Hello,
In regard to the idea of 'PhD in Design' programs there has recently
started a development in PhDs here in Australia that seems to be going in
the opposite direction.
The reasons for it are financial and I suspect it will propagate quickly.
Governments fund different types of PhD differently. For example, here in
Australia, Engineering Design PhDs are funded more highly by the Australian
government than Humanities-based PhDs. This is problematic. For example,
some Humanities Design PhDs have a strong (and expensive) technical
component but are funded less. It is also a problem for managing the
financing of joint supervision across Faculties that are running to
different cost and income mechanisms
Until very recently, PhDs were typically 'subject specific', resulting in
the above problems. At the same time, this subject-specificity was what made
it possible to have such a thing as a "Humanities-based PhD in Design
program"
A new trend in Australia seems to be towards reorganising the
institutional ownership of Doctorates so that they are a single
university-wide award, rather than there being multiple awards specific to
Faculties or subject areas. That is, the PhD award is 'owned' centrally
rather than piecemeal by the individual subject areas.
Thus, under the new approach, what was previously a 'Humanities
Design-focused PhD' with a strong technical content becomes simply 'a PhD'.
However, at university-level it can now be legitimately classified to the
government as an Engineering Design PhD with more money coming to the
university to be divvied up amongst the Faculties sharing the supervision.
The implication is this initiative moves away from the idea of subject
specific PhD programs.
Thoughts?
Terry
===
Dr. Terence Love
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Tel: +61 (0)8 9305 7629
Fax: +61 (0)8 9305 7629
Mob: +61 (0)4 3497 5848
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