The PhD … more than a research process?

Despite differing structures, processes and means of assessment, the PhD remains a universally recognised and respected qualification. While experience, publications and the ability to attract grants are core selection criteria, those two letters, D and r, remain the unquestioned prerequisite for the vast majority of new academic positions. However, the differences between national approaches often produce graduates with markedly different skills. In the United States, for example, periods of teaching, and thus teacher-development, are often part of the processes of candidature.

The University of Western Australia’s model of doctoral candidature emphasises research, and some might argue often to the exclusion of all else. This situation is comparable with most Australian universities. While this model has been thoroughly tested by time in terms of producing graduates with outstanding research abilities, the same cannot be said for other core skills required of new academics today. Although most academic positions entail a substantial teaching role, when exactly do doctoral candidates build and develop the pedagogical skills required for their future careers? Similarly, while many undertaking doctoral candidature are no longer looking to academia as a career path, is there a single professional occupation today which is looking for graduates who have only research skills, no matter how impressive they might be?

While recent mandates from the Federal government have focused on Excellence in Research, they have also directly linked funding to Excellence in Teaching. Economic incentives should never be the only reason for re-evaluating our procedures, but they certainly highlight the shifting role of the doctorate and may be a useful catalyst for provoking a level of self-evaluation and reflection about what postgraduate research degrees do, and should, entail. One of the core questions is simply: is the doctoral process simply about building brilliant researchers or outstanding, well-rounded academics? If the answer is the latter, then we need to acknowledge that the vast majority of academics have substantial teaching roles. Ensuring our graduates are first-rate educators as well as outstanding researchers will ensure the overall utility and credibility of our higher degrees.

Initiatives such as the Postgraduate Teaching Internship Scheme at UWA recognise that doctoral candidature can be a period which allows postgraduate students to foster a wide range of pedagogical and communication skills. While the postgraduates who are fortunate enough to participate in such schemes are in excellent standing to enter academia and professional positions more broadly, the question of embedding professional and pedagogical skills as part of higher degree programmes for all postgraduate research students remains one worthy of future consideration.