Doctoral Outcomes: Evolution, Evaluation and Experiences
We held our 6th International Conference on Developments in Doctoral Education and Training in Bath on March 21st and 22nd 2024, bringing together people from the UK and beyond to discuss different forms of doctoral assessment, doctoral supervision and more.
The conference featured 50 presentations, workshops and discussions, and was opened with a keynote from Professor Sue Rigby (Bath Spa University) who looked at different doctoral career pathways. “Are we clear enough with PGR students about their career path?” she asked. “The funding landscape of postdoctoral posts allows about ten per cent of student to progress into academic careers. How are we justifying international fees against such career prospects?”
After Professor Rigby’s talk, delegates chose from a mixture of oral presentations, workshops and symposia. Supporting supervisory practice outside academia, developing transferrable skills and enabling interdisciplinary doctoral education were just some of the topics covered by a variety of speakers, including doctoral candidates themselves.
We also hosted our 25th doctoral student panel — a tradition at all our major conferences — where Sandro Eich, Sarah Kearns, Fa Wang and Sarah Warbis took to the stage to speak about their own experiences. Day 1 closed with another keynote, this time from Professor Jeff Casello (University of Waterloo), who gave a fascinating presentation about doctoral degrees in Canada.
The second day of the conference opened with another packed programme. Delegates chose between sessions on Generative AI and research practice, final examinations, digital solutions for doctoral examinations and many more sessions. The morning keynote was delivered by Professor Rebecca Ford (Griffith University) who gave us an absorbing insight into doctoral study in Australia. She talked about how changes to migration policies – including increased English language proficiency scores and a decreased age cap on new graduate visa applications – are affecting postgraduate study in Australia.
Finally, the conference organising panel (Professor Julie Sheldon, Dr Owen Gower and Dr Gillian Houston) provided the closing plenary session, comprising a summary of the whole event. Speaking first, Professor Sheldon observed that the conference had been about outcomes “we make no apologies for the ambiguity of that word. It’s been a collegiate exploration of the actual and the possible”.
Picking up on the same theme, Dr Gower said he had been thinking about “the pipeline – the limited supply of academic jobs – for me, that was one of the tensions of the conference: that doctoral outcomes are somehow precarious. But on the other hand, we had a great sense of how doctoral education can be self-actualising.”
Dr Houston added: “The doctorate is a hugely flexible qualification – with one you can do whatever you like, and I think we ought to be saying that more.”