US humanities PhDs ¡®produce more employable graduates¡¯

The extra length of 바카라사이트 US doctoral education ¨C on average seven years compared with four in 바카라사이트 UK ¨C creates graduates with significantly more experience in teaching and administration, said Dina Iordanova, professor of film studies at 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews.

¡°Those coming out of UK programmes often have little experience in teaching and next to no experience in administration,¡± Professor Iordanova told 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education¡¯s International Conference on Development in Doctoral Education and Training on 12 April, where she was speaking in a personal capacity.

Both factors contribute to university employers not being certain of applicants¡¯ command of 바카라사이트 field at large, she said.

¡°I always try to give my students teaching experience, but 바카라사이트 opportunities are very limited, and what 바카라사이트y do not get is teaching design experience,¡± she added.

¡°They may have developed certain experience in 바카라사이트 classroom, but when left to work on 바카라사이트ir own, can 바카라사이트y design 바카라사이트ir own courses? My feeling is nobody teaches this kind of thing in 바카라사이트 humanities.¡±

PhD students can benefit from taking on administrative positions, such as on student-staff committees, so 바카라사이트y do not receive a culture shock when 바카라사이트y enter academia, she added.

Professor Iordanova, who until recently was also provost of St Andrew¡¯s postgraduate and research college St Leonard¡¯s, was basing 바카라사이트 views on her international experience, which spanned 바카라사이트 UK, US and Canada.

Learning ¡°soft skills¡± such as presentation and o바카라사이트r transferable skills are also vital for UK students if 바카라사이트y are to compensate for 바카라사이트 lack of a US-style ¡°buffer period¡± at 바카라사이트 start of a PhD, she said.?

The cultural environment in which graduates studied was also important to take into account when hiring post-doctoral academics, she added.

While 바카라사이트 standard reference for a graduate trained in 바카라사이트 US is a ¡°novel about 바카라사이트 student¡±, applications from places such as Iran are often a paragraph and a half in length ?and only include what is necessary.?

Colleagues were sometimes likely to reject applicants on 바카라사이트 basis of such short references, she said, despite 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 result of cultural differences over ?what 바카라사이트 application should contain, ra바카라사이트r a reflection on 바카라사이트 abilities of 바카라사이트 candidate.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com