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PhD 2.0

PhD 2.0. Graduate School in the 21 st Century Dr. Ashlyn Bernier University of Alberta. The big questions. What is the purpose of a PhD in today’s world? Are more PhDs better? What needs to change, if anything?. What is a PhD?. The Production of PhDs in the United States and Canada

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PhD 2.0

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  1. PhD 2.0 Graduate School in the 21st Century Dr. Ashlyn Bernier University of Alberta

  2. The big questions What is the purpose of a PhD in today’s world? Are more PhDs better? What needs to change, if anything?

  3. What is a PhD?

  4. The Production of PhDs in the United States and Canada Barry R. Chiswick Nicholas Larsen Paul Pieper December 2010

  5. Why a PhD? PhD 1.0 : Early 19th Century to 1990s…

  6. University of Alberta

  7. What a PhD looks like today:2 years out ~44% PostDoc ~56% join labor market ~80% are employed Making ~$65,000 ~21% have left Canada ~50% working in Universities ~15-40% overqualified for their positions Desjardins and King. “Expectations and Labour Market Outcomes of Doctoral Graduates from Canadian Universities” Statistics Canada. January 2011.

  8. What a PhD looks like today: Nature “The PhD Factory” April 21, 2012

  9. Is something wrong? • The Economist, 2010: • “The disposable academic; Why doing a PhD is often a waste of time” • Nature, 2011: “Fix the PhD” feature • “What is a PhD really worth?” • “Rethinking PhDs” • “Reform the PhD system or shut it down”

  10. Is something wrong? “Most doctoral programmers conform to a model defined in the middle ages” Mark Taylor “Reform the PhD…” Nature April 21 2011

  11. Is something wrong? “The [PhD] system is driven by the supply of research funding, not the demand of the job market” “Fix the PhD” Nature April 20 2011

  12. Is something wrong? “Are we training too many people to be university professors? Yes. Are we training too many highly educated people who are encouraged to be creative and to push the advancement of knowledge? Definitely not.” Suzanne Fortier, President of NSERC

  13. What is the solution? • Germany: On the right track? • “Overhaul” of system in last 20 years • PhDs marketed as advanced training for the wider workforce • Focus on transferable skills • Many students complete industrial internships • But…

  14. 1- outside of academic research 2- rather outside of academic research 3- no preference 4- rather an academic research job 5- an academic research job

  15. What can we do? • Canada-CSC Internship Exchange Program • Bring skilled workers into booming Chinese economy • Forge partnerships between Can/Chinese industry • Develop English language skills • Canadian graduate students need to develop business skills • Chinese industry needs talent that can contribute to continued economic and academic prosperity

  16. What is the purpose of a PhD? • Develop novel approaches and ideas • Work independently with risk and pressure • Ability to adapt quickly to new information • Communicate complex ideas • Constantly reevaluate your approach • Contribute to the advancement of…? = Entrepreneur = Academic

  17. PhDs and Entrepreneurship • A movement in recent years… • www.abcampus.ca • Student-led, encouraging innovation, involvement, and entrepreneurship • www.tecedmonton.com • Technology commercialization, student workshops on business • www.startupedmonton.com • Fostering entrepreneurship in Edmonton

  18. PhDs and Entrepreneurship • How can we get students to consider this as a career? • Internships with industry • Partnerships with entrepreneurial organizations • Chinese students in Canada – get the most value from their time here • Partnerships can create students who are experienced, innovative, and business-minded

  19. PhDs today – what needs to change • Quality vs quantity • PhD factory – we need to customize the manufacturing process to reflect today’s job market • PhDs need to face reality early on • The academy is not a foregone conclusion • Consider other options and prepare accordingly • There once was a PhD student…

  20. The University of Alberta’s promise

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