Hello Birger
Some previous work has been done on this. The issues of time to completion, relevance (to who? student, industry etc), and flexibility (another term embodying a range of possible meanings - flexible curriculum choices, flexible enrolment possibilities, etc) are of general concern in the literature on doctoral education in general that I have read. I developed a list of ~150 doctoral programs (PhD, Professional doctorate, studio PhD, New Route PhD, other designations) in design in a range of countries and I am currently writing about the characteristics and significance of coursework in design research programs; as a particular angle on this set complemented by a survey of faculty (n=86) I undertook; it has some bearing on what you describe. In the UK, the New Route PhD has been something of a response to the issue of time etc. In addition, professional doctorates and studio research doctorates have been a response to the practice-based and professional needs and backgrounds of students. The overwhelming impression I get from the international scene is that structured coursework - assessed, compulsory but not assessed, and other formats, is very much the trend, building on the North American model
Dr Gavin Melles
Lecturer, Research Degree Skills
Faculty of Design
Swinburne University of Technology
Mob (03) 0402927278
>>> Birger Sevaldson <[log in to unmask]> 23/01/08 7:51 PM >>>
We are (once again) evaluating and looking into our education for doctoral students.
The problems we encounter are mainly concerned about time, relevance and flexibility.
The projects of the candidates differ widely, and so do their competence, coming from design practices to academic backgrounds. We encourage design related research including research by design projects. With an increasing number of project-financed students they do not start at the beginning of our academic year (August) but can start up at any time when ever the project period starts. These students also need to finish within three years; they do not have the fourth teaching year a "normal" stipend financed doctoral student has here. So time is short, need for diving into the particularities of the project immediately is great, no time for maturing, background is often young practitioner with super high level of knowledge on the subject of research but practically no background from philosophy of science.
So we try to redesign our courses to be more flexible, more relevant and less time consuming.
I am sure there must be others facing similar challenges. There might most likely have been previous tracks and discussions on these topics. I would love to exchange ideas with you.
Best regards.
Birger Sevaldson
Professor PhD
Oslo School of Architecture and Design
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