The PhD system under pressure: an examiner’s viewpoint
| Date | 04 February 2019 |
| Published date | 04 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-04-2018-0033 |
| Pages | 2-12 |
| Author | David E. Alexander,Ian R. Davis |
| Subject Matter | Education,Educational evaluation/assessment |
The PhD system under pressure:
an examiner’s viewpoint
David E. Alexander
Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction,
University College London, London, UK, and
Ian R. Davis
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paperis to review the issues and challenges associated with examiningPhD
theses in the modern, rapidly changingacademic world. The PhD degree has been described as the “pinnacle
of academic qualifications”, but it is under threat in terms of the quality of supervision and the outcome of
examinations. By bringingthe issues into the open and discussing them, more can be done to safeguard the
health of the modern doctorate.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper reviews the mainstream academic literature on doctoral
degrees from the point of view of the origin and development of the contemporaryPhD. Then it offers some
reflectionson supervision, examination, standards of judgement,benchmarking of results and different routes
to the doctorate. The pressures uponthe modern university are related to issues encountered in examining
doctoraltheses.
Findings –In modern neo-liberalenvironments, the PhD degree isunder pressure in terms of its quality and
rigour. This paperoffers a simple conceptual model of the challenges involvedin ensuring the quality of PhD
examinations and their outcomes.Priorities for the various stakeholders are suggested to ensure that PhD
researchcontinues to set the “gold standard”for excellence.
Practical implications –Recognising and confrontingthe problems with the modern PhD and how it is
examined will help guarantee the qualityof the degree. A more open debate on the pressures under which
supervisionand examinations are conducted will helpestablish rules or guidelines for conduct.
Originality/value –There are remarkably few evaluations of the PhD examination process, which in
recent yearshas become increasingly problematic. The authorsadopt a comprehensive approach to the issues
and relatethem to the societal context in which universities aredeveloping.
Keywords Doctorate, Examination, Pedagogy, PhD degree, Review of practice
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
The PhD degree has been described by educationalists as “the pinnacle of academic
qualifications in higher education”(Denicolo, 2003, p. 84). In recent decades, it has become
accessible to more and more studentsto the point that some authors (Cyranoski et al.,2011)
have written about overproduction. In our opinion, that is the least of its problems. In a
world dominated by acceleratingsocial, economic and technological change, universitiesare
under immense pressure to adapt, and the PhD degree, as an institution, is by no means
isolated from such forces. But are they beneficial or detrimental? With the intention of
systematically considering the issues that currently bear upon the degree, this article
reviews some academic studies of the PhD as a phenomenon that consists of a process and
an outcome. To produce a critique of examination processes and a warning about what
current trends may mean for the future, we draw on our experience of examining PhD
QAE
27,1
2
Received3 April 2018
Revised25 May 2018
Accepted21 June 2018
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.27 No. 1, 2019
pp. 2-12
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-04-2018-0033
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