2017 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) Results The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey ran from 10th March to 12th May 2017. The Survey consists of 39 questions split into 11 sections. 250 responses were received from a BU survey population of 577 (Response rate of 43%) Results are compared with the BU PRES 2015 results ( the survey runs biennially) and also with all participating institutions running their PRES through BOS (Bristol Online Surveys) in 2015 and 2017. 126 institutions, including Bournemouth, ran PRES in 2017. Most answers are in the familiar “NSS” format: “Definitely agree”; “Mostly agree”; “Neither Agree nor disagree”; “Mostly disagree”; “Definitely disagree”; “Not applicable”. The % agree is calculated as answers in the first two categories expressed as proportion of the first five: “Not applicable” answers are excluded from the denominator. Comments have not been analysed.

PRES 2017 Section A: Supervision The BU 2017 % agree scores for questions 2.2.a (regular contact with supervisor) and 2.3.a (feedback from supervisor) are closely aligned with both the BU 2015 survey and the sector 2017 survey. For questions 2.1.a (supervisor skills/ subject knowledge) and 2.4.a (identifying training and development needs), BU 2017 scores are less than for the sector generally, but higher than for the BU 2015 survey. 68.5% of BU 2017 research students surveyed agree that they were helped in identifying their training and development needs by their supervisor (2.4.a). This is the largest difference (7.1%) between the BU 2017 survey and the sector 2017 survey across question 2. The BU 2017 average score for this section is 82.0%, 3.9% less than the sector (85.9%).

PRES 2017 Section A: Supervision – Faculty Comparison The biggest difference (at 23%) between faculties lies in the final question 2.4.a (where students were asked whether they were helped to identify training and development needs) with FHSS at 78.6% agree and FMC at 55.6% agree. At 77.3%, FM has the lowest average across question 2, and at 78.4% FMC is the next lowest scoring faculty with a result of 55.6% for question 2.4.a which is the lowest score across question 2. 89.6% of FST research students surveyed agree that their supervisor/s have the skills and subject knowledge to support their research (2.1.a) compared with 80.4% for FM (a 9.1% difference).

PRES 2017 Section B: Resources The BU 2017 average score for this section is 74.5% and this is 6.5% less than the sector 2017 average (81.0%). Questions 4.2.a (adequate computing resources) and 4.3.a (adequate library facilities) have improved significantly (+8.2% and +8.5% respectively) since the BU 2015 survey, such that both of these scores are now much closer to the sector values (which are broadly similar year-on-year). Having access to specialist resources necessary for research (question 4.4.a.) is the lowest scorer in this section at 67.2% agree and this is the largest difference (12.8%) between the BU 2017 survey and the sector 2017 survey. However this gap has closed significantly since 2015 when the difference between BU and the sector was 17.4%.

PRES 2017 Section B: Resources - Faculty Comparison 57.6% of FMC research students surveyed agree that they have access to the specialist resources necessary and this compares with 80.0% within the sector and is the largest deviation (22.4%) from the 2017 sector survey. 87.7% of the FHSS research students surveyed agree that there is adequate provision of library facilities (including physical and online resources), which is the highest score across question 4, and is better than the sector 2017 score. The smallest difference between faculties is 9.9% for question 4.3.a (provision of adequate library facilities) and this is between FHSS and FMC. At 56.2%, FMC has the lowest % score for having a suitable working space (4.1.a), with a difference of 20.9% and it is between FMC and FST.

PRES 2017 Section C: Research Culture On average the BU 2017 scores for this section are 58.8%, which is 3.7% higher than the previous BU 2015 survey results but 7.4% less than the sector (66.3%). 48.7% of BU researchers surveyed agree that the research ambience stimulates work (6.3.a) and this is the lowest result across question 6 and largest difference (-14.7%) between BU 2017 and sector BU 2017 surveys. Provision of a good seminar programme by departments (6.1.a) is the highest result in this section at 69.6% and this is the largest difference (10.5%) between BU 2017 and BU 2015 Survey.

PRES 2017 Section C: Research Culture - Faculty Comparison FMC has the highest scores across this question with 80% of student agreeing that the department or faculty provides a good seminar program. However, just 57.7% agreed from FM , and this is the highest difference across the faculties (22.2%). Across Faculties, the lowest scores in this section were for Q 6.3.a, research ambience, where scores ranged from 58.8% for FMC to 44.4% for FM. This compares with 63.5% for the sector. FM has scored the lowest average across question 6 with 54.8%, where FMC has scored the highest with an average of 67.7%.

PRES 2017 Section D: Progress and Assessment 74.9% of BU research students surveyed agree that they received an appropriate induction (8.1.a), and this compares to 68.0% for the BU 2015 survey. This is the largest improvement (6.9%) between the BU 2017 and BU 2015 survey for this section. 86.4% agree that they understand the required standard for their thesis (8.3.a). This is the highest score across question 8 and 7.2% higher than the sector 2017 (79.2%). The overall average for this section is 82.8% agree, which is 3.3% higher than the sector 2017 survey (79.5%).

PRES 2017 Section D: Progress and Assessment – Faculty Comparison There is very little difference across faculties in this section. Receiving an appropriate induction (Q8.1.a) is the lowest scoring question with FST at 73.2% agree. This is the only question in this section for which the BU 2017 score is lower (by 1.9%) than the sector 2017 score. Q 8.3.a, understanding the required standard for the thesis, is the highest score across the faculties. All faculties exceed the sector survey result (79.2%) for this question. Q 8.3.a also shows the largest difference between faculties with FM and FMC at 89.1% and 82.1% respectively, a difference of 7.1%.

PRES 2017 Section E: Responsibilities Overall, BU 2017 results are similar to both BU 2015 results and sector results across this section although, at an average of 73.4%, the BU 2017 % agree score is slightly lower (5.5%) than the Sector 2017 survey (78.9%). This gap is predominantly across 2 questions: 10.1.a (response to feedback) and 10.4.a (who to approach other than my supervisor/s). Questions 10.2.a (understanding my responsibilities) and 10.3.a (awareness of supervisors’ responsibilities) are higher, and very close to the sector position. 87.2% of BU 2017 students agree that they understand their responsibilities as a research degree student, compared with 89.1% for the sector 2017 survey.

PRES 2017 Section E: Responsibilities – Faculty Comparison At 49.0%, FST scores the lowest between faculties for (the perception of) valuing and responding to students feedback (Q.10.a). This is also the lowest score across question 10. However FST has the highest % agree (91.8%) between faculties in students' understanding of their responsibilities as a research student (Q.10.2.a). This is also 2.6% higher than the sector 2017 survey (89.1%). 84.2% of FMC research students surveyed agree that they know who to approach (other than their supervisor/s) if they have any concerns about their programme (question 10.4.a) compared with 63.9% for FST. This is the largest difference (20.3%) between faculties for this section.

PRES 2017 Section F: Research Skills On average, BU 2017 scores for this section are lower (-2.3%) than the 2017 sector scores with the exception being question 12.4.a where 87.0% of research students surveyed agreed that their understanding of research integrity has been developed. This is slightly higher (+0.7%) than the 2017 sector survey at 86.3% agree. BU 2017 scores are on average 2.2% higher across this section when compared with the BU 2015 survey.

PRES 2017 Section F: Research Skills - Faculty Comparison The understanding of ‘research integrity’(question 12.4.a) has scores higher the sector across all faculties. This question contains the smallest difference (4.1%) between faculties with FM at 91.3% agree and FMC at 87.2%. 92.1% of FMC students agree that their skills in critical analysis and evaluating findings and results have developed during their programme (Q.12.2.a), which compares with HSS at 78.9% agree. This is the highest difference (13.2%) between faculties across this question.

PRES 2017 Section G: Professional Development The BU 2017 average score for this section is 73.1% which is 5.8% less than the sector 2017 score (78.9%). The scores across this question are also 4.6% lower than in the BU 2015 survey, which was comparable (-0.2%) to the sector 2015 score. Within this overall picture, Q14.4.a. (I have increasingly managed my own professional development during my programme), is, at 80.1%, still very close to BU 2015 and sector values.

PRES 2017 Section G: Professional Development – Faculty Comparison There is a wide range of scores across faculties for Professional Development. In this section, FST has the highest average across the faculties, 79.0%, which is 14.3% higher than FHSS with 64.7% The widest gap across an individual question in this section is for Q14.2.a (My ability to communicate information effectively to diverse audiences has developed during my programme). The Faculty of Management scored 81.8% for this question, while the Faculty of Media and Communication scored 63.2%.

PRES 2017 Section H: Opportunities The opportunities experienced by BU students are very similar to those across the sector. Values are within 2% for BU compared with sector responses with two exceptions: 17% of BU students cited presenting a paper or poster at an academic research conference, compared with 14% across the sector; while 4% of BU students cited receiving advice on career options compared with 7% across the sector.

PRES 2017 Section H: Opportunities 53.6% of BU’s postgraduate researchers surveyed had an experience of teaching within BU and this is 1.7% higher than the sector for the 2017 survey. 53.6% of researchers surveyed at BU feel that support and guidance given is appropriate but this is less by 6.6% than the 2017 sector. 50.3% of BU Postgraduate researchers surveyed, they received a formal training for teaching, which is 2.8% higher than the BU 2015 survey but 7.1% less than the sector 2017 survey.

PRES 2017 Section I: Overall Experience 71.1% of 2017 BU postgraduate researchers surveyed feel that, overall, they are satisfied with the experience of their research degree programme which is 2.2% higher than the 2015 BU survey and 10.8% less than the sector 2017 survey results (Q 18.1.a). BU postgraduate researchers surveyed feel less confident (71.7%) than those across the sector (81.9%, difference of 10.2%) that they would complete their research degree programme within the expected timescale (Q 18.2.a.).

PRES 2017 Section I: Overall Experience – Faculty Comparison FHSS, FMC and FST have broadly similar scores for Q 18.1.a, overall satisfaction, and Q18.2.a. FM Shows a different profile to the other faculties, with lower overall satisfaction (67.4%) but higher confidence in completing their research degree within expected timescales (78.3%).

PRES 2017 Section J: Motivations My main motivations for taking this research programme were: BU 2017 survey research motivations are broadly similar to those of the sector. Within this broad agreement, 10% more students surveyed at BU are motivated by improved career prospects for an academic/research career than is the case in the wider sector. Conversely, a lower proportion of BU students cited interest in the subject (-4% vs sector) or a natural step (-6%) as motivations compared with the sector.

PRES 2017 Section J: Motivations What type of career do you have in mind for when you complete your research degree? The majority (51.6%) of research students surveyed at BU would like an academic career within Higher Education, which is 13.1% higher than the sector 2017 survey result. The next two largest groups of the remainder (22% taken together) would like to take up a research career either within Higher Education or outside of Higher Education.

PRES 2017 Section K: About Yourself The most common age bracket for postgraduate researchers surveyed both at BU and within the sector is 26-30. The trend across age ranges both within BU and also in the sector is very similar.

PRES 2017 Section M: About Your Background At 65.7%, most BU postgraduate research respondents come from the UK. The majority of the remainder come from outside of the European Union. The proportion of UK, EU and Non-EU researchers at BU 2017 aligns closely with the sector 2017. Since the previous survey in 2015, the proportion of BU UK respondents has increased by 7.5%.

PRES 2017 Section M: About Yourself The majority of the BU 2017 post research students are externally funded (77.6%), which exceeded the sector 2017 survey by 6.6%.