The Organisation of Doctoral Research. Interim Report

Abstract

This interim report presents the work of the AESOP/SOCRATES Working Group on PhD education (WG-PhD) within the SOCRATES project “Improving planning education in Europe”. Building on earlier surveys of doctoral studies in planning in AESOP member schools, the report examines how doctoral research and doctoral training are organised in AESOP countries and how this organisation affects the possibilities for PhD researchers to spend a period abroad. Part A analyses questionnaire responses from 14 AESOP member countries, reviewing doctoral “trajects”, supervision, formal training, duties, timeframes and funding for mobility. The findings indicate that short completion periods, concentrated training requirements and teaching obligations often limit opportunities for international research stays. Part B examines internationalisation efforts in other academic disciplines in the Netherlands, including philosophy, law (Ius Commune), discrete mathematics (EIDMA) and nuclear physics (FANTOM). These examples illustrate models of joint training, research-school structures and coordinated mobility schemes, and highlight organisational challenges relevant to AESOP’s future development.