You Must be Very Intelligent ist eine höchst unterhaltsame und ungewöhnlich enthüllende Erzählung über das Leben einer Doktorandin an einer modernen, erfolgreichen Universität. Das Buch, das die Autorin an ihre eigenen Erfahrungen angelehnt hat, ist sowohl witzig als auch kritisch gegenüber dem akademischen System im 21 Jahrhundert. Wenngleich das Buch für eine breite Leserschaft geschrieben wurde, sollte es eine Pflichtlektüre für die Entscheider in der Wissenschaftspolitik sowie für alle zukünftigen DoktorandInnen sein.

Als Karin ihre Promotion an einer hochrangigen Universität beginnt, sprudelt sie förmlich über vor Hoffnung und mutiger Entschlossenheit. Sie möchte zeigen, dass die dieses Privileg verdient. Schließlich weiß sie ja, dass nur die ungeheuer gebildeten und verblüffend intelligenten Leute jemals eine Professur erringen können... Sie weiß, dass Forscher Idealisten sind, die danach streben, das menschliche Wissen zu erweitern... Sie weiß, dass die Universität gleichsam die Vergötterung der zivilisierten Kultur ist... Sie weiß... sehr wenig...

This book, the second in the projected three-volume Forces and Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide series sponsored by the Center for Innovation in Graduate Education (CIRGE) at the University of Washington, invites readers to listen in as nearly thirty distinguished scholars and thought leaders confront urgent questions about doctoral education in a globalizing world:

• How are research doctoral education and the research PhD degree evolving in different national contexts?
• How do researchers in the early stage of their careers assess the value of doctoral education?
• What are the challenges of using international demographic data from existing PhD programs to analyze trends in doctoral education?
• What can happen when regional issues intersect with the need to evaluate doctoral education and ensure its quality?
• Which quality-assurance model has been gaining favor in PhD education, and what challenges does it pose?
• What accounts for conflict between national interests and international collaboration in doctoral education?
• Is there empirical evidence of globalization’s impact on doctoral education and the labor market for PhD graduates?

This follow-up to Toward a Global PhD? (University of Washington Press, 2008), the first volume in the series, includes case studies illustrating global trends in the structure, function, and quality frameworks of doctoral education, and it develops a conceptual framework linking globalization to trends in doctoral education while showing the particular history that has led to the convergence of a number of practices in one or more countries.

Maresi Nerad, University of Washington, Seattle, USA and Barbara Evans (Eds.), University of British Columbia, Canada.

Following the logic of the Bologna structure, the PhD system – or doctorate training – is considered as the third cycle in of the Dutch higher education system, like it is in most European countries. This means that PhD training is following after the initial bachelor and the master phase. This makes the PhD the highest degree that can be obtained in Dutch higher education.

In Romania, a PhD can expect to earn 15% more than her fellows without this kind of qualification if she decides to work in a public sector institution. This and more can be learned in Mircea Miclea’s presentation. He gives a short overview of doctoral training in the new EU member state. To this end, he explains the legal and social conditions of PhDs in Romania. Moreover, he briefly sketches the admission procedures usually employed.

Inter- and multidisciplinarity is a key feature of postgraduate training at the Imperial College in London. In addition, the importance of regular and intensive skills training has been accentuated since the decision to establish a Graduate School at Imperial College in 1992. In this presentation, Bernie Morley gives an overview of the School’s mission, its governance principles as well as its recruitment and quality assurance mechanisms. Moreover, he introduces the team of lecturers that is responsible for the students’ education.

Whatever you would like to know about the doctoral education at the The International Max Planck Research School, Erwin Neher and Steffen Burkhardt will be able to tell you. At the HRK conference on doctoral training in Europe and North America they presented the School’s twin PhD programmes in molecular biology and neurosciences. Not only do they present the School’s mission goals, governance structures and its network of collaboration institutions; also, they explain the curricula of the PhD programmes and list a number of funding opportunities for students. An interesting add-on are the statistics they provide about student applications, application-admission ratios as well as career pathways of former students.

Promotionsabschlüsse werden nicht an jedermann verliehen. Bevor man einen Titel führen darf, muss man eine lange Liste von Qualifikationen beherrschen. Diese Liste der Qualifikationen zu kontrollieren, kritisch zu überdenken und gegebenenfalls zu reformieren ist eine der Aufgaben der Zentralen Evaluations- und Akkreditierungsagentur Hannover (ZEvA). Als ihr Vertreter auf der HRK-Tagung im Juni 2006 erläuterte Hermann Reuke die Rolle der ZEvA in der Qualitätssicherung der Doktorandenausbildung in Deutschland. Dabei ging er nicht nur auf die beachtliche Liste von Anforderung, die ein Doktorand in Deutschland erfüllen muss, sondern stellte auch eine modellhafte Studienstruktur für ein Doktorat vor.

The expectations graduate schools have to lift up to are high. In order to be successful in the long run, they have to combine basic units’ entrepreneurship with the promotion of excellence in research and continuous quality control at the same time. In this presentation, Louis Maheu introduces into the world of Canadian graduate schools. To this end, he gives a short overview of Canadian PhD Education and explains the principles, governance arrangements as well as the challenges faced by Canadian graduate schools.

The Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) is commonly referred to as one of the most prestigious institutes in the field of biomedical and pharmaceutical research. In this presentation, Susan Gasser outlines the mission and the operating principles of the institute. Moreover, she gives a brief insight into the history of the institute. However, the main purpose of her contribution is to present the international PhD programme offered by FMI. Details are provided about the programme outline, application process, admission and selection requirements as well as support services on the ground.