Costs and Benefits of Costs and Benefits of Doctoral Programmes: Doctoral Programmes:

Institutional PerspectivesInstitutional Perspectives

Professor Dianne BerryProfessor Dianne Berry

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Pro-Vice-Chancellor for ResearchResearch

University of ReadingUniversity of Reading

Plan for todayPlan for today

Costs & Benefits of supporting PGR Costs & Benefits of supporting PGR students per sestudents per se JM Consulting report 2005JM Consulting report 2005 Reading study 2007Reading study 2007

Growth of formal generic training Growth of formal generic training programmes / Graduate Schools, etcprogrammes / Graduate Schools, etc

Dilemma for HEIsDilemma for HEIs Areas for discussionAreas for discussion

What Costs and Benefits?What Costs and Benefits?

Can interpret at two levelsCan interpret at two levels

Costs & Benefits of supporting PGR Costs & Benefits of supporting PGR students per sestudents per se

Costs & Benefits of providing formal Costs & Benefits of providing formal training programmes, Grad Schools etctraining programmes, Grad Schools etc

Costs / Benefits of PGR Students Costs / Benefits of PGR Students per seper se

Supporting and training research Supporting and training research students costs significant amounts of students costs significant amounts of moneymoney

JM Consulting report (2005) calculated JM Consulting report (2005) calculated actual costs and concluded that costs actual costs and concluded that costs were far greater than most HEIs had were far greater than most HEIs had envisaged.envisaged.

JM Consulting FindingsJM Consulting Findings

Costs for 3 year programme ranged from £52K Costs for 3 year programme ranged from £52K (Band C) to £87K (Band A) - (2003-4 data)(Band C) to £87K (Band A) - (2003-4 data) Costs included fee waivers, time spent on Costs included fee waivers, time spent on

supervision, subject-specific training, consumables, supervision, subject-specific training, consumables, equipment, examiners, management & equipment, examiners, management & administration, estate costs. EXCLUDED – administration, estate costs. EXCLUDED – transferable skills training and stipendstransferable skills training and stipends

Rate of cost recovery ranged from 14% to 62% Rate of cost recovery ranged from 14% to 62% - i.e. significant shortfall - i.e. significant shortfall

StipendsStipends

JM Report excluded cost of stipends JM Report excluded cost of stipends but many HEIs spending lot of but many HEIs spending lot of income on stipendsincome on stipends Nationally, over 30% of stipends are Nationally, over 30% of stipends are

funded by HEIsfunded by HEIs Less than 20% funded by Research Less than 20% funded by Research

CouncilsCouncils

Non-financial benefitsNon-financial benefits

Report concluded that HEIs would need to Report concluded that HEIs would need to weigh the non-financial benefits of supporting weigh the non-financial benefits of supporting PGR students against significant costs PGR students against significant costs incurred.incurred.

Benefits included – PGRs form next generation of Benefits included – PGRs form next generation of researchers; important contribution to research researchers; important contribution to research environment; contribute to QR volume measure; environment; contribute to QR volume measure; contribute to outputs; contribute to supervisor’s contribute to outputs; contribute to supervisor’s research programme; provide status for research programme; provide status for supervisors and Departmentssupervisors and Departments

Reading Study (2005-6 Reading Study (2005-6 data)data)

Biological Sciences / ChemistryBiological Sciences / Chemistry

Costs - £73.6KCosts - £73.6K

Shortfall – range from £35.3K (Shortfall – range from £35.3K (for RCUK for RCUK fundedfunded) to £47.6K (Home - ) to £47.6K (Home - fees waivedfees waived))

Psychology / GeographyPsychology / Geography

Costs - £55.9KCosts - £55.9K

Shortfall – range from 22.6K to 34.9KShortfall – range from 22.6K to 34.9K

Reading Study (cont.)Reading Study (cont.)

English / SociologyEnglish / Sociology

Costs - £42.2KCosts - £42.2K

Shortfall - range from £13.9K to £26.2KShortfall - range from £13.9K to £26.2K

Reading Study (cont.)Reading Study (cont.)

Agreed with benefits identified in JM Agreed with benefits identified in JM Consulting ReportConsulting Report

Identified additional benefitsIdentified additional benefits Contribute to formation of collaborative links Contribute to formation of collaborative links

with other Departments / HEIs, commerce, with other Departments / HEIs, commerce, industry & professionsindustry & professions

Opportunity to pilot research in new areasOpportunity to pilot research in new areas Allow more cost effective use of equipment etc.Allow more cost effective use of equipment etc. Contribute to teaching and other aspects of Contribute to teaching and other aspects of

DepartmentDepartment Benefits for students themselves! Benefits for students themselves!

Additional costs of Generic Additional costs of Generic Training Programmes / Training Programmes /

Graduate Schools Graduate Schools

Since JM report, much more resource Since JM report, much more resource going into developing generic training going into developing generic training programmes / formation of Graduate programmes / formation of Graduate SchoolsSchools

Roberts money contributing (in some HEIs) Roberts money contributing (in some HEIs) but institutions having to top upbut institutions having to top up

Organisation / management taking Organisation / management taking considerable staff resource (including considerable staff resource (including senior management time)senior management time)

Dilemma for HEIsDilemma for HEIs

PGR support / training costing significant PGR support / training costing significant amounts of money - But PGRs are key amounts of money - But PGRs are key part of research focused Universitiespart of research focused Universities

In order to keep recruiting PGRs, need to In order to keep recruiting PGRs, need to provide better training and support provide better training and support environments (costing even more environments (costing even more money)money)

Areas for discussionAreas for discussion

Can costs be reduced, while maintaining standards Can costs be reduced, while maintaining standards (more shared provision)? (more shared provision)?

Coping with increasing costs of supporting PGRs in Coping with increasing costs of supporting PGRs in some areas of Sciencesome areas of Science

Incentivising timely submission; level of registration Incentivising timely submission; level of registration fees for year 4 and beyondfees for year 4 and beyond

Will additional investment eg in Grad Schools / Will additional investment eg in Grad Schools / Advanced programmes pay off, in terms of extra Advanced programmes pay off, in terms of extra recruitment?recruitment? Many HEIs investing in developing training programmes / Many HEIs investing in developing training programmes /

Graduate Centres etc without significant amounts of Roberts Graduate Centres etc without significant amounts of Roberts funding; and Roberts Funding may end in 2011funding; and Roberts Funding may end in 2011

How can we do more to maximise benefits that PGRs How can we do more to maximise benefits that PGRs bring?bring?