A Review of Graduate Schools in the UK
The two earlier reports in this series (UKCGE 1995, UKCGE 2004) charted the growth in the proportion of HEIs with a graduate school, with the majority of pre-1992 institutions subscribing to this model. The principal conclusion of this report is that this model also applies to the majority of the post-1992 HEIs.
The report is the result of the efforts and commitment of the authors, Pam Denicolo, Mick Fuller, Dianne Berry and Carolyn Raven, and is a valuable contribution to our understanding of postgraduate management in the UK. It provides benchmarking information that will help HEIs to consider how they should develop their own postgraduate provision.Professor Steve Smith Vice Chancellor University of Exeter Chair of Universities UK 2010
Postgraduate provision (PGT and PGR) has continued to expand in the UK. Postgraduate research student numbers have risen steadily but the majority of this increase has been due to growth in international student numbers who now represent over 30 per cent of the total. Research students continue to be concentrated within specific parts of the sector with 80 per cent located in only a third of HEIs, the majority of these being pre 1992 institutions. Furthermore, the gender balance continues to shift in favour of women (now 45 per cent) and there is a shift towards more candidates taking a break between their pre-qualifying courses and commencing their postgraduate research study while part-time graduate students tend to be 10 years older than those studying in full-time mode. Graduate provision has also grown in its diversity with a range of Professional Doctorate courses appearing, although the traditional doctorate still dominates the scene.