On Friday 24^th February 2023, the International Centre for the Comparative Study of Doctoral Education (ICCSDE) was officially launched. The ICCSDE aims to bring together scholars from across the globe with a research interest in a comparative education perspective on the doctorate, to encourage collaborative research in the field, and to disseminate it through symposia, conferences, and publications.  

The launch was marked by two presentations on doctoral research from three of our founding members: Emeritus Professor Michael Byram, Honorary Professor Stan Taylor, both from Durham University, and Professor Maria Stoicheva from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. The launch and presentations took place in the School of Education, Durham University, and included founding members from Durham and the University of Sofia.

Stan Taylor’s presentation, entitled “How do doctoral examinations vary across the globe”, drew on research he had undertaken with an international team, and with editorial collaborators, Vijay Kumar, University of Otago, New Zealand, and Sharon Sharmini, University of Putra Malaysia.

Mike Byram and Maria Stoicheva followed with another international study entitled “The experience of examining the PhD: An international comparative study of processes and standards of doctoral examination”.

Stan Taylor’s research aimed to compare and contrast the national contexts of doctoral examination; assessment during the course of the degree; policies, procedures, and processes associated with submission and examination; and examiners’ recommendations. The study investigated 20 countries, accounting for just under three-quarters of the global output of doctoral graduates. The outcomes showed that, while historically institutions were autonomous in their approach, there is now a high degree of standardisation linked to national frameworks within and among countries (e.g., the European Qualifications Framework in Europe [EQA]; and other national frameworks found in Australia, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Uganda, and the UK, which closely align to one another and the EQA). Outliers were Brazil and the US. The study also uncovered significant variations in how doctoral degrees are defined and examined. Taylor and his colleagues concluded that these variations potentially pose issues for the comparability of doctoral examinations across the globe.

Mike Byram and Maria Stoicheva’s research drew on in-depth interviews (four to six) from a convenience sample of 13 case studies (undertaken in 13 countries in Africa, Asia, South America and the West), and with a focus on the social sciences. The eventual publication also included transversal analyses of the 13 case studies to explore: standards and criteria, and whether there is a case for international comparability; the experience of examiners and examining; the final oral examination (roles and processes); and the role of languages in the doctoral examination. Like Stan Taylor’s presentation, the outcomes suggest that similarities exist among the different universities in terms of criteria and standards (both written and unwritten), for example, in the components of the final examination committee and in the goals of the examination (as mentioned by a number of interviewees). However, there are significant variations, for example, in the ways similar criteria are interpreted differently, that make generalisation across all contexts difficult, with the need to consider and analyse particularities tied to historical evolution and the traditions of the doctorate in each setting. 

For more information about these projects, you can go to our Research Projects page.