EUGENE Line A. Coordinated by J. Berlamont. Objective

Transcription

1 EUGENE Line A A1 To identify institutions where doctoral schools with structured PhD programs have been introduced and to establish the influence they have on the level, quality and employability of PhD graduates. Coordinated by J. Berlamont Objective The number of PhD s awarded by Technical Universities or Engineering Faculties of comprehensive universities in Europe has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. Unlike in earlier times, most PhD s do not stay anymore at a university or a research institute, but (have to) go to industry. In the light of the Lisbon strategy (for growth and jobs) it is expected that these trained researchers will bring innovation, more effectiveness and creativity into European industry and companies. European enterprises should become more internationally oriented and fully use scientific and technological developments and research to enhance European competitiveness with respect to the U.S.A., Japan and the BRIC countries. Because PhD s are no longer almost exclusively expected to stay in a university or research environment, but instead to take leading roles in industry, many European HEI s have established in recent years doctoral schools and offer PhD programs. In the past, PhD training consisted exclusively of individual research ( training through research ). Although the individual research is and remains the core and the main constituent of PhD work, one considers that during the PhD study period, students should be better prepared to their future key role in industry and therefore acquire more and better skills that can be used in their future industrial career. They should be (more) exposed to an international research and industrial environment. As a consequence, PhD s will have more attractive career prospects which will enable the universities to attract the brightest and most ambitious young academics. Now, trainings are organised, (advanced) courses are offered to PhD students, who also participate in projects with industry etc. The proportion of these activities with respect to the individual research effort varies. In many places there exists already some experience with structured PhD programs and activities of doctoral schools.

2 A PhD program in engineering should: Support individual research work Broaden the intellectual horizon of the PhD candidate, bring him in contact with relevant future collaborators Provide the candidate with additional technical, scientific and social skills, or improve on them, so that the PhD holder becomes more valuable for industry and more prone to innovation There is a wide variety of doctoral programs - It may be compulsory or not: - It may consist of technical/ scientific advanced courses ( deepening of knowledge ); - It may consist of seminars, courses, lectures supporting the PhD process and the research (e.g. scientific tools, technology platforms, publication, vulgarization of knowledge, patent rights, engineering or industrial ethics ) ( widening of knowledge ); - It may consists in training of skills or attitudes (e.g. entrepreneurship, information and publication skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills in different languages, strategic skills (e.g. time management), career management, strategic thinking, leadership, ); - It may consist of participation in industrial projects, or projects with and for industry, a training period in industry. In some cases the PhD work can be done entirely in a company (under supervision of an academic advisor of course); - Although the objectives of the doctoral programs are clear, and although they are becoming widely implemented, it is actually not known whether these PhD training programs are effective indeed, reach their double objectives and produce PhD s who are better fit for a leading position in industry and who have a better employability and more attractive career prospects. If they are effective, it would be most interesting and instructive to know which type of PhD training is most effective. It is therefore the purpose of EUGENE A1 to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of different PhD programs. If we look at the efficiency of PhD work, we of course look from an academic point of view: the output in terms of publications, citations, and the benefits obtained by more research contracts, better funding of the department The survey that we would like to carry out should clarify the experience of the PhD s themselves as employed in industry and of the employers of PhD students. This will not be an easy task, be it because of the relative small numbers and their dispersion in many companies.

3 Methodology The different types of doctoral programs are known (TREE) We should carry out a number of interviews with, or send a questionnaire to - Staff responsible for doctoral schools - Doctoral students in the end phase of the PhD, who went through the doctoral program - Doctorate holders (with PhD programs) employed in industry - Employers of doctors (with and without PhD training) - We should try to reach a number of PhD alumni and their employers through our own records, the records of the faculty/ school, through alumni associations and professional organizations.

4 EUGENE Academic Network EUropean and Global ENgineering Education LLP IT-ERASMUS-NWA EUGENE A1: Effectiveness and Efficiency of doctoral programs Questionnaire/ guide for the interview. HEI which awarded the PhD: Type of doctoral program Compulsary PhD program o Structured PhD program (1 year, 60 ECTS) Mainly scientific/ technical courses Partly non technical courses (extent) ( ECTS) Mainly scientific/ technical courses Partly non technical courses (extent) o Elective seminars, courses, other activities Optional PhD program None Actual position of PhD alumnus - Industry/ SME - Civil servant - Consultant - Research institute/ HEI - Questions to the PhD alumnus - Do you feel that your actual job is up to your qualifications? - Can you use the training as a researcher that you got during your PhD, and the skills and competences that you acquired during the doctoral program in your actual job? - Were the fact that you hold a PhD degree and/or the skills and competences that you acquired during your PhD studies an advantage in obtaining your first/ current job? - Your employer:

5 do request PhD qualification on the position you actually hold and remunerate it do recognize your PhD qualification and remunerate it do recognize your PhD qualification but does not remunerate it does not request nor recognize your PhD qualification - Is your status on your job position different from those employees without PhD qualification? Questions to the employer of the PhD - Do you have any experience with employees with a PhD degree? - Can you notice a difference between PhD s from the traditional system and recent PhD s, who benefited from the doctoral programs in the doctoral school? Main findings. - Are they more innovative, more effective, more inventive and taking more initiatives than their predecessors? - Are they more communicative, more internationally oriented? - Do they show more leadership in search of new products, processes, methods? Comments

6 Please return to: Prof. Jean Berlamont Fax Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, B 3001Leuven Belgium