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Doctoral Education for the Knowledge Society pp 123–146Cite as

Development and Future Directions of Higher Degree Research Training in Australia

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Part of the book series: Knowledge Studies in Higher Education ((KSHE))

Abstract

The doctoral degree (PhD) was introduced into Australian higher education relatively late, with the first PhDs graduating from the University of Melbourne in 1948. Since then, Australian universities have awarded around 100,000 PhDs. Research is the defining characteristic of the Australian doctoral degree, and compared to many other countries, Australia has a relatively high proportion of international students and a substantial number of mature-age, part-time domestic students studying at the doctoral level. Very few PhD graduates are unemployed, but with half of all PhDs not working in education or research positions, there is an ongoing policy debate about the need to rethink the structure and content of the PhD to make it more relevant to the employment prospects and opportunities available to graduates. At the same time, the need for highly trained knowledge workers to fuel the development of an innovative Australian economy capable of successfully competing in a global knowledge network is being emphasised.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education Leadership and Management, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Peter James Bentley & V. Lynn Meek

  2. Innovative Research Universites, Melbourne, Australia

    Peter James Bentley

Authors
  1. Peter James Bentley
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  2. V. Lynn Meek
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Correspondence to Peter James Bentley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Jung Cheol Shin

  2. School of Education, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Barbara M. Kehm

  3. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Glen A. Jones

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Bentley, P.J., Meek, V.L. (2018). Development and Future Directions of Higher Degree Research Training in Australia. In: Shin, J., Kehm, B., Jones, G. (eds) Doctoral Education for the Knowledge Society. Knowledge Studies in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89713-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89713-4_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-89712-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-89713-4

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