A place to call home

"Grad school": it is a quintessentially North American term, conjuring up images of autumn leaves drifting across campus lawns and idle students decked out in Abercrombie and Fitch gear.

Until 바카라사이트 mid-1990s, UK postgraduate students rarely had a dedicated base to call home, with 바카라사이트 administration, management and support of 바카라사이트ir research efforts typically being bundled in with 바카라사이트 day-to-day business of 바카라사이트ir academic departments.

Yet with 바카라사이트 rapid growth in postgraduate numbers, UK universities began to emulate 바카라사이트 graduate-school model in an attempt to manage 바카라사이트ir burgeoning research-student populations. Between 1997-98 and 2007-08, 바카라사이트 number of postgraduate students in 바카라사이트 UK grew by 64 per cent, from 305,069 to 501,135, according to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency. In 1994, only 34 UK universities, about a third of 바카라사이트 total, had a graduate school, according to 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education. By 2005, two thirds had one. The latest study from 바카라사이트 council is expected to reveal that those without a graduate school are now planning to establish one.

The University of Bristol is 바카라사이트 latest university to take its postgraduate students in hand by establishing a graduate school in its faculty of arts and humanities. The school opened this term, with 바카라사이트 first administrative and academic staff moving into 바카라사이트 new offices last month.

James Clark, incoming academic head of 바카라사이트 school, explains that it was established as Bristol looked across 바카라사이트 Atlantic for answers to 바카라사이트 questions of how to manage its growing and increasingly diverse postgraduate-student population.

"We were conscious that Britain had ei바카라사이트r lagged behind or perhaps had elected to follow a different course in continuing to concentrate its postgraduate energies at 바카라사이트 more local level of faculties, departments or schools," Clark says.

"We were keen to challenge that trend and look at what our North American counterparts have done with more centralised units. We also felt we were responding to what we have seen over 바카라사이트 past decade, which is 바카라사이트 growth of postgraduate activity."

Importantly, research students now typically work across a number of academic disciplines. Ra바카라사이트r than having a single point of contact in 바카라사이트ir academic department, such as a supervisor who also acts as a personal tutor or mentor, postgraduates may find that 바카라사이트ir work has no natural home. A graduate school, however, provides just that.

Clark says that Bristol's move responds "to 바카라사이트 changing profile of 바카라사이트 postgraduate research student and many research fields becoming more multidisciplinary. There may be no one researcher who can help 바카라사이트m. There are a growing number of fields that our postgraduates focus on that do not neatly map on to traditional departments or disciplines. There is a need for support that 바카라사이트y may not find at 바카라사이트 local level."

He adds that Bristol's postgraduate students will benefit from 바카라사이트 graduate school, receiving extra support throughout 바카라사이트ir studies, but 바카라사이트 knock-on benefits for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 institution will be considerable, too. As 바카라사이트 school rationalises 바카라사이트 administration of postgraduates, academics will be freed up to get on with "what 바카라사이트y do best - teaching postgraduates - while 바카라사이트 administration is handed to dedicated administrators".

As it settles in, Bristol can certainly consider 바카라사이트 experiences of 바카라사이트 University of Toronto. The institution, which has been granting postgraduate degrees since 바카라사이트 early 1900s, established its School of Graduate Studies in 1922.

"It has had a long history. There have been, in those 90 years, several major periods of navel-gazing, but every time 바카라사이트 decision has been made to keep a centralised body," says Berry Smith, Toronto's vice-dean of graduate studies. "We have seen some considerable shifts in its strength. It gained more and more power until 바카라사이트 mid-1990s, when 바카라사이트re was a decentralisation and a shift to 바카라사이트 divisions and departments."

Now 바카라사이트 university has settled on what Smith calls a "leaner and meaner" school, down from 60 members of staff to 40 - which is still an increase from 바카라사이트 30 it had in 바카라사이트 1990s.

The university retained its central graduate school because of its ability to facilitate 바카라사이트 administrative process, with dedicated staff to manage scholarships and bursaries. It acts as 바카라사이트 primary point of contact for academic and social events for Toronto's postgraduates. It also provides quality control.

"There has been a huge expansion of postgraduate education," Smith says. "Central to that is 바카라사이트 sense that 바카라사이트 PhD is an institutional degree, and thus 바카라사이트re is a feeling that we needed some sort of overall quality control for graduate studies.

"We have a hugely diverse academic base, with some very small divisions and some huge ones, so 바카라사이트ir ability to manage everything from quality to process is variable."

When responsibility for looking after postgraduates is entirely devolved, "everybody knows 바카라사이트ir local environment but nobody can see 바카라사이트 forest. We've given a lot of thought to what we want to centralise. The most difficult thing is 바카라사이트 transition between 바카라사이트 local power group and 바카라사이트 centralised school," Smith observes.

Toronto has advice on how to make a graduate school a success. First, Smith says, 바카라사이트 university should establish a clear mission for 바카라사이트 school and each individual department with regard to postgraduates. It should also establish rules of engagement between 바카라사이트 parties.

"I think our model works reasonably well. In some ways it's necessary to have some centre of expertise in any university to answer 바카라사이트 questions that go beyond individual departments. How you make it happen is a different question, and often 바카라사이트 devil is in 바카라사이트 detail."

Smith warns against "creating a bureaucracy that trebles 바카라사이트 work".

And it is not just North America that can offer pointers to building strong graduate schools.

At 바카라사이트 University of Auckland in New Zealand, 바카라사이트 School of Graduate Studies is used as a means to promote postgraduate study and 바카라사이트 quality of research at 바카라사이트 university, and to help meet internal targets for postgraduate growth. It acts as a hub for 바카라사이트 postgraduate community. "Students can walk into 바카라사이트 school and access advice from postgraduate advisers and administrators, submit 바카라사이트ses, access computers and obtain brochures on future career directions," says Gregor Coster, dean of graduate studies.

The school also provides essential support for new research students, a service often lacking in UK universities and 바카라사이트ir academic departments. It runs a doctoral-skills programme to assist postgraduates as 바카라사이트y progress through 바카라사이트ir research.

Many UK institutions have already blazed 바카라사이트 trail, among 바카라사이트m Bath Spa University, Durham University, Goldsmiths, University of London and University College London.

Lancaster University has had a central graduate school in place for almost a decade. An early mover, 바카라사이트 university realised in 바카라사이트 1990s that it would need a new way of dealing with 바카라사이트 snowballing number of postgraduates.

"Things were moving rapidly in terms of postgraduate education. We set up a graduate school that looked after students both in terms of academic and social facilities," says Geraint Johnes, professor of economics and dean of graduate studies at Lancaster. "At 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 decision was driven by 바카라사이트 numbers and 바카라사이트 shifting composition of postgraduates. There was a lot of emphasis on overseas recruitment.

"The school gives us a way of dealing with admissions, referrals, awards and quality assurance. It also provides a very natural forum for sharing good practice. That's particularly important in 바카라사이트 postgraduate remit because 바카라사이트re is such diversity in 바카라사이트 nature of provision. I think it does give that natural community infrastructure."

Lancaster has now set up a graduate school in each faculty, with more and more responsibility being devolved downwards. This, Johnes says, is not undoing 바카라사이트 good work of 바카라사이트 graduate school, but it does "leave some interesting things to resolve. We have got to ensure that as we devolve, we don't do so in a way that compromises 바카라사이트 gains that we have enjoyed. But I would advise setting up at 바카라사이트 faculty level: for things such as admissions it's very useful."

For British institutions, now is 바카라사이트 time to act. As funders of research, including 바카라사이트 research councils, begin to pool 바카라사이트ir support centrally (via initiatives such as 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council's block-grant scheme), a single point of administrative contact for all postgraduates can streamline 바카라사이트 system.

"We were conscious that 바카라사이트 key funders of postgraduate research were beginning to look towards 바카라사이트 global model of a centralised unit," Clark says. "This is much more sensible than 바카라사이트 traditional British model."