Phd Education at Aarhus University: a Plan of Action

LINGHAND

ANS PL

PHD EDUCATION AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY: A PLAN OF ACTION

CONTENTS

1 BACKGROUND...... 3 1a The Aarhus University Strategy 2008-2012: Focused talent development ...... 3 1b PhD degree programmes at Aarhus University ...... 4 1c The structure of the plan of action ...... 8 2 RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSION...... 10 2a Status...... 10 2b Objectives...... 11 2c Initiatives...... 12 3 INTERNATIONALISATION...... 17 3a Status...... 17 3b Objectives...... 18 3c Initiatives...... 19 4 QUALITY ASSURANCE ...... 22 4a Status...... 22 4b Objectives...... 23 4c Initiatives...... 24 Supervision...... 24 5 PhD COURSES AND KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION ...... 28 5a Status...... 28 5b Objectives...... 29 5c Initiatives...... 30 6 SUBMISSION, THESIS AND DEFENCE ...... 34 6a Status...... 34 6b Objectives...... 35 6c Initiatives...... 36 7 THE JOB MARKET...... 39 7a Status...... 39 7b Objectives...... 39 7c Initiatives...... 40 8 ENROLMENT AND FINANCING...... 42 8a Status...... 42 8b Objectives...... 44 8c Initiatives...... 44 9 OVERVIEW...... 46 10 SUMMARY ...... 49 A. Central level...... 49 B. Collaboration between graduate schools ...... 53 C. Initiatives at individual graduate school level...... 55 11 REFERENCES...... 58

1 BACKGROUND

1a The Aarhus University Strategy 2008-2012: Focused talent development

This action plan for Aarhus University's PhD programmes is intended to contribute to the university's development and implementation of strategies for its core activities, specifically the core activity of ‘Focused Talent Development’.

On the subject of focused talent development, the Aarhus University Strategy 2008-2012: Quality and Diversity contains the following statement:

The aims and objectives of Aarhus University are:

• to ensure that the quality of the PhD degree programmes compares fa- vourably with the best in the world • to recruit top talents from Denmark and abroad to unique environments, where they feel free to pursue the unexpected • to double the number of researchers educated and developed at the university from 2008 to 2012 • to offer a consistent researcher development programme for the greatest talents from the Bachelor’s degree level

The University of Aarhus has decided:

• to strengthen the university’s strategic international alliances • to create a financial framework that enables the researcher development environments to be characterised by creativity and curiosity • to ensure that the university’s best researchers can give priority to advising and coaching at Master’s degree, PhD degree and postdoctoral levels • to offer five-year researcher development programmes which allow qualified candidates to develop their competencies in the context of a coherent programme, for example from BA to PhD level or from Master’s level up to and including postdoctoral level

In addition to the general strategy document cited above, Aarhus University's work with strategic planning has thus far resulted in the formulation of strategies for each of the university’s nine main academic areas as well as for selected critical issues, including internationalisation. These strategies provide the framework for the university's activities within a given area for a five-year period, first and foremost by articulating specific visions and objectives.

The present action plan details concrete initiatives for the realisation of these strategic visions and objectives for a specific aspect of focused talent development at Aarhus University: PhD education.

The decision to focus on this specific dimension of talent development is anything but arbitrary. Universities all over the world are currently prioritising doctoral education [Global PhD]. As evidenced by the aims and objectives outlined above, Aarhus University has set extremely ambitious talent development goals, not least with reference to its PhD degree programmes. The university's goal is to foster PhD

programmes comparable in quality to the best in the world, while at the same time increasing the number of researchers it trains and develops. This goal alone represents an extraordinary demand for a focused effort at all levels of the university, from the highest levels of administration down to the individual staff member, particularly in light of the current intense global focus on PhD education.

Thus, this action plan focuses specifically and exclusively on PhD education at Aarhus University. This narrow focus is the result of a conscious choice made in full awareness of the fact that the university’s strategy and initiatives with regard to PhD programmes require coordination with the strategies and initiatives developed for a number of other areas.

To take one example, because PhD education is (as already described) treated in Aarhus University’s general strategy for talent development, the present plan must be coordinated with a general plan for the university’s initiatives to promote the other aspects of the broader talent development programme (postdoctoral studies, tenure track, etc.).

Yet another example relates to the university’s strategy and initiatives for internationalisation. The modern PhD programme is by definition an international matter; therefore, the PhD programme action plan must harmonise with the university’s strategy and initiatives for internationalisation in general.

In light of the fact that the costs associated with PhD education are higher in Denmark than in most other countries in the world, any plan to increase the number of PhD students dramatically must take the financial preconditions for such an expansion into account, which involves both the national framework of public funding for PhD programmes as well as the financial situation and management of both the university as a whole and of the main academic areas. Conversely, PhD education will become a significant parameter in the allocation of basic funding among the institutions of the Danish public university system in the coming years, which provides yet another strong argument in favour of strengthening Aarhus University’s PhD education through initiatives such as the present action plan.

It is important to emphasise here that the action plan is exclusively directed at the university as an institutional framework for PhD programmes, and is concerned to address what can and should be done to guarantee the quality of the many elements of which a modern, structured PhD programme is composed. In the last analysis, all plans of action depend for their effectiveness on what actually takes place within this institutional framework. In the present case, the supervision process at the core of any PhD programme constitutes the critical activity.

1b PhD degree programmes at Aarhus University In line with a general international trend, PhD education in Demark has under- gone significant development over the course of the last ten years. Generally speaking, this development has seen a transition from the PhD education as an apprenticeship exclusively centred on participation in a research project to a structured educational programme that, in addition to research, contains additional mandatory elements such as coursework, travel/study abroad, and knowledge dissemination.

The Bologna process model, in which the PhD programme is understood as the highest of three cycles of higher education qualification (above Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes), is a clear expression of this formalisation.

The Danish University Act was amended in 2007 to reflect this development [the University Act 2007]. For the first time, doctoral programmes and PhD committees were presented as statutory institutions at Danish universities with formal responsibility for all PhD education in Denmark. The trend towards more structured doctoral programmes continues in the subsequent 2008 amendment of the PhD Or- der [Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities]. Both legal measures were a response to A Public Good, the 2006 evaluation of Danish PhD programmes [A Public Good, PhD Education in Denmark, Report from an Interna- tional Evaluation Panel].

At Aarhus University, the new provisions in the University Act regarding PhD education resulted in the establishment of eight graduate schools, each with its own focus.

• Humanities • Health Sciences • Social Sciences • Theology and the Study of Religion • Science • Agricultural Science • Business • Educational Research

The National Environmental Research Institute (NERI) is actively involved in the PhD education offered by several of the graduate schools listed above.

The eight graduate schools at Aarhus University are organisational units that op- erate within the framework set out by the University Act and the PhD Order. As a consequence, many aspects of the organisation and function of the graduate schools are identical. For example, the PhD education offered by each graduate school is organised into a number of academic programmes (fields), and each graduate school has an elected PhD committee with representatives from the academic staff and the PhD students. At the same time, there are of course significant differences between the graduate schools.

To some extent, these differences are historical in origin: while some of the main academic areas at Aarhus University have a long tradition for PhD education, others have less experience -which presents both advantages and disadvan- tages. Differences with regard to the relative weight granted research and coursework at the doctoral level by various academic disciplines, both in Den- mark and internationally, are also naturally reflected in Aarhus University's eight graduate schools.

Differences which reflect specific academic traditions and norms are only to be expected in a situation in which the very concept of ‘doctoral training’ is subject to continual development, a development which is neither even nor unidirec- tional, either in Denmark or internationally.

Over the years, Aarhus University has been in the vanguard of the Danish debate on the development of the concept of structured PhD education. For example, in 1991, Aarhus University was the first to point out that completion times for PhD candidates were too long. As a consequence, the university introduced an integrated MA/PhD programme option, which offers Master’s students early admission to a doctoral programme – the so-called ‘4+4 track’.

Today, Oother Danish universities are beginning to offer similar integrated MA/PhD programmes, in recognition of their effectiveness as an an instrument for improving the quality of PhD programmes.

With the increasing adoptation of the Bologna model by (in particular) European universities, it has become increasingly evident that transferring to a new educational institution on completion of a Bachelor's or Master's degree programme is a natural and attractive choice for many students. To increase the quality and quantity of international applications to its PhD programmes, Aarhus University has taken a step further along the road of the integrated MA/PhD programme. The university now offers students the option of even earlier admission to a PhD programme via the so-called 3+5 track (popularly known as Bologna-Danese). This type of programme is an integrated part of the Bologna process; on completion of a Bachelor’s degree, talented students are admitted directly to a programme which combines a Master's programme with the first year of a PhD programme.

Figure 1 shows the three programme types offered by Aarhus University's graduate schools: 5+3 (Bologna), 4+4 and 3+5 (Bologna-Danese). It should be mentioned that there are differences in the relative emphasis placed on the three models by the individual graduate schools, and that the Faculty of Health Sci- ences offers six-year Master’s programmes, unlike the other main academic areas.

Figure 1 – Degree programme structure at Aarhus University – admission to PhD programmes

Bachelor Bachelor Bachelor 3 years 3 years 3 years Master 1 year

Master 2 years Master/ Master/ PhD PhD 3 years 2 years PhD 3 years PhD PhD 2 years 2 years

A more recent example of Aarhus University’s foresight and focus on PhD education is the university's 2006 decision to develop a comprehensive electronic online system to manage all administration and quality assurance related to the individual PhD-students. There are three phases in the system: applications and admission; portfolio; and financial management. The first phase has already been implemented by the majority of the university's eight graduate schools and will soon be in place at all of them. The portfolio phase is still being tested, and development of the financial management phase has not begun. According to the long-term plan, all of the country's graduate schools will eventually adopt the system.

This plan of action is based on the current organisational structure of PhD education at Aarhus University: eight graduate schools and a joint committee (of the heads of graduate schools) working in collaboration with the Rector’s Office. While the contents of the plan will remain valid notwithstanding what future changes in the organisation of the university occur, the plan does not at present include any reference to organisational changes1; However, in the course of developing the plan, it has become clear that a greater involvement of the PhD students in this joint university effort to further improve PhD education would be desirable. The plan is intended to improve the quality of the PhD education offered by the existing graduate schools - with all due respect for the differences be-

1 In February 2010, after a decision on the action plan had been taken, the university launched an institutional reform which will be finalised in June 2010.

tween the main academic disciplines. In other words, the goal of the plan is not to identify and impose a 'lowest common denominator’ of practice on the graduate schools, but to generally set ambitious overall standards for the quality of PhD education at Aarhus University.

Thus, the plan seeks to promote the development of a common understanding of 'best practice' for the areas which are specific to individual graduate schools, while at the same time identifying those areas in which the graduate schools might best fulfil their responsibilities through a joint effort or through expanded central support functions. In this sense, the action plan can be understood as a contribution to a more systematic exploitation of the positive effects of the mergers behind the present structure at Aarhus University.

The decision to establish a 'PhD House' at Aarhus University was made as this action plan was being prepared. The PhD House will become a unique resource centre for PhD education at Aarhus University and the site of PhD-related activities of benefit to all main academic areas (for example, housing for foreign PhD students). The PhD House will be established on the central campus in Aarhus. It is expected that a number of the initiatives recommended in the action plan will be integrated into the activities and responsibilities of the PhD House; in particular, it is expected that the PhD House will form the institutional locus of a close collaboration with the university's International Centre.

1c The structure of the plan of action As explained above, this action plan is intended to supplement the university's general strategy by providing a catalogue of concrete recommendations and initiatives intended to support the university's objectives for the area of PhD education.

The plan is structured in terms of seven general aspects of PhD education which can be evaluated in terms of quality:

• Recruitment and admission • Internationalisation • Quality assurance • PhD courses and knowledge dissemination • Submission, thesis and defense • The job market • Programme scale and financing

Each of these topics is divided into the following headings:

• Status • Objectives • Initiatives

For each initiative, the plan specifically identifies the agents who should be given responsibility for concrete actions. Generally speaking, the action plan recommends that responsibility for initiatives related to infrastructure shared by all eight graduate schools should be centralised, while all other initiatives (including those specific to particular academic fields of study) should be carried out at the level

of the individual graduate school. The plan of action also includes an overview of initiatives related to and parties involved in the doctoral programmes offered at Aarhus University along with a presentation of the plan's recommendations in table form and a summary of selected recommendations for each area of responsibility and activity (see Section 10).

2 RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSION

2a Status Perhaps the most important parameter for the quality of a graduate school is the quality of its students. If Aarhus University is to fulfil the ambitious qualitative and quantitative goals it has set for its graduate programmes, it is therefore crucial that its graduate schools develop the strategies and tools to ensure the best possible foundation for recruitment of the most talented candidates, locally, nation- ally and internationally.

In 2008, an equal number of male and female PhD students were enrolled at Aarhus University, with some graduate schools showing a different distribution. There was, however, great variation exists among the graduate schools with regard to the average age of PhD students who were awarded a doctorate in the same year: from age thirty to age forty-eight. About 16% of the university’s PhD students were of foreign nationality in 2008; the proportion varied significantly among the individual graduate schools.

Aarhus University as a whole has a limited number of graduate students enrolled in the Industrial PhD Programme. The considerable potential of this programme for a qualitative and quantitative expansion of the university's doctoral programmes remains to be exploited - with due awareness of the special possibilities and challenges presented by the programme's particular structure.

Most recruitment of PhD students occurs as a consequence of talent-spotting 'in our own backyard' as well as of direct contact between Aarhus University staff members and other research institutions in Denmark and abroad. However, research institutions all over the world are increasingly supplementing this tradi- tional form of recruitment by more systematic, centrally coordinated recruitment efforts.

The university’s centralised recruitment efforts are at present limited to member- ships in a number of university networks offering various types of exchange agreements. The [Coimbra Group] is a good example of such a network. In addition, the university has a PhD website from which the individual graduate schools' websites can be accessed. There is a link to this website from the Coimbra Group’s website. The shared PhD website contains relatively little text and offers no functions or promotional materials to prospective PhD students. All such material as exists is located at the level of the individual graduate school website.

Recruitment of foreign PhD students is hampered by the fact that the Danish system does not allow agreements on dual degrees or joint degrees. In addition, the current rules on tuition payment make early recruitment of foreign students from non-EEA countries difficult; the law requires that students from these countries who have not yet been awarded a Master’s degree be charged tuition on the grounds of parallel enrolment in the PhD and Master’s programmes.

Each of the eight graduate schools works to ensure both the quality and the quantity of its applicant pool and PhD students. The graduate schools employ a broad range of recruitment strategies, including ads in journals and newspapers,

websites, promotional brochures, orientation meets and networks. However, there exists no general overview of the effectiveness of these individual recruitment strategies and initiatives.

And while the individual graduate schools also work very seriously to ensure the quality of evaluation procedures for handling applications for admission and for scholarships, no systematic effort is made to collect and evaluate experiences or joint initiatives regarding procedures for handling applications.

Applications for admissions and scholarships (including the application phase and the subsequent processing of applications) are supported by the university’s shared online system, which is in operation at the majority of the graduate schools. There are two university-wide semi-annual deadlines for applications for admission and for scholarships. The deadlines are announced centrally as well as by each individual graduate school.

Currently, there is no tradition for targeted recruitment across the main academic areas at Aarhus University. By the same token, there are as yet few examples of individual PhD projects offered jointly between graduate schools. On the other hand, there are numerous examples of specific PhD courses of study which involve supervisors from several main academic areas. NERI (the National Envi- ronmental Research Institute) in particular is actively involved in the supervision of students enrolled at graduate schools at other main academic areas.

2b Objectives In order for Aarhus University to fulfil its strategic objectives in the area of PhD education, the university must make a sustained and focussed effort to maintain and increase the quality of its recruitment efforts.

As a consequence of globalisation, students all over the world – including students from Aarhus University – are becoming increasingly mobile. Therefore, Aarhus University must brace itself for the international competition to attract and retain the most promising research talents, both at home and abroad. Universities all over the world are devoting massive resources to the competition for the best minds; it is absolutely essential for Aarhus University to gain a reputation as a strong contender in the field.

It is also necessary to formulate goals for the university’s doctoral student profile. Statistics such as those listed above (field, age, geography, gender, etc.) are not without relevance as indicators of some aspects of the quality of PhD programmes. For example, society’s expectation that the universities should produce young researchers who have a long working life ahead of them is legitimate. Therefore, the recruitment of young students to PhD programmes should be a general goal. Such a goal does not preclude PhD programmes in specific fields from producing graduates with prior work experience.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives in the area of recruitment and admissions to its PhD programmes are to ensure that

• individual graduate schools gain access to the best possible applicant pool - both quantitatively and qualitatively;

• the individual graduate schools become capable of identifying the most promising researcher talents for their PhD programmes, both among their own students and students from other institutions;

• the application process for all PhD scholarships becomes open, competi- tive and equal opportunity;

• the university admits an increasing proportion of PhD students matricu- lated from other institutions;

• the average age of PhD students admitted to the university's PhD programmes decreases; and

• a flexible framework for mobility and credit transfer within the university's own programmes and graduate schools is developed.

2c Initiatives Formulation of admissions targets The individual graduate schools should address Aarhus University’s objective of a strong increase in the number of PhD students by developing recruitment strategies. The graduate schools admit their students exclusively on the basis of qualitative evaluations, and therefore the function of a recruitment strategy is first and foremost to ensure the quality (and proportionately the quantity) of applicants. We recommend that the recruitment strategies of the graduate schools be based on

• general targets for the composition of their PhD student body with reference to such parameters as field of study, gender, age, geographical origin, linked to a: • focus on the recruitment strategies and initiatives which have been evaluated as best suited to ensure that the targets are met.

These recruitment strategies should be developed in the context of collaboration between the individual graduate schools, and a forum for the exchange of experiences regarding the effectiveness of various recruitment strategies and initiatives should be established.

In addition, a general survey of recruitment strategies and initiatives should be carried out (promotional brochures, media, web pages, the use of ‘ambassadors’, (exchange) networks, etc.), and that experiences from all of the university’s graduate schools regarding the effectiveness of these strategies and initiatives be systematically gathered. (Which approaches work best in particular regions or in relation to the goal of recruiting young students, etc.).

Agents: University management, AU Communication, International Centre, AU Studies Administration and the graduate schools.

Publicity and branding High-quality promotional materials (in the form of brochures or a similar format) should be developed that are in conformity with the university's graphic design programme and which will remain current over a longer period of time. This material should include central information about Aarhus University as well as a short introduction to the breadth and quality of its research activities, in addition to the strength of the university's interdisciplinary research environments. The material should be produced to a high finish in high-quality materials. The material should also include an introduction to the individual graduate schools (with contact information, websites, etc.).

The material should be developed and presented both in Danish and in English. The Danish version should be prioritised for a number of reasons. Awareness of the option of doctoral studies among our own students would probably be increased by such material, especially with regard to early recruitment to the 4 +4 and 3+5 tracks. In addition, the mobility of students within the Danish university system is remarkably low in comparison with practically every other country. Therefore, Aarhus University should contribute to an increased awareness of the programmes it offers by means of publicity with broad appeal and a clear mes- sage.

Researchers would be able to take such material to professional events, and it would be made available for download on the AU website. Other possible forms of publicity include handing out free memory sticks with the AU logo and promotional materials on PhD programmes

Agents: AU Communication and the graduate schools

Websites The material described above should be suitable for use on the new AU PhD websites. In other words, the development of this material should be coordinated with a complementary redevelopment of the university's PhD websites - especially the shared 'welcome' page for PhD education.

The development process should be well-structured, and it should take place in collaboration with the redevelopment of the graduate school websites. This would allow graduate schools to reuse the same photos, text and other elements, and at the same time would help address the well-known challenge with regard to updating information on the graduate school websites. It would without a doubt be a good idea to make the graduate school websites more engaging by including personal histories with quotes from PhD students.

Finally, all of Aarhus University’s PhD-related websites should be structured so as to allow readers at different levels (university, main academic area, graduate school, graduate programme) to subscribe to updates (news, course offerings, rules and regulations, notices, etc.). This means that all updates should be implemented at one well-defined site with subsequent automatic updates to all sub- scriber pages.

Agents: AU Communication and the graduate schools

Early recruitment The university’s strategy for recruitment to its PhD programmes should be coordinated with a strategy for the recruitment of Danish and foreign students to the university’s Master’s programmes. In particular, the 3+5 and 4+4 tracks should be employed to attract students with doctoral potential and ambitions early in their academic career.

In this connection, a more focused effort to publicise PhD education among AU's own students – and across the main academic areas - would be important. It would also be important for the university to present its own Master’s programmes as a stepping stone to a PhD programme. Ensuring a larger applicant pool of bright, ambitious students for the university's Master's programmes would contribute to a positive increase in competition for admission to the university's PhD programmes.

Recruitment-related promotional materials should therefore be developed in collaboration with the heads of the university's Master's programmes. This is especially relevant with regard to Master's programmes offered in English, but should also include a Danish version aimed at Danish/Nordic students.

In addition, these efforts should be combined with the creation of a special 'elite status'2 for parts of the university's Master's programmes by offering special seminars, elite courses, master classes, etc. with focus on issues such as project formulation. Such an elite initiative could also take the form of international summer schools aimed at strengthening potential PhD applicants’ project development, etc. For both professional and financial reasons, such an initiative should be carried out in collaboration between two or more related graduate schools.

In this connection, the experiences of the Faculty of Science, which offers a fully integrated MA/PhD programme (the ‘Honours’ model) are particularly relevant to consider.

Aarhus University should actively promote the exemption of students from non- EEA countries who are admitted without a Master’s degree from the legal requirement to pay tuition.

Agents: University management, AU Communication, International Centre, AU Studies Administration and the graduate schools.

Network A systematic collaboration between Aarhus University graduate schools and the International Centre should be established with the aim of deriving greater benefit from existing international agreements and networks as well as in order to identify new agreements and networks of potential interest with regard to recruitment.

While a number of potential recruitment channels already exist in the form of both formal and informal collaboration agreements with partner universities, they

2 This refers to a special elite programme under the Danish Ministry for Research.

are not exploited, because the parties involved have limited awareness of them. For example, membership in the Coimbra Group presents many unexploited opportunities, including possibilities for specific exchange agreements.

More invitations to apply for scholarhsips should be publicised via international portals or partnerships in order to reach as many potential applicants as possible. International invitations to apply for PhD scholarships can be systematically publicised on EU’s Euraxess portal and by circulation among the contact groups of the Coimbra Group. Making formal agreements to exchange this type of information in collaboration with other universities is an additional possibility.

In addition, the university should explore the possibility of establishing working partnerships in the area of PhD education with selected international universities, including educational institutions, which do not themselves offer doctoral programmes, but which confer degrees qualifying students for admission to doctoral programmes.

Currently, the information about existing (and non-existent) networks and agreements possessed by the international area, the individual graduate schools and individual international research networks is not shared knowledge. In the first place, therefore, there is a need for a systematic approach to exchanging and disseminating existing information. This seemingly modest initiative would have a significant effect in certain areas.

Finally, an attempt should be made to draw on the Aarhus University alumni association initiative to support recruitment efforts. Selected alumni around the world would be named ‘ambassadors’ in their regions; one of their responsibilities would be to strengthen international recruitment to Aarhus University’s doctoral programmes.

Agents: International Centre and the graduate schools

Applications and admission Each graduate school should develop open, transparent criteria for the evaluation of the qualifications necessary for admission to a PhD programme and the criteria for awarding PhD scholarships. Particularly in connection with open invitations to apply for scholarships, it would be an advantage for foreign applicants to be informed in advance of the requirements for admission/scholarships (”We are looking for …”).

Acquiring the experience and expertise necessary to evaluate the qualifications of foreign applicants is a major challenge for all of the university’s graduate schools. To assist them in meeting this challenge, Aarhus University should establish a service to assist the individual graduate schools in evaluating the qualifications of applicants (especially international applications) seeking admission to the 3+5, 4+4 or 5+3 tracks. This would prevent related graduate schools from developing different standards and practices for the evaluation of such degrees as a one-year MA, or for evaluating a prospective student who applies for a PhD scholarship from more than one Aarhus University graduate school at the same time. The definition of academic requirements with regard to the PhD project, special qualifications, and similar issues should naturally remain the responsibility of the individual graduate school.

The online PhD application system should be evaluated and developed on a continuing basis to ensure that the system continues to function optimally in relation to recruitment as well that applications are processed professionally.

The recommended service for the evaluation of international students' qualifications should draw on the expertise of the Danish Agency for International Educa- tion in evaluating the qualifications of foreign applicants to other parts of the Danish educational system. Such a service would solve the problem of information access for the graduate schools: for while it is neither practicable nor desirable for all of the university's graduate schools to collect detailed information on the various degree programme structures and marking scales employed in different countries, this information should be easily accessible in connection with the evaluation of international applicans.

The university’s graduate schools should have the option of granting ‘screening grants’3 to visiting potential applicants to PhD programmes to subsidise a visit of up to a few months. Such a scheme would enable a first-hand evaluation of the student's academic qualifications. In some situations, it might provide the framework for assisting the applicant in preparing a solid application for admission (public invitation to apply).

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

Cooperation across main academic areas The graduate schools should explore the possibilities for a more systematic exploitation of any synergy effects with the four new main academic areas created by the mergers of 2007, both in relation to recruitment and to pooling resources in the development and organisation of the PhD education they offer.

In particular, general agreements based on flexible administrative procedures should be drawn up between the graduate schools and NERI. These agreements should cover a pooling of supervisory competences and provide a framework for recognition and balancing of resource input.

Flexible administrative agreements should also be established concerning individual PhD projects in collaboration between two graduate schools, rational use of shared resources, credit transfer, etc.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

3 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010.

3 INTERNATIONALISATION

3a Status Aarhus University’s long tradition for international cooperation in the areas of teaching and research is quite naturally reflected in the highly international nature of the individual PhD programmes offered here. Doctoral studies generally take place in internationally active research environments, which automatically ensures an international dimension.

Aarhus University is already an active participant in a range of international activities in the area of PhD education. For example, the university is a member of the EUA Council for PhD Education, and as such the university took part in a recent survey of the status and challenges faced by European doctoral programmes [EUA-DP]. In addition, the university participates in the Coimbra Group Task Force on Doctoral Studies and Research in close collaboration with Euro- pean partners.

There are also several examples of thriving international partnerships at graduate school level. For exaple, the Faculty of Health Sciences participates in the ORPHEUS network, an association of European health sciences faculties [ORPHEUS – Organisation for in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the Euro- pean System].

The ORPHEUS network fosters collaboration on issues such as recruitment, student exchanges, joint courses and experience exchanges. In addition, Aarhus Univer- sity has participated in The Nordic Benchmarking Project [NBP] together with the University of Bergen, the University of Gothenburg, the University of Turku and Christian-Albrechts Universität in Kiel. The NPB has carried out a collaborative benchmarking project on PhD education which singles out a number of the 'best practices' of the participating universities. Some of these practices have inspired the present action plan, first and foremost among them being the action plan developed by the University of Bergen [Fra Livsverk til Karrierestart, Handlingsplan for Forskeruttdanning ved Universitetet i Bergen 2008-2015].

At present, the proportion of foreign students at Aarhus University is relatively modest on the whole, although there is some variation among the individual graduate schools. And while graduate schools differ in their evaluation of the necessity of this development, there is a general tendency towards an increase in the number of foreign PhD students at the university.

A corresponding increase in the number of PhD students who spend some part of their doctoral career abroad in foreign research environments is generally considered to be a desirable development. At present there exists considerable variation among the individual graduate schools with regard to goals and practices for study abroad. As a consequence, there exists considerable variation with regard to the level of support PhD students can expect in connection with study abroad.

The university’s intiatives to promote a greater degree of international mobility have been hampered by restrictive Danish legislation which limits doctoral dual degree and joint degree programme agreements.

Traditionally, the individual graduate schools (and in many cases, the individual PhD programmes) have taken responsibility for admitting and welcoming new students. On the intiative of the heads of the graduate schools (among others), Aarhus University recently established an International Help Desk [Aarhus Univer- sitets International Help Desk], at the International Centre which has very quickly become a very professional and highly appreciated service. The Help Desk works to ensure that foreign PhD students (and postdocs) are quickly and effectively integrated into the university community, both before and after their arrival, and provides information on Denmark, Århus and Aarhus University; a website and a telephone service; events, etc.).

3b Objectives In connection with the university’s ambitious targets with regard to both the quality and the quantity of the PhD programmes it offers, there is a need for a range of initiatives aimed explicitly at strengthening the international dimension of PhD education at Aarhus University - in a market which is rapidly becoming increasingly internationalised, with regard to recruitment, completion and the job market for graduates of doctoral programmes.

For example, increasing globalisation means that it is necessary to strive for a high level of visibility on the international scene, in order to make Aarhus University an attractive option for the best potential PhD students worldwide and a preferred partner in the many existing and coming international networks in the area of PhD education.

Research is increasingly becoming a global affair. To help ensure the future com- petitiveness of the university’s PhD graduates, it is important that all of the university’s PhD programmes include an international dimension, for example in the form of longer period of study abroad in foreign research environments.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding the internationalisation of the PhD area are to ensure that

• the university admits an increasing proportion of PhD students with foreign qualifying examinations and degrees;

• more of the university’s PhD students complete some portion of their studies in a foreign research environment;

• the university becomes known as an attractive partner in the most prestig- ious international doctoral exchange networks; and

• the university gains a reputation for the successful integration of foreign PhD students.

3c Initiatives Matchmaking While formal international collaboration at graduate school level is still in its in- fancy, it is maturing rapidly. The graduate schools are therefore faced by the challenge of identifying appropriate potential partners with similar strategic aims and matching programme structures. A survey of the field of doctoral programmes, graduate schools and research schools which are being established in Europe and abroad should be carried out. The Coimbra Group’s Task Force for Doctoral Studies has carried out a survey which would presumably aid the identi- fication of potential partners. Aarhus University could also (perhaps in collaboration with EUA-CDE or other partners) adopt a more proactive strategy, inviting potential partners to workshops or conferences on such topics as quality assurance and mobility in researcher education. Such events would provide an opportunity for the university to promote itself and come in contact with potential partners.

In addition, a survey of the type mentioned above should prepared as a basis for a coordinated prioritisation of the university’s and the individual graduate schools’ engagement in international collaboration in the area of doctoral education.

It is particularly important to explore the possibilities for an extended international collaboration on PhD education within the networks and organisations in which Aarhus University already participates. Possible paths to closer collaboration might include collaboration on developing PhD courses, summer schools, etc. An example of such collaboration is the Coimbra Group’s development of PhD courses in transferable skills, a project which is continuing as a joint effort of the universities of Edinburgh, Bergen and Turku.

Agents: International Centre and the graduate schools

Cotutelle, dual degrees and joint degrees Recent years have seen a marked increase in the number of formal joint/dual PhD degree agreements between universities, particularly in Europe. These agreements range from loose cotutelle agreements (typically on joint supervision) to dual degrees (by which students receive two degrees from collaborating universities on the background of a joint PhD study programme) to joint degrees (by which students receive a single joint PhD degree conferred by two universities on the basis of a joint PhD study programme).

Denmark, and Aarhus University by extension, have been remarkably invisible in this development, first and foremost because of restrictive Danish policy in this area. The failure to grant Danish universities the possibility of participating in these types of arrangements on an equal footing with most other European institutions of higher education in the near future would be extremely damaging. It now appears that the Danish restrictions will soon be loosened.

Aarhus University should participate actively in the international effort to deter- mine the terminology and institutional framework governing joint/dual PhD degree agreements between universities.

Aarhus University should continue its political efforts to promote the removal of national restrictions as quickly as possible, in order to enable the university to participate freely in international agreements on joint/dual degrees.

In addition, instruments should be developed to enable the university and the individual graduate schools to act quickly when new possibilities for joint/dual degree partnerships appear. Such instruments should include an easily accessible and up-to-date survey of the possibilites for joint/dual degree agreements aco- companied by a selection of templates for formulating agreements.

Agents: The Rector’s Office in collaboration with Universities Denmark

Study abroad Many years of experience confirm that the quality of a doctoral student’s academic experience is markedly improved by a well-organised longer period of study abroad at a foreign research environment. But despite the fact that such a period of study abroad is recommended in the PhD Order, many of the university’s PhD students do not include a longer period of study abroad. There are many possible explanations for this. The logistic challenges associated with study abroad, which often involve moving an entire family, are often named, as is the difficulty of continuing to attend to obligations at the home university while studying abroad.

All PhD students at Aarhus University should be encouraged to study abroad during their studies.

Some graduate schools have established services which assist students with the practical issues that arise in connection with a period of study abroad, including applications for extra funding from foundations, applications for residency per- mits, tax issues and housing. The establishment of a central service to handle some of these functions would be an advantage.

The individual graduate schools should introduce measures to make it easier for students to include longer periods of study abroad. Examples include fair com- pensation for salaried work, travel grants, etc.4

Agents: The graduate schools

Internationalisation at the local level Many years of experience confirm that the quality of a doctoral student’s academic career can be markedly improved by daily contact with foreign graduate students and researchers. An effort should be made to provide all PhD students with the opportunity to work closely with foreign colleagues in the course of their studies.

All of the graduate schools should be in a position to offer students enrolled in foreign universities some form of short-term scholarship (AU Marie Curie) to cover travel and living expenses in exchange for participation in research seminars and other relevant activities. The presence of foreign PhD students for a shorter period

4 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010.

of time would thus contribute to a more international doctoral study environment.5

In addition, local internationalisation should play a special role in connection with the recommended initiatives for improving quality which are described in Sec- tion 4.

The financial resources for both of the initiatives described above could be based on collaboration with the individual research environments involved via the Aar- hus University Research Foundation or other public or private foundations. 6

Agents: The university, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

Professional reception and integration International Help Desk, the recently established service for the reception of new PhD students (and post docs) [Aarhus Universitets International Help Desk] should be strengthened and made part of a broader initiative to develop a shared milieu for all of the university’s PhD students, with a range of academic and social activities.

In the course of its short lifespan, International Help Desk has had a significant effect on the quality of the reception of new foreign PhD students. While it is as yet difficult to measure these effects quantitatively, it seems clear that the Interna- tional Help Desk will have a measurable positive effect on such parameters as drop-out rates among foreign PhD students. In the longer term, the Help Desk may also exert an indirect positive effect on the quality of the applicant pool.

This recommendation is motivated by a desire to promote best practices that can contribute to the development of a healthy, inclusive PhD milieu that will improve the integration of PhD students into the university community. Improved integration would in turn lead to positive, measurable improvements in the quality of the university’s PhD education as a whole.

Agents: International Centre and the graduate schools

5 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010. 6 Several such programmes in support of PhD and postdocs has been instituted by the AU Research Foundation early 2010. See above.

4 QUALITY ASSURANCE

4a Status A graduate school's highest priority is to ensure the quality of the doctoral education it offers. Quality can best be measured in terms of the quality of the candidates who complete the programme, both in terms of the quality of their theses, first and foremost with regard to the originality of the research results achieved, and also with regard to the competences acquired as a result of study activities (courses, communication skills, mobility, and so on). According to the University Act, responsibility for the quality of PhD programmes lies with the graduate schools and PhD committees. For example, the University Act requires that the head of a graduate school must undertake regular evaluations of the graduate school's activities with the involvement of the PhD committee.

On a day-to-day basis, the quality of a PhD programme is ensured by PhD supervisors, and therefore graduate schools have a special obligation to ensure the quality of the supervision available to their PhD students. The graduate schools at Aarhus University fulfil their quality assurance obligations in different ways, both with regard to formulating academic standards for supervisors, approving supervisors and monitoring the quality of supervision offered.

A number of the graduate schools currently offer their PhD students different types of supplementary supervision. For example, the graduate school of the Danish University School of Education (a faculty of Aarhus University) has implemented two mandatory 'work in progress seminars' on a trial basis. The first seminar is to take place six to nine months into the PhD study, the second six to eight months before submission of the thesis for assessment.

Pursuant to the PhD Order, periodic assessments of a student's progress are a mandatory aspect of quality assurance. Most graduate schools currently perform these evaluations semi-annually on the basis of standardised forms (with varying degrees of detail) which are signed by the parties involved (PhD student, supervisors, programme director, head of graduate school). It is generally held that this type of periodic evaluation is insufficient to fulfil the legal requirement with regard to effective quality assurance, and some graduate schools have thus chosen to supplement these standardised procedures with regular meetings between the PhD student, supervisors and an expert monitoring group.

In 2006, Aarhus University initiated the development of an online system for the administration of its PhD programmes. A central element is a portfolio system that coordinates the planning, registration, evaluation and approval of all elements of a PhD student’s educational progress. In other words, the portfolio system supports the periodic evaluation of individual progress, and thereby also the quality assurance of PhD education as a whole. The visions behind the online portfolio system are ambitious, and it will certainly become an indispensable tool for the graduate schools at Aarhus University.

Reporting to Statistics Denmark of the so-called key indicator figures is another quality assurance tool. Unfortunately, these key figures for the PhD area cannot be used as the basis for reliable Danish PhD statistics, as the definitions behind the

key figures are interpreted quite differently, even across the main academic areas at Aarhus University. In addition, the general perception is that not even data collection is sufficiently reliable as the process is not yet adequately supported by available systems.

As a quality requirement for PhD programmes, the PhD Order stipulates that all PhD students must include a longer stay in another research environment. Here again, the graduate schools at Aarhus University differ with regard to their handling of this requirement, their interpretation of the PhD Order's phrasing, and the specific forms of support offered to encourage student mobility.The PhD Order’s additional requirements with regard to courses and teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination will be treated separately in the next section.

In recent years, it has become accepted practice to earmark a significant proportion of national funding for doctoral training for ‘quality promotion’. Typically, local PhD education environments (which were formerly known as 'research schools') have been eligible to apply for these funds. In connection with the latest round of allocation of national funding for doctoral training, the Danish Research Coordi- nation Committee decided to simplify the types of funding allocated to a single type: fully financed scholarships (with full overhead) granted to the graduate schools of the universities. The implicit consequence of this decision is that 'quality promotion' funding is to be provided by the universities themselves. Aarhus Uni- versity has not yet developed a model which ensures that its graduate schools have access to the funds they require in order to fulfil the University Act’s requirement with regard to quality assurance of PhD programmes.

It is a well-established fact that modern PhD programmes make extremely high demands on students. The combination of time pressure with high academic ambitions can be burdensome, and a number of graduate schools have recently experienced an increase in stress-related problems among their students.

This has led to increased attention to the issue of stress among students on the part of the graduate schools. The primary focus is on preventative measures, although some treatment initiatives also exist. Some of the graduate schools have had a certain degree of success with Aarhus Unversity’s offer of short-term psychological treatment, while others have launched local initiatives aimed at discovering and relieving stress-related problems, conflict management, etc. For example, the Faculty of Health Sciences has had success with the introduction of a ‘PhD student counsellor’, and other graduate schools have followed this example.

The importance of a positive social environment at the doctoral programme level for the quality of a PhD programme cannot be emphasized enough. The majority of the graduate schools at Aarhus University now have PhD associations, which are associations for PhD students which arrange social activities such as lectures.

4b Objectives The general objective is to ensure the quality of the PhD education offered at Aarhus University, including both the quality of PhD theses submitted for assessment as well as the quality of the remaining components of modern, structured PhD education.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding the quality of PhD education are

• to ensure the quality of PhD supervision;

• to ensure the quality of the remaining aspects of PhD education;

• to support the work of quality assurance by means of professional systems and tools.;

• to ensure that all PhD students complete a portion of their studies at another research environment; and

• to ensure that all PhD programmes include a professional, qualified strategy for addressing the stress-related problems PhD students experience.

4c Initiatives

Supervision All graduate schools should develop and publish guidelines for requirements in connection with the approval process for principal supervisors and other supervisors. In addition, general requirements with regard to the duties and responsibilities of princial supervisors and other supervisors should be clarified. All graduate schools should develop efficient procedures for following up on evaluations of the quality of PhD supervision.

All graduate schools should work towards the establishment of a mandatory basic course in PhD supervision, while the regular maintenance of supervisory skills and competencies should be made a criterion for the approval of principal supervisors. At the same time, all graduate schools should offer regular courses on supervision to their supervisors, possibly in collaboration with the Danish Network for Educational Development in Higher Education (DUN).

All PhD plans should detail the mutual responsibilities and expectations of both principal supervisor and PhD student (for example, with regard to frequency of meetings and practical details regarding communication and the logistics of the cooperation).

All PhD students should be offered at least two supervisors. In the event that it becomes necessary to replace a supervisor, the transition should be fast and flexible. In addition, all PhD students should have regular opportunities to discuss their programme and academic progress with representatives from their particular doctoral programme.

Agents: The graduate schools

Quality assurance instruments All graduate schools should continuously develop instruments to ensure the quality of individual PhD students' studies. In particular, a concept based on the Uni- versity Act's provisions with regard to periodic evaluation of the graduate schools' activities should be developed. This should be done to ensure that these evaluations contribute constructively to the quality assurance process.

Development of these instruments should occur through a close collaboration among graduate schools to promote the exchange of experiences with various instruments (online portfolio, monitoring groups, alternative types of semi-annual evaluation, midterm exams, etc.)

In addition, all graduate schools should collaborate closely on the performance of regular satisfaction surveys among their PhD students.

The online protfolio project should be allocated the resources necessary to de- liver a system system as quickly as possible in a form that will enable all Aarhus University graduate schools to use it as an effective quality assurance tool. Rapid completion of the system is in fact absolutely necessary in order to handle the strong increases in the number of PhD students Aarhus University is currently ex- periencing.

A tool such as the online portfolio system can only perform its intended function if it is used by all the parties involved. Therefore, user-friendliness should have a high priority, including integration with related online systems such as the university’s research publication database (PURE).

Aarhus University should, in collaboration with Statistics Denmark and the other Danish universities, initiate a coordinated update and refinement of the key indicator figures relevant to the PhD area in order to achieve reliable Danish PhD statistics. In addition, the university should develop realistic models for concepts such as ‘drop-out rates’ and ‘completion times’.

Finally, the online portfolio system should support the reporting of future key figures directly.

Agents: The graduate schools, the electronic PhD administration system

Mobility All Aarhus University graduate schools should offer their students attractive possibilities for studying at at least one other research environment in the course of their studies as a qualitative advantage for the student's academic career. Spe- cifically, the graduate schools should make guidance and assistance available, in order to allow students to make exchange agreements with a broad range of external research environments, including foreign and Danish universities, research laboratories and businesses. In addition, such agreements should seek to take advantage of the possibilities offered by Aarhus University's participation in international networks.

A service to provide support in connection with the logistic challenges of exchange, especially foreign exchange, should be established, on the model of International Help Desk's activities for foreign PhD students at Aarhus University.

The PhD Order requires that PhD students “participate in active research environments, including stays at other, mainly foreign, research institutions”. The university should also formulate a complementary ‘residency requirement’ to ensure that Aarhus University PhD students experience an appropriate amount of continuous study at their home institution.

Agents: The graduate schools

Information for PhD students An informative handbook for all PhD students should be made available by each graduate school (code of conduct, survival kit). The graduate schools should work closely together in preparing these guidebooks, as a large proportion of the material to be included is common to all.

All graduate schools should arrange regular, informative meetings for PhD students, especially semi-annual introductory meetings for new PhD students. These meetings should be coordinated and arranged in collaboration with International Help Desk, which has extensive experience in holding introductory meetings for foreign PhD students.

Agents: The graduate schools

Stress-related problems All Aarhus University graduate schools should institute well-defined, visible mechanisms for discovering and addressing stress-related problems among their PhD students.

All of the graduate schools should institute well-defined, visible mechanisms for discovering and addressing other non-academic problems which hinder PhD students in performing to the best of their ability. In particular, it is recommended that 'PhD student counsellor' positions be established at each graduate school, on the background of the experiences of the Faculty of Health Sciences, where this has proved to be a useful and effective solution with a significant preventative effect.

Agents: The graduate schools

Social activities All graduate schools should establish local PhD associations in order to provide a good framework for doctoral student social life.

An umbrella organisation for the university’s PhD associations should be established in order to provide a framework for activities that span the university’s main academic areas.

Agents: The graduate schools

Quality promotion funding The graduate schools should be allocated the resources necessary to enable their compliance with the requirements set out in the University Act and the PhD Order regarding the quality of their PhD education. This includes the resources necessary to perform many of the functions that this action plan recommends should be transferred to the the graduate schools, including some of the functions formerly funded by 'quality promotion funding’ from The Danish Research Coordina- tion Committee (courses, PhD student exchanges, etc.). Responsibility for the quality of PhD education lies with the graduate schools pursuant to the University Act, and this responsibility can only be fulfilled if the graduate schools have access to the requisite 'quality promotion funding'.

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

5 PhD COURSES AND KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

5a Status Pursuant the PhD Order, PhD students must complete courses totalling approximately 30 ECTS points. The Order contains no provisions regarding the content of such courses. However, the guide to the PhD Order does mention that the courses should have a higher academic level than those offered on the qualifying Mas- ter's programme, unless special considerations require a departure from this prin- ciple.

Pursuant to the University Act, the PhD committee is responsible for approving PhD courses. There are considerable differences among Aarhus University graduate schools with regard to the doctoral courses they offer. Longer courses are viewed as an opportunity for in-depth study of a topic, while shorter courses are easier to plan and coordinate. By the same token, it is probably also most realistic to offer shorter inter-institutional joint courses. The number of required coursework credits varies from 0 to 30 ECTS. While most of the graduate schools make descriptions of the courses they offer available on their websites, in many cases these descriptions fail to include an account of the objectives of the courses.

ECTS credits are awarded on the basis of the workload necessary for the student to achieve the expected learning outcome. Student workload for one academic year is equivalent to 60 ECTS credits, which means that 1 ECTS credit corre- sponds to a workload of twenty-five hours [Cirius Online]. In addition, the student’s learning outcome must be assessed and validated.

Experience has shown that there are major differences among the graduate schools with regard to how credits are allocated for PhD courses and the assessment of participants in courses. For example, some graduate schools award ECTS credits for participation in conferences and local lecture/seminar series (such as journal clubs), while others consider such activities a natural component of the research project.

A number of graduate schools carry out assessments of PhD courses in which students are required to answer questions about the course or to fill out question- naires which are handed in to the instructor at the end of the course. Such ques- tionnaires typically include questions about the student's evaluation of the course, the instruction, and learning outcomes. These evaluations are reviewed by the head of the graduate school and the PhD committee for the main academic area in question.

Activities which foster the various competences which a modern career in research demands are an important dimension of modern researcher training Ex- amples include courses in ’transferable skills’, including”academic writing, academic English, patenting, ethical aspects of research, project management, dissemination, etc”. Aarhus University graduate schools offer their students a variety of such courses, either internally or by drawing on external resources. The individual graduate schools include this type of course in the doctoral course catalogue in different ways. For example, some graduate schools offer mandatory ‘transfer-

able skills’ courses, while others place limits on the number of such courses on offer.

The PhD Order specifically requires that PhD students be offered courses in teaching. This requirement is interpreted in various ways by the individual graduate schools.

Some years ago, the main academic areas of Aarhus University and the other Danish universities negotiated an agreement on an ‘open market' for PhD courses which set out conditions for student participation in PhD courses offered at other institutions. There is a need for flexible, reasonably priced inter-university courses.

With regard to knowledge dissemination, the PhD Order requires that PhD students gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination which should insofar as possible be directly related to the student's PhD project. Teaching and knowledge dissemination include a range of different activities. Examples include giving lectures, assistant teaching, supervising Master's degree students, making presentations for high school students (for example, in the context of the ‘Researcher for a Day’ event), talks at theme days/PhD days and con- tributing to websites.

Most of the graduate schools link the PhD Order’s requirements with regard to teaching and other forms of knowledge dissemination with the administration of the ‘salaried work’ obligation governed by the collective labour agreements for PhD scholarships. However, the amount of teaching individual PhD students are offered/required to perform varies among the graduate schools. The amount of teaching offered/required also varies within individual graduate schools, and in some instances is determined by the individual students' terms of employment.

5b Objectives Elements such as courses and knowledge dissemination skills training are a natural part of modern, structured PhD education. Aarhus University should strive to ensure that all PhD students have easy access to a range of courses and teaching/knowledge dissemination-related activities. The range of courses and activities offered should enable each graduate student to fulfill the PhD Order's requirements, and at the same time constitute a genuine contribution to the quality of the students' education without unduly reducing the time available for the other elements of their studies (not least research).

The content of PhD courses should be relevant to students' PhD projects and should provide an occasion for them to acquire experience in teaching and knowledge dissemination. To promote this end, an increased focus on the range and quality of the courses offered would be appropriate, with special attention to issues such as requirements with regard to quality, the appropriate proportion of mandatory courses, etc. The objective is to ensure that PhD students are given genuine, relevant opportunities for learning that are consistent with the requirements of their specific field of research.

Similarly, graduate schools should be in a position to offer PhD students opportunities to gain relevant experience in teaching and other forms of knowledge dissemination which will be beneficial in the student's subsequent career.

The administration of the intersection of these activities with the students' paid work should not be experienced as inappropriate by the students.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding courses and communication skills in the PhD area are

• to increase the quality and quantity of the range of internal academic PhD courses offered;

• to increase the quality and quantity of the range of external PhD courses offered;

• to enable the university to become an attractive partner in national and international collaboration on PhD courses;

• to give all PhD students access to relevant training in communication skills (teaching and other forms of knowledge dissemination) during their studies; and

• to administer the employment conditions and salaried work of PhD students so that all parties feel themselves handled fairly - across the graduate schools and on an individual level.

5c Initiatives Development of the graduate schools' course programmes One of a graduate school's most important tasks is to ensure that it offers its students a broad range of high-quality, relevant courses within their field of research. These academic courses are normally offered in the context of the graduate schools’ individual PhD programmes.

All graduate schools should develop a set of guidelines for the courses to be offered by each PhD programme, as well as for course descriptions.

In addition, each graduate school should ensure that all PhD students enrolled have access to an adequate programme of PhD courses within their field, and that the PhD Order's requirements with regard to coursework can be met with a course programme appropriate to the individual PhD student’s studies. In addition, a large proportion of these courses should have direct relevance for the individual PhD student's project. The course programme should also contain both internal and external courses, and it should permit long-term planning of individual coursework (progression of courses to be taken, timing, etc.).

Agents: The graduate schools

Allocation of ECTS credits to PhD courses Each graduate school should develop guidelines to ensure that all courses offered fulfil current requirements for application of the ECTS standard. The guidelines for preparing course descriptions should be discussed in the graduate school programme committees, the PhD committtes and among the heads of graduate schools.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

Evaluation of PhD courses and instructors There is a need for a general clarification of the procedure for evaluating PhD courses, both those offered by Aarhus University as well as other providers. In the first place, the university’s graduate schools’ experiences with regard to evaluations should be surveyed (best practice), after which a comparative evaluation of appropriate (or inappropriate) differences in practice should be performed.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

Courses in ’transferable skills’ A general survey of the graduate schools’ experiences with and requirements with regard to ‘transferable skills’ courses should be carried out.

In addition, a programme of joint courses available to all of the university’s graduate schools should be established on the foundation of these experiences and requirements. Individual courses could be offered centrally, by one of the graduate schools or by an external provider.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

Website with link to all PhD courses offered at Aarhus University Every year, Aarhus University offers a number of PhD courses divided among its nine main academic areas. It would be an advantage to make information about all of these courses accessible via single portal. This would make it easier for the university’s PhD students to locate relevant courses outside of their own main academic area. It would also make it easier for PhD students in the rest of the country to access information on the wide range of PhD courses offered at Aarhus University. It would also strengthen the university’s image as an institution with a strong profile in the area of researcher training.

In cooperation with a private company, the PhD association at the Faculty of Health Sciences has developed a web-based program which enables all Danish main academic areas to register their courses in an accessible format. In addition to making it easy for PhD students throughout the country to search for courses, the programme has a number of useful features. For example, it contains a user service which informs users of potentially relevant new courses. The programme fulfills all the requirements for a shared portal.

In order for the programme to be used by Aarhus University, it would be necessary to integrate it into the online portfolio system to ensure secure and stable operation as well as further development. It is also important to ensure that courses only need to be published online once (not both in the portal and on the websites of the main academic areas). The programme should also link to the course registration systems of the main academic areas. Ultimately, the portal could be offered to other institutions in Denmark.

Negotations with the Faculty of Health Sciences and its PhD association should be initiated in order to explore the possibility of transferring the programme to the university, including subsequent assistance with maintenance and development. Alternatively, other providers of similar programmes could be investigated.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

External PhD courses Aarhus University should contact the other Danish universities in order to initiate negotiation of a nationwide agreement to replace ‘The open market for PhD courses’ (Det åbne marked for ph.d.-kurser), which gave PhD students access to courses at other universities free of charge. Any such agreement must be based on a functional and equitable collaboration on PhD courses and be designed to promote the greatest possible flexibility.

The graduate schools should cooperate in order to make an updated list of external course offerings available. The list should include feedback on experiences with courses offered by international networks such as the Coimbra Group.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

The framework for knowledge dissemination activities Information on the individual graduate schools' experiences with knowledge dissemination activities for PhD students should be gathered (best practice).

On the basis of this overview, each graduate school should prepare guidelines for the knowledge dissemination aspects of its PhD programmes, including guidlines for

• requirements with regard to the extent of compulsory knowledge dissemination activities and • the framework for the form such knowledge dissemination activities should take

The ultimate goal of this work should be to develop a general shared framework for practice.

In addition, the graduate schools’ administration of the legal requirement that a teaching course be offered to PhD students set out in the PhD Order should be improved by means of increased collaboration among graduate schools and with the Danish Network for Educational Development in Higher Education (DUN).

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

The framework for salaried work A survey of the practices of the graduate schools with regard to salaried work in a general sense should be carried out, both in relation to the collective agreement governing the salaried work of PhD students employed as PhD research fellows and in relation to PhD students who are not employed as PhD research fellows, including PhD students admitted on a PhD scholarhip (i.e. before the completion of the Master’s degree).

This survey should include

• requirements with regard to the extent of salaried work required/permitted • the formal framework governing an offer of salaried work • practice with regard to students who choose not to accept such an offer of salaried work

On the basis of this survey, a general policy for employment practices should be developed. These guidelines should help ensure that PhD students are not bur- dened with unreasonable work demands relative to the short period of time available to them for the completion of a doctoral degree at an international standard. They should also ensure relatively uniform practices among the graduate schools and with regard to the treatment of individual students.

Agents: AU Human Resources, the electronic PhD administration system and the graduate schools

6 SUBMISSION, THESIS AND DEFENCE

6a Status The PhD thesis is the most visible result of a student's doctoral studies. Pursuant to the PhD Order, the PhD thesis must document its author's ability to apply the appropriate scientific and scholarly methods in order to produce research results that fulfill the international standards for PhDs within the field in question. The concept ”international standards for PhD degrees” is difficult to define in a way that applies to all fields of research, just as these standards are often based on informal traditions and conventions developed over many years within the individual fields of research. In other words, it is to a high degree up to the individual university and to the main academic areas to define this standard. For example, the Faculty of Health Sciences has recently participated in a major project on international standards under the aegis of ORPHEUS [ORPHEUS – Organisation for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System].

Pursuant to the PhD Order, a PhD student must submit his or her thesis within the time of study stipulated for the PhD programme (three years of full-time study). However, it is a fact that many PhD students do not complete their studies on time. Experience shows that it is often difficult for PhD students to complete their studies on time, despite all good intentions to the contrary. It is necessary to inves- tigate the extent of the problem and to increase focus on solving it - first and foremost out of consideration for the students, but also in light of the increasing centrality of ‘completion on time’ as a parameter for the allocation of basic funding.

Some graduate schools have instituted central administrative mechanisms to ensure that PhD theses are completed on time (or with the least possible delay). A few graduate schools reward students whose theses are completed on time and students who publish work with a bonus.

As mentioned above, the PhD Order requires that the thesis should document its author’s ability to apply the scientific and scholarly methods of his or her field in order to produce research results that fulfill the international standards for PhD degrees for the field in question. A PhD thesis can consist of a coherent exposition, articles/manuscripts or a monograph. A PhD thesis based on articles typically contains a number of articles/manuscripts in addition to a summary consisting of a general introduction and a discussion. Monographs vary in length.

It is currently possible to submit a PhD thesis in English, Danish or - in certain cases - other languages. There is also a great deal of variation with regard to format, length and layout, and with regard to how much of the material included has already been published.

The PhD Order lays down requirements with regard to the expert assessment committee appointed to assess submitted PhD theses. The primary task of the committee is to provide a reasoned recommendation as to whether the PhD degree should be awarded on the merits of the work submitted. Some main academic areas have prepared internal guidelines for the form of such recommendations. For example, the Faculty of Humanities has produced detailed practical guidelines for writing PhD recommendations.

The defence of a PhD thesis takes place according to the internal procedures laid down by each main academic area. The rules and regulations of Aarhus Univer- sity currently require that all members of the assessment committee participate in the defence. There exists a great deal of variation among the main academic areas with regard to how PhD defences are performed, both in terms of content and formalia. At the PhD defence, the PhD student is given the opportunity to ex- plain his or her work and defend his or her PhD thesis. The degree of attention granted the PhD student after the defence varies greatly among the departments - from no celebration at all to a reception financed by the department.

The thesis and its defence are evaluated by an assessment committee with three members. The asssessment committee members must be recognised researchers within the field in question; two members must be external. At least one member should be from outside Denmark, unless the research field in question makes this impracticable. The main academic areas have widely differing procedures for selecting appointment committees and performing the assessment of the thesis. After the defence, the assessment committee submits its final recommendation as to whether the PhD degree should be awarded. The recommendation must be reasoned, but there is a great degree of variation with regard to their length.

Pursuant to the PhD Order, the university must make PhD theses available in due time before the defence. The defence must take place two weeks after the assessment committee’s submission of its recommendation at the earliest and no later than three months after the submission of the PhD thesis. There is no common procedure for making theses publically available; practices range from no distribution at all to assignment of ISBN numbers.

6b Objectives Generally speaking, the university’s goal is to provide society with young high- qualified PhD graduates. The age of doctoral graduates can be reduced in two ways: by admitting young students to PhD programmes and by ensuring that PhD degree studies are completed within the time prescribed.

A significant proportion of the research performed at Aarhus University is produced within the context of doctorral education. An important objective is therefore to make this research more visible.

The defense is a milestone in a PhD student's career, and it is therefore important to make it a positive and memorable experience, in addition to ensuring a high academic standard. It is therefore important to establish procedures to ensure the quality of both the academic and ceremonial aspects of the defense.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding submission of the thesis, the quality of the thesis and thesis defense are to ensure that

• students complete their PhD degrees within the stipulated timeframe;

• the assessment of PhD theses ensures a high level of quality;

• PhD theses are an integrated part of the university’s research publication efforts and profile; and

• the formalities connected with the completion of a doctoral programme (thesis and defence) reflect the status of the PhD degree as the highest degree in the Danish education system.

6c Initiatives Timely submission of the PhD thesis Each graduate school should work to ensure that its PhD students complete their studies within the time stipulated. First and foremost, this is naturally a matter of ensuring that students progress smoothly through their studies, as described in other sections of this plan. But it is also important not to subject the process of submission to unnecessary delays.

Each graduate school should perform an investigation of the extent and causes of late completion. In addition, rigorous enforcement of all procedures which contribute to timely completion of the programme is recommended. Examples include procedures for monitoring student work as the deadline for submission approaches, for the appointment of assessment committee members and for setting the defense date.

On the political level, in connection with the elevation of ‘completion on time’ to a parameter for the allocation of basic funding from the central government, Aarhus University should advocate flexibility with regard to such legitimate causes of delay as forms of leave to which students are legally entitled, or which result from legitimate scholarly or scientific considerations.

Agents: The graduate schools

PhD theses Aarhus University should contribute to all initiatives aimed at the creation of an international consensus on the definition of the concept of ‘international standards for PhD degrees’ within each of the university’s main academic areas. An example of this is the previously described work undertaken under the aegis of ORPHEUS in the area of health sciences. The natural fora for such consensus creation are existing international partnerships and collaborations, either at the level of the university or of individual main academic areas.

If Aarhus University is to make its presence felt in international research circles, it is essential that the university’s research be published internationally. PhD theses have an important role to play in this arena.

General formal guidelines for PhD theses should be developed to ensure that the theses produced at the university contribute to the professional public presentation of its academic achievements. A certain degree of uniformity with regard to layout and cover design would also contribute positively to the Aarhus University ‘brand’. PhD theses submitted at Aarhus University should be written in English unless specific scholarly and scientific considerations justify the use of another language (such as Danish). Therefore, it is important to ensure that each graduate

school offers its graduate students an appropriate degree of assistance with regard to training in academic English.

A common set of guidelines regarding such issues as copyright, intellectual property rights and confidentiality in connection with PhD theses should be developed.

Procedures and guidelines for the publication of PhD theses in accordance with Aarhus University’s Open Access guidelines should be developed in order to ensure that all theses are accessible and registered. A shared portal with thesis abstracts and access to all theses could be a way of making graduate student research more visible. Publication could be made part of the online Phd administration system.

A series with a distinct ISBN number should be created for the publication of the university's PhD theses. Abstracts of all PhD theses should be published on the graduate schools' websites.

Agents: AU Human Resources, the electronic PhD administration system and the graduate schools

Assessment of the PhD thesis The graduate schools should work to ensure the quality of the assessment process, and should therefore develop clear guidelines for

• the appointment of assessment committees • the work of assessment committees (requirements regarding academic level) and • the content and form of assessment committee recommendations.

These guidelines should be made available to the public on the websites of the graduate schools.

Agents: The graduate schools

PhD defences and diplomas The graduate schools should develop guidelines for PhD thesis defence proceedings, including formalia and a description of the duties and responsibilities of the participants. The description should include a detailed definition of the responsibilities of the assessment committee as well as guidelines for preparing the post- defence recommendation. Each graduate school should strive to ensure that the PhD defense takes place in an appropriately ceremonial fashion which honours the importance of this event in the career of a PhD student and which leaves other participants with a positive impression of Aarhus University.

A shared template for PhD diplomas should be developed based on the new AU design programme.

The PhD Order stipulates that the PhD diploma must contain information on the individual student’s completed doctoral studies. This requirement should be fulfilled in the form of a separate document containing a transcript of the student’s online portfolio.

Agents: The graduate schools

7 THE JOB MARKET

7a Status The PhD Order describes PhD education as “a research programme aiming to train PhD students at an international level to undertake research, development and teaching assignments in the private and public sectors, for which a broad knowledge of research is required”.

According to the results of an informal poll of AU graduate schools, graduates of Aarhus University doctoral programmes do not appear to have difficulty in finding employment. However, the majority of the main academic areas lack systematic PhD employment data. Significant differences in employment patterns appear to exist among the main academic areas. In some areas, the majority of graduates of PhD programmes find employment in research positions, perhaps even within the walls of the same institution, while there exists greater variation in other areas.

While it appears that graduates of Aarhus University PhD programmes do not currently have difficulty in finding employment, the situation could change abruptly, both as a consequence of the university's strategy of increasing the number of PhD students and, even more significantly, as a result of negative de- velopments in the Danish economy.

There is a great deal of variation among the graduate schools with regard to the number of initiatives aimed at the job market for PhD graduates; this is a natural reflection of differences in employment patterns and career paths. There is also great variation with regard to the nature of these initiatives. The Faculty of Health Sciences has a tradition of hosting an annual event (PhD Days) at which PhD students present themselves and their projects to the public - and thereby to potential employers. Conversely, the Faculty of Natural Sciences has a tradition of hosting annual events (career fairs) which gives companies an opportunity to present themselves and their job possibilities to the students. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences holds ‘science days’ and special PhD /industrial researcher days.

In light of the fact that employment statistics are an important indicator for any degree programme – in addition to the increasing international tendency to rank universities on the basis of graduate employment prospects - it is crucial for Aar- hus University to gain access to much more reliable employment data on its PhD graduates.

7b Objectives The overarching objective of PhD education is to supply both the public and the private sector in a modern knowledge-based society such as Denmark with trained researchers. For this reason, it is important that Aarhus University remains conscious of its responsibility to contribute to meeting society’s need for researcher skills and competencies, while at the same time ensuring that PhD graduates have attractive career prospects.

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding the job market for PhDs are to ensure that

• the graduates of the university’s PhD programmes find attractive employment opportunities in which they are able to make full use of their research qualifications;

• the university’s PhD education offered by the university becomes visible and attractive for a broad range of potential employers in the public and private sectors;

• new opportunities for the university's PhD graduates are developed in new job markets; and

• all PhD students are offered systematic career guidance as part of the university's focussed researcher talent development.

7c Initiatives Employment policy Mechanisms for the systematic collection of data on PhD employment should be established. First, it is necessary for Aarhus University to have easy access to employment statistics in connection with work on rankings and similar issues. Se- condly, and even more importantly, it is important for the graduate schools to have access to employment statistics in connection with their work with PhD job markets.

Aarhus University has been successfully carrying out employment surveys on Mas- ter’s programme graduates for a number of years based on a concept developed by the Faculties of Science and Social Sciences. The surveys are presently coordinated by the Faculty of Social Sciences. There are plans to include PhD graduates in this concept. This expansion should be encouraged, and the graduate schools should be involved in the process of developing and applying the concept on a regular basis.

In addition, the often difficult task of identifying former students should be coordinated with Statistics Denmark and with Aarhus University’s independent initiative to create an alumni association.

Agents: AU Human Resources, the electronic PhD administration system and the graduate schools

Contact to PhD job markets/prospective employers All graduate schools should play an active and visible role in the effort to ensure that employers of graduates from PhD programmes have access to the best possible researchers and that PhD students have the best possible employment prospects. Each graduate school should avail itself of a spectrum of activities, including such initiatives as marketing graduate programmes in relevant sectors and establishing contact between prospective employers and PhD students.

Agents: The graduate schools

Systematic career planning All PhD students should be offered formalised, systematic career planning at an early point in their studies. The university should develop a shared framework for this service, while local actors, including PhD supervisors, should be involved at the practical level.

A systematic career planning concept should be developed within the context of Aarhus University’s broader strategic emphasis in the area of focussed talent development, and it should also be linked to the development of a tenure track concept at the university. Aarhus University should follow the National Danish Re- search Council’s work on related ideas closely (Sapere Aude), and coordinate its efforts where appropriate.

Agents: University management and the main academic areas

8 ENROLMENT AND FINANCING

8a Status One of the objectives named in Aarhus University's Strategy for 2008-2012 is an increase in the number of researchers educated and developed at the university. According to the key figures for Aarhus University, a total of 1,430 PhD students were enrolled in 2008.

The goal for total PhD admissions in 2010 in the Aarhus University Development Contract is 523 students. By comparision, 426 students were admitted in 2007, and 466 were admitted in 2008.

An overview of the distribution of active PhD students across the university's main academic areas as of 30 September 2008 is shown in the table below.

Number of PhD students as of 30 Sept. 2008 Post- MA Pre-MA Honours 3+ Total

HUM 95 21 0 116

SUN 450 20 0 470

SAM 87 28 0 115 TEO 29 7 0 36 NAT 184 230 16 430 ASB 79 3 0 82 DJF7 80 1 0 81

DPU 94 0 0 94 Total 1098 310 16 1424

Many challenges must be overcome in order for Aarhus University to achieve the ambitious goals set for the PhD area. One of the most important of these is financing. While PhD education in Denmark is clearly expensive, it is difficult to arrive at a precise and broadly accepted method of calculating the universities' costs in this area.

For example, in 2009 the Danish Appropriations Act divided PhD scholarships into salary-related expenses and an annual ‘education expense’ of DKK 145,000 (EUR 19,488) for experimental study programmes (broadly speaking, technical, scientific and medical programmes) and DKK 97,100 (EUR 13,040) for non- experimental study programmes (broadly speaking, humanities and social sciences programmes).

The national research councils provide funding for PhD scholarships on the same principles employed by the Appropriations Act: that is to say, covering the rates for 'education expenses' named above in addition to an average salary plus

7 DJF began independent admission of PhD students in 2007

overhead. Some research councils traditionally subtract the salaried work component of salary expenses when allocating grants for PhD scholarhips.

It is important to point out that many PhD student positions which are ostensibly fully funded by Appropriations Act PhD scholarships or state research councils are in fact only partially funded, as the university is responsible for extraordinary expenses connected with maternity/paternity leave, illness, extraordinary courses and operating expenses.

An Industrial PhD scholarship covers an annual subsidy to the host university of DKK 120,000 (EUR 16,116) for experimental study programmes and DKK 84,000 (EUR 11,281) for non-experimental study programmes in addition to a salary subsidy to the private-sector partner business. This subsidy is expected to cover expenses related to supervision of the PhD student, work facilities, coursework and the assessment of the PhD thesis.

Based on these rates of subsidy (excluding overhead) for PhD scholarship expenses and with 1,430 active PhD students in 2008, the university's total costs associated with the operation of PhD programmes in 2008 can be estimated at approximately DKK 772 million (EUR 104 million) (approximately 586 DKK mill. (EUR 79 mill.) to PhD scholarships and approximately DKK 186 mill. (EUR 25 mill.) to PhD education).

The absence of effective IT systems support for financial management in the PhD area makes it difficult to make a precise calculation of the costs associated with PhD education at Aarhus University.

Finally, it is clear that very few PhD positions are fully funded by scholarships from sources such as the Appropriations Act and research councils. The great majority of positions are co-financed on the basis of myriad ad hoc agreements concerning the composition of and appropriate uses for funding. The number and nature of such agreements varies greatly from graduate school to graduate school.

While all graduate schools currently practice early recruitment (admission to PhD programme before graduation from Master's programme), there are differences with regard to funding of these students, who are not covered by collective pay agreements.

The number of foreign PhD students at Aarhus University is steadily increasing, and in most cases the costs associated with their studies are precisely the same as for Danish students. However, there are exceptions. Aarhus University accepts a number of PhD students on DANIDA fellowships, which entails reduced salary costs without education subsidy. In addition, specific problems are linked to the admission of students without Master’s degrees from non-EEA countries, as they are liable to pay study fees in full as Master’s students according the current interpretation of the legislation governing this area.

8b Objectives Naturally, the central objective in this area is for Aarhus University to achieve its ambitious goals with regard to enrolments in the area of PhD education. A number of conditions must be met in order for this to become possible, Financing is one of the greaest challenges

Aarhus University’s objectives for initiatives regarding enrolment targets and financing are to ensure that

• the university strategy document’s goal of a strong increase in the number of PhD students is achieved;

• full coverage of the real costs associated with PhD education is achieved;

• the necessary resources for supervision, infrastructure, etc. are guaranteed;

• the proportion of financing from external sources increases; and

• a greater degree of clarity regarding the actual costs associated with PhD education is achieved.

8c Initiatives The calculation of costs Aarhus University should initiate the development of accurate models for calculating the costs associated with PhD education (both internally and by the eight Danish universities). The goal of a more accurate calculation of costs is both to gain a more precise overview of actual costs in the context of the current political debate on funding for PhD education and to provide a common point of reference for negotations with external partners on co-financing of PhD positions.

The online PhD administration system should be expanded to become an effective financial management tool for the entire PhD area as soon as possible.

In addition, a general framework for agreements regarding external participation in and co-financing of PhD positions should be developed, including guidelines for the rights and obligations of the participating parties

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

Programme size Each graduate school should develop a long term plan for its expected contribution to the achievement of Aarhus University’s goal of increased admissions in the PhD area.

A survey of the resources necessary for Aarhus University to meet its targets with regard to admissions PhD area should be carried out.

A survey of financial resources is most relevant here. Each graduate school should develop a concrete plan for funding their proportion of the total PhD student body over the next five years.

Similarly, each graduate school should develop plans to ensure the availability of the remaining necessary resources, including supervisor capacity and physical infrastructure.

Finally, the heads of the graduate schools should collaborate to produce a general plan to ensure the availability of all necessary resources.

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

Increased external funding Aarhus University’s goal of a strong increase in the number of PhD students cannot be achieved without additional funding of both scholarships and other educational costs. For example, the agreement on increased PhD admissions Aarhus University has signed with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation contains an increase in scholarship funding alone, not of the remaining educational costs.

Therefore, it is important to work to promote a general increase in external funding of PhD education at AU. A large range of initiatives could be considered, from larger contributions from private and public foundations to the university as a whole or to individual graduate schools, to small grants to individual PhD projects.

As a consequence of the graduate schools’ legal responsibility for the PhD education they offer, they will be increasingly called upon to play the role of fundraiser. The first example of this trend is the grant application process for national funding for the PhD area administered by the Danish Research Coordination Committee in 2009, for which the application pool was soley comprised of the heads of graduate schools. The heads of the graduate schools should participate actively and visibly in efforts to increase the proportion of external financing of PhD education at Aarhus University.

Aarhus University has a remarkably low rate of participation in the Industrial PhD Programme. All graduate schools should take steps to increase their participation. In addition, Aarhus University should work to promote the increased flexibility of the Industrial PhD Programme, both with regard to rules and administration, including a revision of the mandatory programme elements outside the sphere of the university. There is room for closer collaboration between the graduate schools and the Research Support Office, and more can be done to bring its services to the attention of researchers and PhD students. In addition, the ability to attract foreign applicants to PhD programmes and mobility in this area will be significant in terms of strengthening applications for external funding of the PhD area to the research council system.

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

9 OVERVIEW Initiatives and agents in the Action Plan for PhD education at Aarhus University

General themes Initiatives Agents:

Recruitment and admis- Specification of University management sion admissions targets AU Communication International Centre AU Studies Administra- tion The graduate schools

Publicity and websites AU Communication The graduate schools

Websites AU Communication The graduate schools

Early recruitment University management AU Communication International Centre AU Studies Administra- tion The graduate schools

Network International Centre AU Human Resources The graduate schools

Applications and admis- University management sion The graduate schools

Cooperation across main The heads of Aarhus academic areas University graduate schools

Internationalisation Matchmaking International Centre AU Human Resources The graduate schools Cotutelle, dual degrees The Rector’s Office in and joint degrees collaboration with Universities Denmark

Study abroad The graduate schools

Professional reception International Centre and integration The graduate schools

Quality assurance Supervision The graduate schools

General themes Initiatives Agents:

Quality assurance instru- The graduate schools ments Mobility The graduate schools Information for PhD stu- The graduate schools dents Stress-related problems The graduate schools

Social activities The graduate schools

Quality promotion fund- University management ing The main academic areas The graduate schools

PhD courses and Development of the The graduate schools knowledge dissemination graduate schools' course programmes

Allocation of ECTS credits The heads of Aarhus to PhD courses University graduate schools

Evaluation of PhD courses The heads of Aarhus and instructors University graduate schools Courses in ’transferable The heads of Aarhus skills’ University graduate schools Website with link to all The heads of Aarhus PhD courses offered at University graduate Aarhus University schools

External courses The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

The framework for The heads of Aarhus knowledge dissemination University graduate activities schools

The framework for sala- AU Human Resources ried work The online PhD administration system The graduate schools

Submission, thesis and Timely submission of the The graduate schools defense PhD thesis

General themes Initiatives Agents:

PhD theses AU Human Resources The electronic PhD administration system The graduate schools

Assessment of the PhD The graduate schools thesis PhD defence and diplo- The graduate schools ma The job market Employment statistics AU Human Resources The electronic PhD administration system The graduate schools

Contact to PhD job mar- The graduate schools kets/prospective employers Systematic career plan- University management ning The main academic areas

Enrolment and financing Caculation of costs University management The main academic areas The graduate schools Programme size University management The main academic areas The graduate schools Increased external fund- University management ing The main academic areas The graduate schools

10 SUMMARY Selected recommendations for each area of responsibility and activity.

A. Central level 1. Capacity and financing

Recommendations:

• Aarhus University should take action to ensure that models and estimates for the costs associated with PhD studies are developed (both internally and by the eight Danish universities).

• An overview of the resources necessary for Aarhus University to fulfill its objectives with regard to capacity in the PhD area (including funding for scholarships, supervisor capacity and physical infrastructure) should be prepared.

• A focussed effort to increase participation in the Danish Agency for Sci- ence, Technology and Innovation’s Industrial PhD Programme should be made. At the same time, Aarhus University should actively promote greater flexibility in the programme, both with regard to requirements and administration, as well as with regard to the evaluation of the mandatory programme elements outside of the university’s own sphere.

• The graduate schools should be allocated the resources necessary to enable their compliance with the requirements regarding quality set out in the University Act and the PhD Order.

• Aarhus University should contact the other Danish universities in order to establish agreement on a national (and international) collaboration between graduate schools on PhD courses of high quality. Any such agreement must be based on a functional and equable collaboration and promote the greatest possible flexibility.

Agents: University management, the main academic areas and the graduate schools

2. Terms and conditions of employment and formalities Recommendations:

• A general framework for agreements regarding external participation in and co-financing of PhD projects should be developed, including guidelines for the rights and obligations of the participating parties

• A general survey of the practice of the graduate schools with regard to employment conditions for PhD students who are not employed by the university as salaried PhD fellows should be made which includes PhD students admitted to integrated MA/PhD tracks. On the basis of this survey, a general set of guidelines for employment terms and conditions should

be developed. The guidelines should take differences in PhD student workload and between main academic areas into account.

• A survey of the graduate schools' practices with reference to paid employment generally speaking should be carried out. A general set of practical guidelines based on this survey should be developed.

• Aarhus University should, in collaboration with Statistics Denmark and the other Danish universities, initiate a coordinated update and refinement of the key figures relevant to the PhD area in order to achieve reliable Danish PhD statistics.

• Procedures for collecting information on the employment histories of PhD graduates should be established. The challenging task of identifying former students should be coordinated with Aarhus University’s efforts to establish analumni association.

• A common legal framework regarding such issues as copyright, intellectual property rights and confidentiality in connection with PhD theses should be developed.

Agents: AU Human Resources, AU Information Technology, and the graduate schools

3. Development of online PhD administration Recommendations:

• Measures (including the allocation of the necessary resources) should be taken to ensure that all phases of the online PhD administration system (application, portfolio and financial management) are implemented as quickly as possible in order to provide all of the university's graduate schools with an effective instrument for quality assurance.

• A new shared template for all Aarhus University PhD diplomas should be designed, and the certificate should be supplemented by a student portfolio that includes all completed courses, teaching and research dissemination activities, study at other institutions, etc.

Agents: University management, the main academic areas, AU Information Technology

4. Recruitment and admission Recommendations:

• A survey of recruitment practices should be carried out, and data on the relative effectiveness of these recruitment strategies in relation to recruitment targets should be collected systematically from all of the university’s graduate schools.

• Early (pre-Master’s degree) recruitment to doctoral programmes should be developed into an Aarhus University trademark in combination with the

development of a special ‘elite status’ dimension to the Master’s degree programmes.

• The issue of whether PhD students from non-EEA countries who are accepted to a PhD programme without a Master's degree are required to pay tuition should be clarified.

• Each graduate school should develop open, transparent criteria for evaluation of the qualifications necessary for admission to a PhD programme and the criteria for awarding PhD scholarships.

• Aarhus University should establish a service to assist the individual graduate schools in evaluating the qualifications of applicants (especially international applicants) seeking admission to the 3+5, 4+4 or 5+3 tracks, possibly by drawing on the experiences of the Danish Agency for Interna- tional Education, which evaluates the qualifications of foreign applicants to other parts of the Danish educational system.

• The university’s graduate schools should have the option of granting ‘screening grants’ to visiting potential applicants to PhD programmes.

Agents: University management, AU Communication, International Centre, AU Studies Administration, the graduate schools, the AU Research Foundation8

5. Publicity and web communication Recommendations:

• New promotional materials on PhD education at Aarhus University, including information on individual programmes, should be developed which can be used on new web pages for Aarhus University doctoral programmes, and all of the university’s PhD-related web pages should be structured to enable readers to subscribe to udates.

• An informative handbook for all PhD students should be made available by each graduate school (code of conduct, survival kit).

• A shared web portal with access to abstracts of all PhD theses from Aarhus University should be established. A series with a distinct ISBN number should be created for the publication of the university's PhD theses.

• Aarhus University should take the initiative to establish a web portal that would enable the university’s graduate schools (in principal all Danish graduate schools) to present their PhD courses, possibly based on the existing (and successful) health sciences portal.

Agents: AU Communication and the graduate schools

8 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010.

6. International collaboration Recommendations:

• A systematic collaboration between Aarhus University graduate schools and the International Centre should be established with a view to deriving greater benefit from existing international agreements and networks as well as to identify new international partnerships and networks of potential interest with regard to recruitment.

• Invitations to apply for scholarships should be published via international portals and/or partnerships.

• Aarhus University should participate more (pro)actively in international activities related to the development of doctoral programmes (for example, under the aegis of EUA-CDE), with particular focus on quality assurance.

• Aarhus University should continue its political efforts to promote the removal of national restrictions as quickly as possible, in order to enable the university to participate freely in international joint degree programme agreements.

Agents: The Rector’s Office, Universities Denmark, International Centre, AU Hu- man Resources and the graduate schools

7. International PhD students and mobility Recommendations:

• The university’s International Help Desk at the International Centre should be strengthened. It should become part of a broader initiative to create a true common milieu for all of the university's PhD students and should offer a range of academic and social activities.

• Efficient and flexible (temporary) housing options for foreign PhD students in particular should be on offer.

• At the same time, a central function to assist PhD students in connection with longer periods of study abroad should be established. The function would assist with such issues as applying for extra funds from foundations, applying for residency, clarifying tax issues and finding accomodation.

• ‘AU Research Foundation Marie Curie’ grants to visiting PhD students enrolled at other universities, should be made available9

Agents: International Centre and the graduate schools, AU Research Foundation

8. Career planning Recommendations:

9 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010.

• All PhD students should be offered formalised, systematic career planning counselling early in their PhD studies. The university should develop a shared framework for this type of service.

• A systematic career planning concept should be developed within the context of Aarhus University’s more general strategic emphasis on focused talent development.

Agents: University management and the main academic areas

B. Collaboration between graduate schools 9. Collaboration across the main academic areas Recommendations:

• The graduate schools should explore the possibilities for a more systematic exploitation of any synergy effects with the four new main academic areas created by the mergers of 2007, both in relation to recruitment and to pooling available resources in the development and organisation of PhD education.

• The graduate schools should establish flexible administrative agreements in such areas as joint PhD programmes, the exploitation of shared resources and credit transfer, including special agreements to promote early recruitment across the main academic areas (3 +5 and 4 + 4 tracks).

• A focussed effort to increase the proportion of external funding of PhD education should be made. Such an initiative could involve an exchange of experiences with fund-raising initiatives aimed at both pubic and private foundations as well as private businesses.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

10. Collaboration on practice Recommendations:

• Information on individual graduate schools' experiences with offering training in teaching and other forms of knowledge dissemination should be gathered systematically in order to establish best practice in this area. On the background of this analysis, a general framework for practice should be developed.

• The graduate schools’ administration of the legal requirement that a teaching course be offered to PhD students set out in the PhD Order should be improved by means of increased collaboration among graduate schools and with the Danish Network for Educational Development in Higher Education (DUN).

• A set of general guidelines for the form of PhD theses, as well as the man- ner of their publication, should be developed. This initiative should be coordinated with Aarhus University’s Open Access initiatives, in order to en-

sure that PhD theses are integrated into a professional public presentation of the university's research achievements.

• The PhD Order requires that PhD students “participate in active research environments, also including stays at other, mainly foreign, reserach institutions”. The university should formulate a complementary ‘residency requirement’ to ensure that Aarhus University PhD students experience an appropriate amount of continuous study at their home institution.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

11. Collaboration on PhD courses Recommendations:

• A survey of existing procedures for evaluating PhD courses offered by Aarhus University as well as other institutions should be carried out, in order to identify best practice in this area.

• A survey of the graduate schools’ experiences with and need for ‘transferable skills’ training should be carried out. A shared palette of course offerings available to all of the university’s graduate schools should be developed based on the results of the survey.

• The graduate schools should cooperate on making an updated list of external course offerings available. The list should include feedback on experiences with courses offered by international networks such as the Coimbra Group.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

12. Collaboration on quality assurance Recommendations:

• All of the university’s graduate schools should collaborate on developing tools and procedures for quality assurance, exchanging experiences and best practices.

• The graduate schools should collaborate to produce a common approach to the provisions in the University Act on the periodic assessment of the activities of Danish graduate schools. The aim of such a common approach should be to ensure that these assessments constitute a construc- tive contribution to the internal quality assurance of PhD education at Aarhus University.

• An umbrella organisation for the university’s PhD associations should be established in order to provide a framework for activities that span the university’s main academic areas.

Agents: The heads of Aarhus University graduate schools

C. Initiatives at individual graduate school level 13. Mobility Recommendations:

• All PhD students at Aarhus University should be encouraged to study abroad in the course of their doctoral studies.

• The individual graduate schools should introduce measures to make it easier for students to include longer periods of study abroad. Examples include generous travel and living expenses grants.

• AU Research Foundation travel grants to support excellent AU PhD students’ study abroad at international partner universities.10

14. Quality assurance Recommendations:

• All graduate schools should continually develop practices and procedures to ensure the quality of individual graduate programmes.

• All graduate schools should develop and publish guidelines for requirements in connection with the approval process for principal supervisors and other supervisors.

• All graduate schools should develop and publish clear guidelines defining the respective roles of principal supervisors and other supervisors.

• All graduate schools should develop efficient procedures for following up on evaluations of the quality of PhD supervision.

• All graduate schools should work towards the establishment of a mandatory basic course in PhD supervision, while the regular maintenance of supervisory skills and competencies should be made a criterion for the approval of principal supervisors.

• All PhD plans should detail the mutual responsibilities and expectations of both principal supervisor and PhD student (for example, with regard to frequency of meetings and practical details regarding communication and the logistics of the collaboration).

• All PhD students should be offered at least two supervisors. In the event that it becomes necessary to replace a supervisor, the transition should be fast and flexible.

10 A support programme was opened by the AU Research Foundation in January 2010.

• All PhD students should have regular opportunities to discuss their programme and academic progress with representatives from their particular doctoral programme.

• All graduate schools should collaborate closely on the performance of regular satisfaction surveys among their doctoral students.

• All graduate schools should arrange regular introductory meetings for their PhD students, with a special focus on semi-annual introductory meetings for new students.

• All graduate schools should implement well-defined, visible mechanisms for discovering and addressing the personal and psychological problems which hinder their doctoral students in performing to the best of their ability. Stress-related problems should be included.

• All graduate schools should establish local PhD associations in order to contribute to the quality of doctoral student social life.

15. PhD courses Recommendations:

• All graduate schools should develop a set of guidelines for the courses to be offered by each graduate programme, as well as for course descriptions.

• All graduate schools should ensure that all PhD students enrolled have access to an adequate selection of PhD courses within their field, and that the PhD Order’s provisions with regard to course requirements can be met with a course programme appropriate to each course of doctoral study.

16. Completion of PhD programmes Recommendations:

• Each graduate school should prioritise efforts to ensure that its students complete their PhD studies within the stipulated time of study. Graduate schools should enforce all procedures that contribute to timely completion of their programmes rigorously. Examples include procedures for monitoring student work as the deadline for submission of the thesis approaches, for the appointment of assessment committee members and for setting the date for defense.

• PhD theses submitted at Aarhus University should be written in English unless scholarly and scientific considerations justify the use of another language (such as Danish).

• Abstracts of all PhD theses should be published on the graduate schools' websites.

• The graduate schools should develop clear guidelines for: • The appointment of assessment committees • The work of assessment committees (requirements regarding academic level) • Content and form of assessment committee recommendations

• The graduate schools should develop guidelines for PhD thesis defence proceedings, including formalia and a description of the duties and responsibilities of the participants. The description should include a detailed definition of the responsibilities of the assessment committee as well as guidelines for preparing the post-defence recommendation.

• All graduate schools should play an active and visible role in the effort to ensure that employers of graduates from PhD programmes have access to the best possible researchers and that PhD students have the best possible employment prospects.

17. Capacity and financing Recommendations:

• The heads of the graduate schools should participate actively and visibly in efforts to increase the proportion of external financing of PhD education at Aarhus University.

• The graduate schools should intensify their cooperation with the Research Support Office with regard to external financing.

11 REFERENCES

A Public Good, PhD Education in Denmark, Report from an International Evaluation Panel, 2006 http://en.vtu.dk/files/publications/2006/a-public-good-phd-education- indenmark/html/indhold.htm

Cirius Online http://en.iu.dk/transparency/ects

Coimbra Group http://www.coimbra-group.eu/

Doctoral Programs in Europe’s Universities: Achievements and Challenges, Euro- pean University Association [EUA-DP], 2007 http://www.madrimasd.org/english/

Fra Livsverk til Karrierestart, Handlingsplan for Forskeruttdanning ved Universitetet i Bergen 2008-2015, 2008 http://www.au.dk/da/udvalg.htm/forsk/phdskolelederkredsen/handlingsplanbe rgen

Nerad M, Heggelund M (eds): Toward a Global PhD, Univ Washington Press 2008 [Global PhD) http://books.google.dk/books?id=6eyKilRALhoC&dq=Toward+a+Global+PhD&p rintsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=Qkm7Docfjl&sig=bRSNzBUwzusc6fR1bD9VA Oc9FU0&hl=da&ei=vkSzSpmOCKCb4gby3vB8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result &resnum=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false

ORPHEUS – Organisation for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System http://www.orpheus-med.org/

Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD Order) http://en.vtu.dk/acts-etc/prevailing-laws-and-regulations/ministerial-order-on- the-phd-programme-at-the-universities

The Act on Universities (University Act) http://en.vtu.dk/acts-etc/prevailing-laws-and-regulations/act-on-universities

Aarhus University International Help Desk, www.au.dk/ihd

Aarhus University Key Figures, http://www.au.dk/en/about/profile/keyfigures/

The Aarhus University Strategy 2008-2012 http://www.au.dk/en/strategy/20082012

The Aarhus University Development Contract http://www.au.dk/en/about/policy/developmentcontract/