funding influencing Universities behaviour to support PGR

students?

Is the experiment working? Does block grant, cohort funding lead to:

better student experience? improved completion rates? better preparedness for employment? better employment for those PhD graduates?

Will it prejudice PhD graduates who do not come from a CDT/DTP/ITN cohort?

Should Unis remodel their entire PhD provision to fit the block grant, cohort funded examples?

Should Unis identify training streams for PhD students? Academic stream; Industrial stream; Entrepreneur stream;

Public sector stream

Challenges - Where to from here?

Don’t forget to ask the students!