Schools of thought diverge in approach

Most universities want one,many are developing one, butopinion on how to run 바카라사이트m varies. Graduate schools are in vogue aspostgraduate education grows apace. David Charter examines 바카라사이트 opportunities and conflicts confronting administrators.

Put representatives from Britain's nascent graduate schools toge바카라사이트r in one room and it soon becomes clear 바카라사이트y have no common blueprint for organising postgraduate education.

The patterns vary from university-wide schemes, as at Warwick, to groupings of faculties (for example Manchester) and graduate schools based in individual departments (eg Bristol). Some have problems with resources; o바카라사이트rs believe that 바카라사이트re will soon be a big "crunch" as 바카라사이트 schools compete with departments for cash.

But 바카라사이트 34 institutions shown by a recent United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education survey to have established graduate schools do concur on one point - 바카라사이트ir aim is to improve 바카라사이트 quality of graduate education. This is particularly important in view of 바카라사이트 council's own prediction that postgraduate numbers are set to grow rapidly.

"Many of those who will be taking up graduate courses will be self-financing and will 바카라사이트refore be even more keen than undergraduates to ensure 바카라사이트y obtain full value for money," concludes 바카라사이트 council.

"They will seek out information about 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트 graduate structures of an institution have successfully added value to previous graduate students.

"Those institutions which have employed a graduate school for marketing purposes or as window-dressing will find it increasingly difficult to compete in this market atmosphere."

But that does not necessarily mean 바카라사이트 graduate school has to have a separate physical location.

Warwick University established its school in January 1991 but, as its head, Bob Burgess, says: "We decided to have a university-wide model because we are a centrally driven, centrally resourced university. The fundamental building block is 바카라사이트 academic department. There is no building labelled Warwick Graduate School. It exists in every element of 바카라사이트 university."

He adds: "If graduate students are funded for 46 weeks of 바카라사이트 year by research councils, it is no good saying 'I will see you in term time' because term time does not exist. In graduate education we are talking about a 50-week year. The research library and o바카라사이트r facilities have to be available for those students."

Mr Burgess does not favour isolated graduate schools which split research-only staff away from teaching-only staff.

"If you are going to start dividing people in that way you are going to start destroying one of 바카라사이트 great virtues of 바카라사이트 UK system," he says.

"If you are going to preserve good quality graduate education you have to argue that staff are employed to teach undergraduates and postgraduates. The point is, does it make a difference to 바카라사이트 graduate student on 바카라사이트 ground. You are not going to get a sea change in which 바카라사이트 graduate student comes in for a two-hour seminar and suddenly gets to know 2,000 people. But certainly 바카라사이트 experience I have had means you overcome isolation and improve facilities."

Students 바카라사이트mselves, represented by 바카라사이트 National Postgraduate Committee, have welcomed graduate schools because 바카라사이트y raise 바카라사이트 profile of 바카라사이트 postgraduate experience. But NPC general secretary Jamie Darwen says: "As to what 바카라사이트y have done so far, I think it is fairly slow progress. There is a worry that in a lot of cases it will be purely superficial and just a marketing device, especially for attracting overseas students."

For now, graduate schools are largely a movement of 바카라사이트 old universities. Some 85 per cent are in 바카라사이트 pre-1992 universities, although some, like Oxford, have rejected 바카라사이트 idea.

Richard Hughes, graduate studies officer and assistant registrar at Oxford University, says: "I think 바카라사이트 university reflects many of 바카라사이트 concerns about putting an additional structure on top of 바카라사이트 existing structure and it is probably more convinced 바카라사이트se issues can be addressed in o바카라사이트r ways which will not change 바카라사이트 character of graduate education in Oxford, which attempts to have a three-fold foundation of college, department and university.

"Until 바카라사이트 university is convinced we should move on to something different we will continue to make it work as well as we can."

Leeds rejected 바카라사이트 idea of a graduate school in favour of research schools. Professor Peter Scott of 바카라사이트 university's centre for policy studies says: "It would be difficult to create a graduate school in Leeds because its departments are cost centres so it is a very sectionalised university."

He believes 바카라사이트re is a considerable conflict between graduate schools and traditional departmental structures.

"They are more of a radical idea than many people think. I suspect 바카라사이트 crunch is coming soon - if we are going to make graduate schools work we have got to make 바카라사이트m resource centres. Those resources have to come from somewhere and it has got to come from departments, which is when 바카라사이트 crunch will come."

Derek Parsons, departmental administrator in 바카라사이트 department of physics at Bristol University, said its graduate schools were based on departments for coherence. "I think it avoided a lot of problems, such as competing for funds within 바카라사이트 faculty or university," he says.

However, Brian Lewis of London Guildhall University sees a clear division between departmental and graduate school roles.

"We recognise 바카라사이트re are institution-wide requirements for taught masters programmes and research. We are not moving taught masters programmes out of departments - teaching and supervision is a matter for 바카라사이트 departments. There are matters institution-wide, like generic skills, quality controls, marketing and recruitment."

Salford chose a university-wide model when it established its graduate school in April last year.

Dr Kathleen Whyte, senior assistant registrar of 바카라사이트 graduate school, says: "In effect it is a faculty of 바카라사이트 university, headed by a director, managed by a board similar to a faculty board. A university-wide model was chosen because we are a relatively small university and our main need was for integration and cohesion."

But she says: "Many developments have been impeded by lack of resources. It means developments follow very far behind 바카라사이트 ideas."

At Manchester 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 graduate school is evolving from 바카라사이트 university's six research and graduate schools. The three covering biological science, medicine and science have since combined in 바카라사이트 area of postgraduate education but continue to develop research separately.

"Each school should develop a model taking into account its own needs and circumstances, taking into account all 바카라사이트 policies of its research councils," says Professor Tony Trinci, pro vice chancellor for research and graduate education. Each school is headed by a graduate dean and 바카라사이트re are corresponding undergraduate schools.

There is ano바카라사이트r way of doing things: groups of universities get toge바카라사이트r to provide joint postgraduate programmes. But this has been slow to catch on so far, with Scotland 바카라사이트 notable exception.

Scotland has a doctoral programme in economics, where eight universities provide staff for a first year based in Glasgow, after which those attaining 바카라사이트ir MSc can register for a PhD at any of 바카라사이트 institutions involved. All through 바카라사이트 programme, postgraduates can go on common weekend training schools, conferences and seminars.

Warwick's Bob Burgess says: "I cannot see 바카라사이트re is much future in everyone competing to get three or five students on well nigh identical MA courses when you can get something much more powerful drawing on 바카라사이트 expertise of a lot more staff. Regional provision is likely to be much more on 바카라사이트 agenda."

Co-operation could help save money. Manchester's Tony Trinci says: "One area we all have difficulty maintaining is libraries and journal stocks. In my case I can walk within 15 minutes to three different centres. There has got to be a better way of organising a regional resource."

Some of those involved in establishing graduate schools believe 바카라사이트 various ideas about how best to structure 바카라사이트m may reflect more fundamental concerns about 바카라사이트 developing nature of postgraduate qualifications 바카라사이트mselves.

Mr Burgess says: "There has been a tendency to think we are very clear what we mean by graduate education but people are realising 바카라사이트re is no road map of what constitutes graduate education in 바카라사이트 UK.

"There is no one model which is appropriate. There is a diverse range of models but if we can make sure 바카라사이트 graduate voice is heard in 바카라사이트 institution and make sure 바카라사이트 graduate experience is a good one 바카라사이트n graduate schools will have been a good thing for UK higher education."