Doctoral employment outside universities has been increasing, as universities cannot employ all doctorate holders. Nevertheless, it has been argued that the shift from doctoral programs to the non-academic labour market has been limited. In this qualitative study, more than 800 verbal answers given by doctorate holders to a pair of open-ended…

The Chinese government has been actively recruiting foreign-trained Chinese scholars to return to China since the Chinese brain drain began. Japan is among the most popular destinations for Chinese scholars seeking to receive doctoral training. This study explores the factors contributing to the stratification of Japanese-trained Chinese PhDs'…

Nontraditional scholars with online Ph.D. (NSOP) credentials may encounter skepticism about their credentials, which can be problematic if they opted for the flexibility and accessibility of online graduate education. Faculty members question NSOP motivations, program rigor, and institutional reputation. This study investigates the influence of…

Many MSW-level social workers make the decision to earn a doctoral degree in social work or a related field. A large number of so-called predatory doctoral programs lack rigor or much academic substance and are ultimately of little value in advancing one's career. This article describes the characteristics of legitimate social work doctoral…

The continued importance of university rankings has only served to fuel the growth of the "world-class" university movement. There is a growing impression that, in a globalised and interconnected world, no country can do without a world-class university. No country, that is, except Brazil. While Brazil has the resources necessary to…

This article reports on an evaluation of the University of Pennsylvania's doctorate in social work (DSW), the first of the newly emerging practice doctorates. The study sample was current students and program alumni. Data were from program records and from an online survey of DSW alumni with an 81.6% response rate. Overall, the program is…

In this paper, we situate the findings from the studies in this thematic issue within the current policy environment that influences the status, rankings, and funding contexts for doctoral programs in Physical Education Teacher Education within and across institutions. We identify common challenges that these doctoral programs are confronted with…

The article draws on findings from the "PhD Examination Project" at the SORTI Research Centre of The University of Newcastle, Australia. It focuses on an analysis of the roles of examiner and supervisor, in relation to the candidate, as seen through the lens of Habermas's "Ways of Knowing" theory. On the basis of this, it has…

English and History doctoral programs produced varying amounts of doctoral degrees between 1973 and 2003. These doctoral degree recipients experienced changing employment outcomes influenced by program prestige. The main goal of this study is to explain the changes over time in doctoral degree production and employment outcomes for doctoral degree…

Why do some Ph.D.'s languish in positions with little authority, and what does educational background have to do with it? Hypotheses predicted that life scientists with Ph.D.'s from elite programs would be the most likely, those from middle-ranked programs the next most likely, and those from lower ranked programs the least likely to achieve…

It is argued that professional doctorates such as the Doctor of Education degree have value as a means of reconstructing the relationship between theory and practice, by demanding a reconstruction of university research relationships with practitioners. In turn, this requires that universities change their conceptualization and teaching of…

The quality of doctoral-level chemical engineering (N=79), civil engineering (N=74), electrical engineering (N=91), and mechanical engineering (N=82) programs at United States universities was assessed, using 16 measures. These measures focused on variables related to: (1) program size; (2) characteristics of graduates; (3) reputational factors…

This study surveyed graduate programs of Higher Education Administration within the Southeastern United States in order to identify programs perceived to be "excellent" and to profile their predominant characteristics. A 10-item survey instrument was developed and mailed to the program director, chair, or coordinator at all Southeastern…