Europe has no choice but to invest heavily in knowledge creation and distribution, and investing in doctoral education is a key element in this strategy.
“The number of doctoral graduates that go into non-academic careers is high and continues to grow,” said David Bogle, main author of the LERU paper and head of the Graduate School at University College London. “This indicates that there is a strong demand from the private and public sector for the skills that a doctorate instils for employment beyond the education sector”.
The day when a doctorate was the entrance ticket to an academic career has gone. Instead the PhD has evolved into a top level qualification that trains people to be creative, critical, autonomous, intellectual risk-takers who push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation whatever their employment destination may be.
Governments should increase investment in doctoral education and employers and universities should work together ensuring that rigorous research remains the cornerstone of the doctorate and that doctoral training is a suitable preparation for work in today’s world, says the report.
The report is available at http://www.leru.org
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