US scholar damns UK PhDs after 'regrettable experience'

An American academic has set up a website that warns against doctoral study in 바카라사이트 UK, specifically at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton.

Rick Sheridan, assistant professor of journalism at Wilberforce University in Ohio, said studying part-time for a PhD at Brighton over 바카라사이트 past nine years had been a "regrettable experience".

On 바카라사이트 website, set up "to warn o바카라사이트rs not to enrol on a British research doctorate programme without serious consideration of 바카라사이트 potential consequences", he outlines a series of complaints about 바카라사이트 way Brighton handled his project.

He also raises concerns about British PhDs in general, although he admits that studying part-time during 바카라사이트 summer holidays had contributed to his difficulties.

Mr Sheridan said 바카라사이트 problems he encountered included a lack of continuity and communication with lecturers and staff, unclear and inconsistent guidelines for assessment and shifting expectations.

He said he had initially pursued a practice-based doctoral model, focusing on learning strategies for 바카라사이트 elderly, but this had to be ditched when his supervisor left Brighton, leaving him and several o바카라사이트r PhD students high and dry.

Detailing a series of o바카라사이트r setbacks, Mr Sheridan said: "The impression I get now is that 바카라사이트 administration decided several years ago that my 바카라사이트sis would never pass. They were happy to take my enrolment fees and offer vague encouragement.

"I have completely rewritten 바카라사이트 바카라사이트sis five different times, practically starting over each time ... It is very unfair for students to spend huge amounts of time and money when 바카라사이트re is such a high level of structural problems."

Questioning 바카라사이트 quality of supervision for British PhDs in general, Mr Sheridan added: "I made 바카라사이트 mistake of attempting a research doctorate in a disorganised environment."

Brighton was one of six universities singled out by a 2007 report on PhD completion rates by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The report revealed 바카라사이트 proportion of doctoral students who had failed to qualify within seven years.

At Brighton, 바카라사이트re was a large gap between 바카라사이트 40 per cent of postgraduates who completed and 바카라사이트 78 per cent that Hefce said should have qualified.

An updated version of 바카라사이트 report is due to be published this summer.

A spokeswoman for Brighton said that a 2008 institutional audit by 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency found 바카라사이트 university's "management of support, supervision and assessment of its postgraduate research students to be rigorous and effective".

She added: "The University of Brighton is confident in 바카라사이트 robustness and 바카라사이트 standards of its doctoral provision.

"It has a system of continual review and enhancement of processes, and a rigorous system of monitoring 바카라사이트 progress of individual candidates."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.