Preparing Doctoral Graduates for Success
This study found that graduates of PhD programs are being prepared to teach only at research institutions. They do not feel prepared or confident to teach in other settings, settings where most of them actually get jobs and where most of higher education actually takes place. This unfortunately reflects the American higher education system’s reluctance to change in accordance with society’s changes, to adequately consider the workplace into which they send their graduates, and to be clear about what learning outcomes are necessary for graduates to succeed in their chosen profession. It is why new types of doctorates are being developed and successfully delivered. And, it is, in part, why there are so many calls for greater accountability and transparency in higher education. It is why initiatives like Transparency by Design, encouraging clarity about what learning outcomes are intended and are actually delivered, are so important.
Preparing our graduates to succeed in their professional lives is not about lowering higher education to some crass level at which only job skills are taught, as some critics claim. It is being accountable that we are preparing our students to be successful professionals, whether they choose to be university professors or to engage in another profession.
It is good to see that the Council of Graduate Schools has recognized the problem and is taking steps to address it. The Council encourages universities to work with the organizations that will hire their doctoral graduates, to help students and faculty to understand the workplace into which they will be sent. The marketplace for doctorates has also recognized the need for change and is demanding doctorates that do more than prepare people for the relatively limited number of jobs at research institutions.
Your thoughts?
Mike
Share This4 Responses to “Preparing Doctoral Graduates for Success”
Tim Lowder Says:
The AACSB recently created a one week training program wherein executives with an MBA, and without a PhD, can enroll and be qualified to teach at AACSB Accredited universities. After attending the AACSB training the AACSB accredited university can then hire the executive full-time without lowering their required ratio of PhDs who graduated from an AACSB School that is needed to maintain accreditation. As we progress toward the future, I think that Capella might consider offering this program through the AACSB so that our PhD graduates can teach at AACSB accredited schools. I currently teach at a 4 year university but it is not AACSB accredited. An accomplishment of this magnitude would establish Capella as the premier online university to attain a PhD.
Ghost Hunters Says:
I am happy to state that in OM 8028, Survey of Research Literature in Management Education, we spend the term examining business curricula, research and what approaches should be used to make management graduates more effective. We examine theory, design, teaching, learning, andragogy vs. pedagogy etc. One anticipated outcome is for these graduates to influence and shape their programs when they get out into the field and align the field with global business needs. Learners examine the quality of the research and the ME topics concurrently. As you would expect, the discussions get pretty lively in terms of what knowledge, what competencies should these grads really have, especially if they are not going into research institutions. Maudie
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Maudie Holm Says:
I am happy to state that in OM 8028, Survey of Research Literature in Management Education, we spend the term examining business curricula, research and what approaches should be used to make management graduates more effective. We examine theory, design, teaching, learning, andragogy vs. pedagogy etc. One anticipated outcome is for these graduates to influence and shape their programs when they get out into the field and align the field with global business needs. Learners examine the quality of the research and the ME topics concurrently. As you would expect, the discussions get pretty lively in terms of what knowledge, what competencies should these grads really have, especially if they are not going into research institutions. Maudie
July 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm