Postgraduate research experience survey (PRES) results

PRES HEIs took part in PRES at least once ‘Research students’ are PG students who are registered fro research awards at UK HEIs; the vast majority are on doctoral programmes and the rest on research Masters programmes.

Overall experience 84% of students in 2009 said that the overall experience of their programme met or exceeded their expectations 82.5% in % in Sept 2009Vitae conference3

Motivations and career aspirations A third (33.8%) of the 2009 respondents agreed that their main motivation was an interest in the subject A third (31.7%) agreed that it was to improve their career prospects for an academic or research career The next most popular answer (14.7%) was that “it felt like a natural step for me”. In terms of career aspirations, nearly half (44%) had in mind an academic career in higher education (either research and teaching, or teaching only), One in seven (13.9%) had in mind a research career in higher education A further one in seven (13.9%) wished to pursue a research career outside higher education.

Scales - summary 5

8 Sept 20096Vitae conference

Scales - summary 8 Sept 20097Vitae conference

Supervision 8 Sept 20098Vitae conference

Infrastructure 18 May 20109Surveys conference

Infrastructure 18 May Surveys conference

Infrastructure 18 May Surveys conference

Intellectual climate 8 Sept Vitae conference

Intellectual climate 8 Sept Vitae conference

Intellectual climate 14

Goals and standards 8 Sept Vitae conference

Goals and standards 8 Sept Vitae conference

Roles and responsibilities 8 Sept Vitae conference

Roles and responsibilities 8 Sept Vitae conference

Roles and responsibilities 19

Thesis examination

Skills development 23

Skills development 8 Sept Vitae conference

Skills development 8 Sept Vitae conference

Skills development – by year of study 26

Professional development and career 27

Professional development and career – discipline The national average % of agree for these three items is 40% Medicine and dentistry (47% on average) and agriculture (52% on average) students agree the most with professional development items (also engineering – 44% and business management – 45%) Creative arts and design (34% on average) and law (35%) students then to agree the least with professional development items 28

Professional development and career - domicile Non UK students tend to agree considerably more with all professional development items (on average 7% more in agreement than home students) Non EU students agree particularly strongly (49% vs 43% on average) that they were encouraged to reflect on their professional development needs. 29

Professional development and career - age In general, the older the students the less they agree with professional development items Age groups who agree the most (on average 42% agree on all three items) are years old (they are also the most motivated by improving their existing career) 30

Conclusion Overall, PRES findings suggest the PGR experience is positive The most positive areas are supervision, skills, and thesis examination The least positive areas are infrastructure, intellectual climate and professional development 31

Lessons from PRES – full report supportingresearch/postgraduatework