Abstract:
Doctoral education has received unprecendented policy attention in recent
years and this is set to intensify, whatever the specific outcomes of current
government-mandated 'quality' management frameworks. Responses from
senior management bodies within the higher education sector to increased
accountability requirements have included sets of framing documents for
'best practice' in doctoral education that offer 'guidelines' for the
specification and regulation of identified research capabilities in graduates
and of research degree programs that would support the development of
these capabilities. However. there remains an urgent need for a more
educationally based engagement with these developments from within the
practice sector.
