Ever-expanding numbers of doctoral students may suit universities, but one’s twenties should be a time for broad learning and professional development, not for burying oneself in detailed research, says Lincoln Allison
The Nottingham Trent vice-chancellor discusses using data to support students, avoiding strike action and why diversity conversations are too focused on Oxbridge
Vocational institutions are winning the right to award PhDs, while professional doctorates are also expanding. But how compatible are academic and vocational focuses in research degree provision – and how easily can status disparities be overcome, asks Ben Upton
The Cambridge-based US philosopher explains how his father’s vexed relationship with Catholicism led him to philosophy and why the student idealism he witnessed in West Germany in 1968 caused him to leave America
Interviewing for a job is not a skill we’re trained for in academia, so here are a few tips from a professor who has been on both sides of the interview divide
Universities need to review the unhelpful websites and unwittingly ageist admissions procedures that prevent older people becoming doctoral students, says Alison Etches
Report shows heavier burden for UK students compared with other parts of Europe, with the country’s research funding boost ‘a chance to reform PhD education’
Dutch figures show just how little time professors get for their own research. It may be easier to pursue your intellectual interests outside the university system, says THE reporter David Matthews
While widening access is high on universities’ agendas at undergraduate level, class barriers still prevail in the academy. Here, five working-class scholars describe their experiences of ‘otherness’
To spare doctoral candidates protracted and unproductive efforts, Tim Marler and Dean Young suggest a pragmatic route to successful completion, while, below, Julian Kirchherr advocates a quick-and-dirty path to a viable thesis
Interdisciplinary PhDs come with unique challenges but if you can find ways to benefit from them, you’ll have the best of both worlds, says Selina Sutton
It is at the apex of higher education, research and innovation, but issues around integrity and employability must be addressed for doctoral education to continue to thrive, says Luke Georghiou
Postdoc Boukje Cnossen shares some tips to navigate the subtle cultural differences between European countries that can loom large when you’re looking for a job
Growing up working class meant Michelle Deininger was more worried about money than academic aspirations, but after a second chance she managed to complete her PhD
Accepting that your doctoral studies will sometimes take second place to family commitments is part of the journey of a PhD student mother, says Annabelle Workman
Identifying intellectual junctions, intersections and sites for negotiation can give your academic rite of passage the right of way, says Zachary Foster
From steely-eyed sadists to licky Labradors, ingénue academics should beware of the cast of kinky characters who flock to academic get-togethers, says Tara Brabazon