Origins of (post)graduate education

What defined a university was the offering of graduate work, and … what completed it, in essence as well as in time, was the granting of PhD degrees (Rosovsky, as cited in Noble, 1994, p. 4).

In order to understand the importance of, and the current situation with regards to, graduate or postgraduate education, it might be worthwhile to look into the origins of such education. Noble (1994) traced the origins of universities and their practices through the work of other scholars, and identified the following:

• While the European idea of a university was conceived during the Middle Ages (475AD-1453AD), the roots may be in ancient Greece, as early as 520BC.
• A system of examination was evident in China in 165BC. Formal certification for a course of study may have started in Egypt and Morocco in 9th and 10th centuries.
• The title of doctor was awarded in Paris circa 1150.

Noble (1994) notes that "over time the process of acquiring a doctoral degree became structured and candidates were required to complete a clearly defined and demanding academic process" (p. 8), and that "universities that were established in … the former colonies of European nations were founded with the same attitudes, beliefs and customs as European institutions" (p. 7).

It is not surprising then that the demanding process of graduate education in contemporary Australia is similar to the European practices in the Middle Ages.

Towards the middle of the thirteenth century the custom arose of requiring the student, after five years of resident study, to pass a preliminary examination by a committee of his nation. This involved first a private test – a responsio to questions; second, a public disputation in which the candidate defended one or more theses against challengers, and concluded with a summation of the results – determinatio. Those who passed preliminary trials were called baccalarii, bachelors, and were allowed to serve a master as assistant teacher or ‘cursory’ lecturer. The bachelor might continue his resident studies for three years more; then if his master thought him fit for the ordeal, he was presented to examiners appointed by the chancellor … if the students passed this public and final examination he became a master or doctor, and automatically received … [a] sanctioned license, to teach anywhere … (Durant, as cited in Noble, 1994, p. 8)

• Noble, K.A. (1994). Changing doctoral degrees. Buckingham, UK: SRHE & Open University Press.