Since the 1980s there has been an explosion in the number of students undertaking PhDs in the UK. The number of full-time research students increased from 30 000 in 1991 to 54 000 in 2001, while the number of parttime students rocketed from 15000 to 60000 over the same period.This increase is partly due to more students choosing research in the arts and humanities. In physics, the number of PhD students who are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) has remained pretty stable since the early 1990s, at about 450 new students each year.
In the traditional UK PhD model, students undertake research in an academic environment that culminates in a thesis. Students are usually assigned a supervisor who guides them over a three-year period. This is a much shorter time than for a PhD in other countries,which can take about five years in the US or up to eight years in Germany and France. These countries, however, offer more taught courses, and students are expected to have work ready for publication in a journal by the end of their studentships. Indeed, a thesis may incorporate several published papers.
While the traditional approach allows students to develop strong relationships with their supervisors, there are plenty of downsides. For example, supervisors may have as many as 10 students each,which means they have little time to spend developing their protégés. Furthermore, students can become so dependent on their supervisors that they may end up feeling isolated, especially if their research group is small.
The UK research councils believe that good supervision from suitably trained researchers is critical if students are to get the most out of their PhD. In addition, the funding councils are aiming to ensure that students are supervised by a trained team of at least two active researchers from the host university, one of whom would be designated as the principal supervisor. EPSRC would also expect one industrial member where appropriate.
In the January issue of Physics World Ian Cameron, head of postgraduate training at the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, describes how some recent changes could help equip research students for the future.