In the following account I write about my experiences as a graduate
student, studying for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the University
of Cambridge in England. I recall my observations of life at graduate
school and my own perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages offered
by different graduate programmes. I do not attempt to write an authorative,
academic 'paper' on the subject; I do not have the appropriate knowledge
or experience to do so. My intention is to introduce the topic of graduate
schools and to provoke responses from readers who are either students
or administrators within a school.
For my first, or undergraduate, degree I studied Animal Sciences after
which it was always my intention to work in the veterinary research
environment. It was not a great surprise, therefore, that I should find
myself employed at a small, independent research unit in Newarket, near
Cambridge, which focuses solely on reproduction in horses. After a few
years of working as a research assistant, I enrolled at the University
of Cambridge to do a PhD and started my investigations into immunological
aspects of pregnancy in the mare. After graduating, with the promp and
ceremony for which Cambridge is famed, I completed two short postdoctural
research projects before leaving the laboratory environment for the
world of scientific publishing.
During the years I worked, I was fortunate enough to attend many conferences
and to visit and work in laboratories around the world. Consequently,
I met fellow PhD students from different universities and soon discovered
that studying for a PhD in the United States of America was something
completely different to what I was experiencing back in Cambridge. Many
people would argue that the University of Cambridge is far from typical
of British universities. However, its approach to research degrees,
such as a PhD, is broadly speaking the same as any other in Britain.
Students have a supervisor - in the laboratory or department where they
are carrying out their research project - whose role is to guide them
through their PhD track. Thus, the supervisor will suggest relevant
literature to read, will help, directly or indirectly, within the laboratory
environment and, hopefully, will advise on the writing and oral presentation
of the students' work. Above all, a supervisor should be available for
consultation when a student needs help. For the most part, however,
it is entirely the students' responsibility to organise and run their
experiments, to learn more about topics they are unfamiliar with, to
manage their own time and often to decide on appropriate experimental
procedures. It is rare to hear of compulsory courses for PhD degrees
in British universities and certainly not ones that require an examination.
It was this very subject that made me first aware of the differences
between American and British PhD 'programmes'.
Situations change, of course, and nowadays British universities offer
many more courses and training components to their postgraduate students
doing research degrees, although in most instances these remain optional.
Thus, the award of a research based degree, such as a PhD or Master
of Science (MSc), is decided solely on the results of the candidate's
research, presented in the form of a dissertation, and on the candidate's
performance in an oral examination.
In the following discussion I will consider only those graduate schools
that offer research based courses to veterinary and related science
graduates.
What is a graduate school?
As a PhD student my understanding of the function of a graduate school
was limited. For me, it was simply a central administrative office where
I had to register, pay my termly 'tuition' fees and submit my thesis
when I finished. Since then, I have fortunately learned that they offer
much more than this; at the time, however, I was simply not required
to interact with my school beyond this formal and superficial manner.
Perhaps it was symptomatic of the rather traditional PhD 'programmes'
offered at that time by most British universities
Graduate Schools form an integral part of a University and offer students
the opportunity to pursue an academic training beyond the undergraduate
level. To embark on a postgraduate or degree a candidate must have attained
a certain standard of academic qualification. This usually means a 'good'
first degree, for example a high grade Bachelor of Science (BSc) honours
degree. However, every student is usually assessed on his or her own
merits so that other factors may also be taken into account.
All graduate schools offer a different number and range of postgraduate
degrees. In general, however, there are taught degrees, which are fully
structured with compulsory lectures to attend and examinations to pass,
and research based courses. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is usually
a university's principal research degree, during which candidates pursue
supervised research for at least three years. The research based Master
of Science (MSc) is usually a two year supervised research degree and
the Master of Philosophy (Mphil) one year of a more flexible nature.
For veterinary graduates who wish to pursue postgraduate courses with
a clinical bias there are many options available. Because the range
of these degrees is large, and the names of equivalent degrees vary
widely from country to country, it would be more informative for readers
to contact a graduate school directly to find out exactly what it has
to offer. It is worth mentioning, however, that the most prestigious
of these degrees is one that originated in North America and is often
called the Doctor of Veterinary (DVSc), however, this may vary from
one school to another. Despite being most commonly offered in North
America, it is becoming more widely available elsewhere in the world.
It is a research based degree that requires submission of a thesis in
veterinary clinical research, at a level comparable to the PhD. Of all
the clinically related postgraduate courses, this one is the most significant
for a future career in the veterinary research environment.
Why go to graduate school?
Every student has his or her own reasons for wishing to pursue a
postgraduate course or degree. Students who choose a research based
course usually do so because of a genuine interest and desire to make
a career in veterinary or biomedical research. A fascination for the
biological world is probably the most common factor determining this
decision and is essential for many courses, which require considerable
commitment and determination to last the duration.
Today's competitive employment environment has made it increasingly
necessary to have a postgraduate qualification. In many circumstances
it is possible that having a PhD, a research or taught Masters degree,
or any other postgraduate qualification, may make all the difference to
being offered a job or not. In the long term, it may also open up
opportunities for more senior positions, or even make it easier to
change direction in career. Although the pursuit of a postgraduate
course is usually a commitment to follow a specific career path, it
cannot be denied or ignored that jobs are less stable than they used
to be, making career changes more common.
Graduate school education also gives students the opportunity to develop
into mature, independent-thinking individuals with the confidence to
run their own research projects. In this respect, I used to believe
that American PhD students had the 'edge' over the equivalent British
students. Not only did they have to attend taught courses, but also
had to meet regularly with departmental and faculty members to present
and discuss their data and related topics. It seemed to me, that these
formal courses and presentations provided students with an enviable
confidence which better equipped them to tackle their research projects.
It seemed, too, that their career options were greater because of the
broader based education they had received. Fortunately, there has been
considerable change in the training offered by graduate schools in Britain
and many other European countries. It is now common to find an introductory
training programme in basic research skills for all new full time postgraduate
research students. Optional courses and individual seminars are also
offered on topics such as the more specialised research techniques,
statistics, scientific writing and careers guidance and advice. It is
likely that many of these courses found inspiration from similar ones
offered in American schools and are probably the result of increased
competition between a growing number of graduate schools, as well as
increased collaboration between departments and faculties within universities
and neighbouring research institutes; all of which has necessitated
multi-disciplinary training.
The acquisition and development of generic and transferrable skills
is an important part of postgraduate training and it is probably true
to say that the differences found between equivalent postgraduate
research degrees in different countries are getting smaller, and are
likely to continue to do so.
What next - a future in research?
Employment is the ultimate goal on completion of any postgraduate training.
As a student, you have invested time and money in gaining your qualification
and now you want to put it to good use. You are enthusiastic. The 'extra'
skills gained from a variety of compulsary or optional courses and seminars
during your time at graduate school have given you confidence - your prospects
are good.
Hopefully, you are destined to pursue a long and fruitful career in
research. But, is an academic life in veterinary research truly an attractrive
one? Generally speaking, yes it is. For some people it is literally
a well paid hobby; it offers an unparalled opportunity for intellectual
interaction and creativity and to pursue a topic they are passionate
about. Financial constraints have to some extent reduced this freedom
of thought so that nowadays the research scientist must be more focused,
however, research still offers an intellectually stimulating environment
to work in. It also offers tremendous opportunities to travel and to
meet interesting and like-minded people; you are likely to make lifelong
friends all over the world.
However, it would be remiss of me not to mention some of the pitfalls
and disappointments that some people are likely to experience, especially
veterinary graduates. In much of the world it is still considered a
'privilege' to work in research, to the extent that salaries and conditions
of employment reflect this mentality. For some people, this means that
a lifelong career in an increasingly competitive and demanding work
environment is anything but attractive.
This situation has become all too apparent in the veterinary schools in Britain,
where it has long been a concern that they fail to attract veterinary graduates
into research. In a profession that is intrinsically a science, veterinary
medicine needs to continue and expand its academic base and yet fewer and
fewer veterinary graduates opt to become academics. This coincides with a
time when the veterinary profession is more popular than any other, giving
British schools the enviable ability to attract the nation's brightest school
leavers to become undergraduate students. To help overcome the situation,
there has been a concerted effort to expose undergraduate students to research,
in the hope that they will consider it a real career option. However, although
a proportion of veterinary graduates make a start in the right direction, by
doing a PhD or other postgraduate course, they soon drop out of research. The
result is a severe lack of research trained veterinary graduates entering into,
and remaining in, academia, especially to a senior level. Difficulties in
recruiting and keeping staff are undoubtedly the result of a poor salary
scale offered to academics at universities and research institutes. The
solution, therefore, will come only with the introduction of better career
prospects and higher salaries for the veterinary trained academics. Without
these changes there is every reason to worry that veterinary medicine will
become a practice based profession that is dependent on a research base
staffed almost exclusively by science graduates.
Traditionally, there has been a good balance of veterinary and science
educated members in the research groups working at the veterinary
schools and related research institutes. This combination has always
been a highly successful one and, with the rapid advancement of
techniques in fundamental research, it is perhaps more relevant
than ever to have a significant presence of science trained researchers.
However, there is an increasing threat to this balance, in favour of
the science graduates. The worse this situation gets the weaker the
veterinary schools will become and the less the profession will be
able to benefit from the translation of revolutionary biomedical
knowledge into clinical veterinary practice.
Of course, this situation may not be reflected in all countries around
the world, and even if it is, some may not wish to admit it. There are
few countries, however, where a struggle for funds to support research
is not apparent. Certainly in Britain, this situation affects a scientist's
committment to a career in research. It is increasingly difficult to
find permanent positions within the research environment and many scientists
work on short term grants (usually for a maximum of three years, but
sometimes for as little as one year), which offer no job security and
none of the bonuses, such as health insurance and contributions to a
pension, that are standard for employees in other sectors. Not surprisingly,
therefore, many scientists and veterinary graduates, who have contemplated
a career in research, are attracted into the commercial biotechnology
companies and referral centres outside the schools, where the conditions
and pay are better. The result, of course, is a paucity of research
trained, high quality scientists and veterinary graduates in academic
positions to inspire the next generation.
It is not my purpose to cast a shadow of doom and gloom over the prospects
of a career in research. There are many reasons to be optimistic about
the future of research in the veterinary and animal sciences environment,
particularly with the growing trend worldwide towards greater collaboration
between the biomedical science disciplines. In addition, an awareness
and open discussion of the factors that make a career in research a
less attractive option should eventually help to overcome these problems.
Which brings me back to where I started, with graduate schools. The
tendency towards offering graduate students a wider range of compulsary
and non-compulsary courses and seminars, will provide them with more
choices and greater flexibility in a research environment that has seen,
and will continue to see, changes in its structure and opportunities.
I embrace wholeheartedly the graduate schools' move towards better preparing
their students to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive
world.
Please react to this article!
Are you a graduate student and, if so, where are you studying?
What are your experiences of 'extra' courses (compulsary or otherwise)
offered during your research degree?
Have these courses helped you and would you like more?
Are you a supervisor of research students?
Do you feel strongly that research students are helped either too much
or too little?
Do you agree or disagree with the very structured research based degrees
that are offered by some graduate schools?
Should 'extra' class based courses be kept to a minimum or be increased?
Let
us know your views on this subject!
© 2000 Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow