The importance of understanding the expectations and attitudes of the student body,

university staff and business and industry in improving the STEM Postgraduate Taught Student

Experience

Michelle Sue Morgan Rigby

Aims and objectives• Outline the issues facing the Postgraduate Taught (qualifications by

coursework) sector in the UK.

• Report the key findings of an HEA Individual Teaching Grant (ITG) funded project undertaken at a Post 1992 University across STEM subjects which explored some of the nationally neglected issues facing the sector.

• Explain how the research above informed and provided the foundation of a

successful 11 institutional bid to HEFCE seeking to understand the barriers, drivers, motivations and outcomes facing PGT students as well as UK employers’ needs.

• Highlight funding opportunities by the HEA and HEFCE for projects targeted at supporting students, improving course design to provide students with the skills business and industry require, and institutional and national strategies that are fit for purpose in growing and sustaining the PGT market in the UK.

Setting the scene

What is Postgraduate study?QAA suggests that Postgraduate qualifications at present can broadly be classified into two groups: those that are substantially taught (TPO) and those with a significant research component (Research).

(Smith et al., 2010)

Broad types of PG qualifications

Doctorates by Research

Professional /Taught doctorates

Masters by Coursework also known as

Taught Master

Masters by Research

Masters of Business Administration

(MBA)

Integrated Masters (UK)

Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate

Certificates

Issues facing the PGT sector• Extensive growth up to 2010

• Government commitment to increasing PGT market• Knowledge economy • Educational market

• Past 2 years rapid decline especially in part-time mode and amongst ‘UK’ domiciled students

• Lack of knowledge and evidence for PGT behaviour although growing body of research

“as the bachelor’s degree becomes ubiquitous, its relative advantage in the labour market is diminishing”

Wolf 2002 cited by Wakeling 2005, p. 506

Reasons for growth

Other possible reasons for growth

• For career advancement rather than self-fulfilment (Anderson et. al.,1998; Barber et. al., 2004; Stuart et.al., 2008; Morgan, 2013)

• UK government policies and strategies aimed at improving industrial competitive global position (DTI, 1998) through position in the global market of higher education (DfES, 2003)

• When downturn in economy, increase in uptake in HE

• Employer demand for postgraduates?

• Average proportion of the UK’s working population holding a postgraduate

qualification has almost doubled, from 4.4% in 2001to 7.9% in 2011 (UUK, 2013)

• Creeping notion that PGT required for a career

• Employers raising the qualification bar due to pool of well qualified graduates.

UK qualification changes

Source: statistics derived from HESA, 1996a,b, 2005, 2012b.

Type of qualification awarded 1994/5 2003/4 2007/8 2011/12

Other Higher Degrees (e.g. Taught Masters)

43.6% 52.4% 58.9% 65.8%

Doctorate 8.4% 8.4% 8.2% 7.4%

Other postgraduate qualifications (e.g. Certificates and Diplomas

48.0% 39.2% 32.9% 26.8%

PercentageOverall total

100%90,329

100%182,085

100%202,010

100%264,090

Other higher degree includes masters degrees obtained/not obtained primarily through research, Masters in Teaching and Learning, pre-registration masters degrees leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body and postgraduate bachelors degrees at level M.

Other postgraduate qualifications includes supervised research at level D, E and L for institutional credits, National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) at level M and E, other postgraduate qualifications obtained primarily through research, fellowships, diplomas and certificates at level M, Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) 5, professional taught qualifications at level M other than a masters degrees, Level M Diplomas in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and other taught qualifications at level M.

Postgraduate conferment in the UK in 1994/5 to 2011/12

‘Other Higher Degrees ‘ have increased at the expense of ‘Other PG’ qualifications

% Change between 03/4 and 11/12

+13.4%

-1.0%

-12.4%

+82,005

PG expansion- International comparison

2004 2009142,800 170,076257,769 307,973

523,825536,810

2,491,414

2,937,545

UK

Australia

Canada

USA

Source: Morgan (2013)

+17.9%

+2.5%

+19.5%

+19.1%

Note: 2003/4-2010/11+12.3%

UK retraction in PG numbers• All UK PG numbers

– 2011/12 = 568,505 -3.4% on 2010/11– 2010/11 = 588,720 +1.7% on 2009/10– 2009/10 = 578,705 (HESA, 2013)

Mode HESA2004/5

HESA2009/10

HESA2011/12

Full-time 226,060 298,255 309,425

Part-time 306,570 280,450 259,080

• All UK FT and PT PG numbers

PT mode reduced by 7.6%

(HESA, 2013)

Source: HESA , 2013 http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1973/239/

UK, EU and Non-EU participation in UK HEIs in 2010/11 and 2011/12

UK

EU

Non-EU

- 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000

2010/112011/12-0.7%

-2.3%

-4.5%

UK Science Engineering, Maths and Technology PGT and PGR HESA

2010/11HESA

2011/2 % change

Computing 22,480 19,075 -15.1%

Engineering and Technology 44,955 41,995 -6.6%

Mathematics 5,865 5,925 +1%

Source: HESA , 2013 http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1973/239/

PGT and PGR Full-time % change between

2010/11 and 2011/11

Part-time % change between 2010/11

and 2011/11

Computing -18% -9

Engineering and Technology -6% -7%

Mathematics +5% -10%

Full-time and Part-time changes between 2010/11 and 2011/12 in PGT/PGR

‘STEM’United Kingdom HEIs Full-time     Part-time  

Postgraduate Study PGT/PGR 2010/11 2011/12 Change %   2010/11 2011/12 Change %

Medicine & dentistry 9165 9570 4%   11315 11640 3%

Subjects allied to medicine 15050 15205 1%   39740 41950 6%

Biological sciences 20850 21385 3%   11380 11575 2%

Veterinary science 425 450 7%   510 385 -24%

Agriculture & related subjects 1970 2170 10%   1095 1210 10%

Physical sciences 16125 16270 1%   3810 3630 -5%

Mathematical sciences 4395 4605 5%   1470 1320 -10%

Computer science 16335 13460 -18%   6145 5615 -9%

Engineering & technology 31705 29690 -6%   13250 12305 -7%

Architecture, building & planning 8495 8600 1%   7515 6685 -11%

Source: HESA , 2013 http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1973/239/

Key findings of an HEA STEM ITG Report• Conducted over a year, 8 schools, 233 completed questionnaires (90% of attendance at Sept

Orientation, focus group

• Sample = 48% UK dom and 35% Non-EU dom, 42.7% =F and 57.3%=M, 47%= 1 st and 53%= 2nd generation,36.5%= work and 39.5% =work

• Major funding issues • Primary funding method for 2/5s of sample= parents• Entry route, generational and domiciled differences

• Study anxiety• 2/3s of sample anxious but domiciled and entry route differences• Women and those coming from work less likely to believe had very strong study skills

• Expectation of quality increased with age and generational status (first expected higher)

• Belief employers value a PGT qualification more than UG but evidence suggests not the case (e.g. Connor et.al., 2010).

See hard copy report or access via http://www.improvingthestudentexperience.com/library/PG_documents/Individual_Project_Report_Morgan_2013_Final_August_2013.pdf

Key issues from the report• Entry route (work or uni)

• Cultural capital• Different skill base• Outcome expectations

• Reasons and value• Student belief gives advantage in

workplace• Employers state no indicator of

leadership or work wisdom (Connor et al, 2010: Leitch, 2006)

• Study and life demands• Balancing life demands with study

modes available• Poor support for different modes of

study• Different needs and expectations to

UGs• Greater pressure at this level than

UG Commuting impacts on retention

• Expectations and experience of study

• Need to define PGT attributes as different from UG

• Need toolkits for support (HEFCE developing)

• Feedback needs to be fit for purpose

• Less tolerance at this level of poor feedback

• Face to face• One size fits all teaching

problematic

• Finance• Fee levels important• Poor access to funding

especially for UK dom and 1st generation

• Reliance on ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’

HEFCE funded PG Scheme• Grant pot of £25 million

• Test options for finance and activity to support PGT study

• Support transitions

• Postgraduate Experience Project PEP – 11 UK institutions, STEM

Postgraduate Experience Project

Project title

Investigating the expectations and attitudes towards postgraduate taught (PGT) STEM study, and post study outcomes

from the perspective of students’, universities and employers to support and sustain PGT growth in the UK – A

collaborative project

The broad project outcomes are to:

• Obtain local and national baseline data on student perceptions, motivations, expectations and experiences of PGT

study as well as exploring the enablers and barriers to study through a range of data collection processes;

• Obtain local and national baseline data on university and employers perceptions, attitudes, expectations and

experiences of PGT study;

• Look at the big picture by drawing out broad themes through pragmatic research and by ‘sewing’ the different

strands of data together to create a collage of knowledge allowing further detailed research to be undertaken;

• Achieve a practical understanding and deliver practical and pragmatic outcomes;

• Recognise the research limitations for the project.

Collaborators

Thank you for listening

Any

Michelle MorganMichelle.morgan@kingston.ac.uk

Sue RigbySue.Rigby@ed.ac.uk

Anderson, D., Johnson, R. and Milligan, B. with Stephanou, A. (1998) Access to PG courses:

Opportunities and obstacles. Higher Education Council. Canberra: Australian Government

Publishing service.

Barber, l., Pollard, E., Millmore, B. and Gerova, V. (2004) Higher Degrees of Freedom: the value

of postgraduate study. Report 410. South Coast: IES.

Connor, H., Forbes, P. And Docherty, D. (2010) Talent Fishing- what businesses want from

postgraduates London: DBIS.

DfES (2003) The Future of Higher Education. London: HMSO.

Higher Education Statistics Agency (2013a) Table 1 - All students by HE institution, level of study,

mode of study and domicile 2011/12. Online. Available at:

http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1973/239/ (Accessed 23 February 2013).

Morgan, M. (2013a) Where has Postgraduate Study Grown and What are the implications for

the UK? An International Comparative Analysis, Paper presented at UKCGE Annual Conference,

‘Master Class: the changing face of PGT in a research-intensive environment’, Birmingham, 1-2

July.

Smith, A., Bradshaw, T., Burnett, K. Docherty, D., Purcell, W. and Worthington, S. (2010) One Step

Beyond: Making the most of postgraduate education. London: Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills.

Stuart, M., Lido, C., Morgan, M., Solomon, L. and Akroyd, K. (2008) Widening participation to

postgraduate study: decisions, deterrents and creating success York: Higher Education Academy.

Universities UK (2013) The funding environment for universities: An assessment, London: UUK

Wakeling, P. (2005) La noblesse d’etat anglasie? Social class and progression to postgraduate

study,British Journal of Sociology of Education. 26 (4), 505-22