Doctoral Examination: Exploring Practice Across the Globe

This book considers how the main doctoral awarding countries from across the globe examine doctoral degrees. It compares and contrasts their approaches, comments on their robustness and identifies examples of good practice and how these can be implemented.

The doctorate is the highest award made by universities, but the examination process involved varies considerably in form and structure across the globe. This book studies the similarities and differences systematically on a cross-national basis providing insight about the different ways in which countries have sought to ensure that the awarded degree is comparable in standards. This book seeks to provide answers through case studies of examination practices covering 20 countries which collectively are responsible for over 75% of global doctoral awards. Each chapter includes key summaries.

The book is written by a distinguished international team of authors who are researchers in the field of doctoral education, and will be of interest to all those engaged in doctoral education particularly policy-makers, graduate deans and programme leaders, supervisors, administrators, and scholars in the field.