This article compares the hireability of doctoral graduates of online and traditional public affairs programs in the United States. In this context, "hireability" refers to the measure of how likely it is that someone may be hired. There has been an expansion in the number of awarded doctoral degrees, particularly through online degree…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the interaction between the component domains of doctoral value to identify those which have a greater influence on overall perceptions of the value of a doctorate. This study also investigates what may lead an individual to say the doctorate was not worth doing. Design/methodology/approach:…

Doctoral degree holders may struggle to find a job, even though they possess the highest level of education delivered by universities. Whilst learning experiences' quality has been argued to affect the doctoral degree holders' ability to get a job, little is known about the relationship between these dimensions. To shed light on this issue, the…

The United Kingdom is one of the most preferred study abroad destinations for international students due to its globally recognized universities, high academic standards, and strong career outcomes. This article provides an overview of studying in the UK, including academic structure, university selection, admission pathways, and post-study…

The traditional apprenticeship model for PhD education involves supervisors mentoring students through a substantive research project and ultimately into academia. Although about half of PhD graduates enter careers beyond academia, this apprenticeship model, with a narrow focus on thesis research has continued to dominate in many countries. While…

The demands of Industry 4.0 (the Fourth Industrial Revolution) for a future-ready skilled workforce have placed significant political pressure on PhD programs to deliver different sorts of graduates. The paper documents the prevalent 'skills gap' narrative of global policy actors and, and using a multi-scalar policy lens, examines global and…

Recent research into the mental health of PhD candidates suggests that their high levels of stress could be caused in part or exacerbated by aspects of the doctoral education environment. However, the particulars of this environment have not been explored in consistent enough ways to provide a clear way forward for universities to respond to this…

Purpose: Doctoral programs play a crucial role in promoting innovation and technology transfer in universities. To design these programs effectively and with a co-design perspective, it is essential to consider all stakeholders involved in the process, including teachers, students and employers. The main objective of this study is to enhance…

There is growing momentum for PhD curricula to move away from traditional apprenticeship models and to adopt competency-based education models. The objectives of this study were to identify key drivers for adopting competency-based curricula during PhD training and to articulate key competencies to be developed as part of the curriculum for PhD…

Despite significant recent changes to the doctoral training environment, particularly provision of employability skills during candidature, there is a paucity of research investigating best practice in this area. This paper describes a case study in how various pedagogical theories, curriculum co-creation, lifelong learner, adult learning,…

Higher education in Bhutan changed irrevocably in 2003 with the amalgamation of disparate colleges to form the country's first university. Research was not well known or understood. Over the last two decades doctorates were obtained outside Bhutan. The focus of this study is the impact of those who returned with an education doctorate. Using a…

This paper draws attention to how markers of adulthood linked to education and employment form an influential social narrative and argues that these help to construct teenage motherhood as problematic. Social policies, informed by this narrative, reinforce the idea of a "correct" path through education and into employment from which…

In the ten years since Australia's first large-scale scoping study of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) there has been a rapid increase in WIL research and undergraduate WIL opportunities. Though well-established in undergraduate degrees, WIL in postgraduate research degrees is relatively unexplored. Less than half of PhD graduates in Australia are…

Employing the Twenty Statements Test and a framework of self-motives (self-esteem, self-efficacy, authenticity), this paper examines the self-concept of Ukrainian doctoral students while means-ends decoupling takes place at the state level. The latter implies that the practices of state policies are disconnected from the state's core goal of…

Universities are breaking away from the academic apprenticeship-type PhD model towards more individualised and collaborative programmes. Papers published in peer-reviewed academic journals on this topic were compiled to investigate the conversation surrounding PhD reform. Important considerations derived from the literature were that PhD…