HEFCE PGR policyPerspectives from recent projects

International Conference on Developments in Doctoral Education & Training (ICDDET)

30 March 2015

Dr Jude HillHEFCE Research Policy Team

HEFCE’s Business Plan

‘Ensuring that progression to postgraduate level is genuinely open to all who are appropriately qualified and could benefit from it, and that we continue to attract the strongest candidates for postgraduate research regardless of socio-economic background. We will be working with Government to develop finance schemes that enable this aspiration to be met, and with providers to shape courses which address the demand for postgraduates with the advanced skills and knowledge needed in the economy’

Summary

• The PGR landscape

• Perspectives from recent projects, including:– The transition to doctoral study (HEFCE)– Understanding the recruitment and selection of

postgraduate researchers (CRAC)– The Impact of doctoral careers study (RCUK)

• Ongoing evidence gathering

Changing context for PGR…

• Undergraduate, PGT (and PGR?) finance• RCUK funding approach• Widening participation• Institutional collaboration• Student and employer expectations

PGR landscape

57% UK domiciled100,000 students

22,000 graduate p.a.

PGR landscape

Under-represented:

- Women- People from non-white

ethnic backgrounds- People with disabilities- People from low

participation locations

PGR landscape

£665M public funding

The transition to doctoral study

PGRUG Future career

PGRUG Future careerUG PGR

PGT

Workplace

Those who transition within 1 year are:• In STEM subjects (73%)

• Male (62%)

• White (86%)

• Often have an ‘enhanced UG’ qualification (44%)

• Have a 1st class (57%) or 2.1 (39%) degree

Who?

Source: HEFCE 2013/13 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2013/201313/

Since 2002/3 the proportion of PGR

students entering with a prior PG qualification has

increased from

33% to 59%Source: HEFCE analysis of HESA data

Prior PG quals

Prior PG qualifications - discipline

Source: HEFCE analysis of HESA data

UK domiciled entrants to full time PGR study 2012/13

Aims and approach

• Institutional (mostly) perspective• Recruitment and selection of PGR students• Motivations

• Survey (60 HEIs responded)• Visits/interviews (stratified sample of 11 HEIs)• Focus groups with students

Motivations

"PGRs were also seen as vehicles for innovation, providing opportunities to explore more speculative research topics and push research boundaries, at lower risk and cost than using more experienced, expensive researchers. One academic felt that the need to produce REF-submittable research was generally making academics more risk-adverse in their choice of research topics, whereas PGRs could work on higher-risk projects"

Supply and demand

"The introduction of the Research Councils’ Centres of Doctoral Training (CDT) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP) is impacting on the recruitment of PGRs. As well as increasing the concentration of PGRs within research-intensive institutions, the requirement for institutions to find associated administrative costs and matched funding is impacting on the availability of funds for institutional PGR scholarships and their flexibility to direct PGR recruitment according to institutional priorities."

Widening participation

"The vast majority of respondents (48) simply indicated that they were not [considering widening participation for PGRs], although four of these institutions reported that they were actively considering what WP meant at PGR level and whether they should attempt to adjust their recruitment to pursue it."

"Within the institutions interviewed, there was generally an interest in exploring how WP could be defined for entry into PGR"

“External or ‘returning’ applicants coming into the system cold are less likely to understand the requirements, or ‘unwritten’ rules, in applying for a PGR programme raising questions about equality of access for all applicants"

Impact of Doctoral Careers (RCUK)• For Businesses that employ staff with PhDs– 75% say the loss of staff with PhDs would have a business

critical or significant impact on operations

• Doctoral graduates:– Act as a mark of quality and authority– Boost profile and credibility of the organisation– Help the acquisition of new clients, markets and income

streams– Foster innovation– Aid collaboration and engagement (inc KE between HEIs

and industry)

Conclusions

• Complex routes to PGR study• Important role for PGT• PGRs role in research performance• Changing Research Council funding landscape• Rising demand from institutions• Widening participation emerging issue• Impact of PGRs on employers and KE

Ongoing evidence gathering

Funding for PGR

Participation, pathways, access & training

Employer and industry engagement

International benchmarking

OverviewHEIsP/OW

Dialogue with HEIs• RDP questions• Impact of CDTs/DTPs (on

student experience; PGR support; outcomes for employers and industry)

• Consequences of increased emphasis on multi-institutional initiatives

Projects/ongoing work• Continued work with

RCUK

Funding for PGR

Dialogue with HEIs• Variable modes of delivery• Widening participation• Training and development

Projects/ongoing work• Professional

Doctorates• Widening

Participation work

Participation, pathways, access and training

Dialogue with HEIs• Models for collaboration• Motivations• Barriers

Projects/ongoing work• Professional

Doctorates • Fact finding with

Innovate UK to evaluate the KTP programme

Employer and industry engagement

International benchmarking

Projects/ongoing work• Insights into the choices and perceptions of

international students who compare different HE systems and what factors they consider to be important when choosing the UK

Thank you for listening

j.hill@hefce.ac.uk

When?

Within 2 years, no additional qualification

Longer period, prior PG qualification, work experience

Within 2-3 years, prior PG qualification

Source: HEFCE 2013/13 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2013/201313/