EUA Council for Doctoral Education
The Doctoral Debate
“The Doctoral Debate” is an online platform featuring original articles with commentary and analysis on doctoral education in Europe. Articles focus on trending topics in doctoral education and state-of-the-art policies and practices. The Debate showcases voices and views from EUA-CDE members and partners.
All views expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of EUA Council for Doctoral Education. If you would like to respond to this article by writing your own piece, please see The Doctoral Debate style guidelines and contact the CDE team to pitch your idea.
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07 Sep. 2020Towards a global doctorate? Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis, EUA-CDE Steering Committee Member Hans-Joachim Bungartz looks at the world of doctoral education and reflects on the importance of location, the institutional context and local supervision as meetings can be organised online anywhere. This piece briefly depicts the issue and launches a very relevant discussion on global doctorates. Read more
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17 Jun. 2020Blended learning in doctoral education The shift to blended learning may have taken years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has quickly changed the playing field, accelerating the move to online approaches. As Marianna Bevova of the University of Liège explains, this transition is particularly interesting in the field of doctoral education. Read more
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22 May. 2020Doctoral education and Covid-19: the impact on early-career researchers As universities move many activities online in the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis, doctoral schools face unique challenges. EUA-CDE Head Alexander Hasgall discusses the impact on early-career researchers, in particular their doctoral defences, funding, international collaborations, and mental health and wellbeing. Read more
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04 May. 2020German study: most doctoral candidates are satisfied with their situation A new study in Germany aims to map thousands of doctoral candidates in dozens of universities, providing insight into their working conditions, views on supervision, motivation, career goals, and mobility during doctoral studies, as well as possible thoughts on dropping out. As Kolja Briedis from the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies tells us, the results are better than expected. Read more
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18 Mar. 2020Precarious careers: postdoctoral researchers in the Netherlands The number of postdoc researchers is growing and while they enjoy their work and colleagues, studies in the Netherlands revealed that they experience high stress levels. Christine Teelken and Inge van der Weijden discuss mental health and the main stressors, including lack of academic career prospects, publication and grant pressure, work-life imbalance and lack of institutional support. Read more
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06 Mar. 2020Why doctoral candidates should develop their teaching expertise Developing teaching expertise alongside research will translate into a well-rounded generation of academics. Susan te Pas of Utrecht University explores in detail why it is smart to invest in teaching expertise, in particular among doctoral candidates. Read more
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22 Jan. 2020Empowering doctoral candidates in shaping institutional Open Science policy Online courses in Open Science are ready and available for free and anytime, many upon the initiative of doctoral candidates who are engaged in advocacy and dissemination events. As Roberta Moscon from the University of Trento explains, empowering doctoral candidates in shaping Open Science policy and making them ambassadors in the design and delivery of courses, as well as in coordinating and integrating institutional services is crucial to innovative doctoral training and research. Read more
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27 Nov. 2019How “publish or perish” damages doctoral research As early-career researchers strive to publish more and more, research quality and integrity – as well as the researchers themselves - pay a heavy price. EUA-CDE’s Alexander Hasgall discusses a new EUA study on the topic and a way forward for doctoral candidates. Read more
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01 Oct. 2019How doctorates vary across Europe, from the perspective of doctoral candidates Doctorates across Europe differ in rules about admission and employment, requirements for performance, rules for supervision or doctoral dissertation. What are the strong points and where are the challenges? The Eurodoc survey “Doctorates across Europe” provides some answers. Read more
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28 Aug. 2019Doctoral education for the future — drivers and needs for development The political, cultural and economic environment of universities is changing at an accelerated pace. These dynamics place new demands on higher education. Maija Urponen considers that the rapid technological and environmental changes, digital transformation, and changing structures of work have consequences for the skills needed for successful doctoral careers both inside and outside academia. Specifically, the challenges posed by AI for knowledge production, the adoption of the UN’s SDGs, and the reorganisation of research work will require upskilling and reskilling. Read more