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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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
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25 Jul. 2019No future for the doctorate without uptake This contribution argues that research uptake is essential for doctoral studies. The doctorate is a qualification that serves the needs of academia, government, private and public sectors and social communities. As Laetus O.K. Lategan writes, research uptake addresses the relevance of doctoral research and is a strong reminder of the doctorate’s contribution to the social contract, the usefulness of research for economic development and the imperative to move research away from a mono-disciplinary perspective. The importance of research uptake for doctoral education is based on the meaning, impact and value that new knowledge creation should have as an outcome of the research. Read more
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12 Jun. 2019Doctoral education and the Sustainable Development Goals Doctoral education has a major role to play in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. EUA-CDE Head Alexander Hasgall explores this, as well as how the goals, in turn, can benefit doctoral education. Read more
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07 Jun. 2019New strategies for translating transferable skills into diverse contexts Despite extensive efforts by universities to embed transferable skills training within doctoral programmes, Pam Denicolo, Dawn Duke and Julie Reeves observe that UK employers across sectors express a lack of key employability skills in doctoral graduates. The authors consider a core issue the lack of guidance on translating these skills into diverse contexts, both within and beyond academia. Read more
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06 Jun. 2019"My thesis in 180 seconds": entertainment, communication and doctoral education Over the last decade, a number of public presentation events involving young researchers have bloomed in academia. In French-speaking universities, “Ma thèse en 180 secondes” has become a must. As Denis Billotte of CUSO argues, beyond the entertainment and the promotional aspects, such competitions also have great value for doctoral education. Read more
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08 May. 2019Doctoral education and language: from university requirements to workplace needs In doctoral education, language training should be revisited to bring doctoral candidates closer to the skills requirements of the workplace. As Annalisa Zanola of the University of Brescia writes, doctoral candidates need to communicate in international contexts during and after their academic experience, making specific public speaking modules a must, with special attention to multilingualism and intercultural dialogue. Read more
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20 Mar. 2019One thesis, two diplomas: the real challenge presented by cotutelle agreements The internationalisation of doctoral studies plays a central role in preparing doctoral candidates for future careers in various sectors of society. In many universities, candidates have the possibility to receive a double degree, even though the drafting of cotutelle agreements is a very long process due to different regulations. Francesc Sepulcre, Eugenia Miranda and David Artigas from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia point out the main challenges associated with such agreements and how can universities overcome them. Read more