Changes in structure, strategy, culture and organisation in UK doctoral education

This paper reports on the findings of a 2021 update to the 2015 publication by the UK Council for Graduate Education on structures and strategy in doctoral education. This update draws on responses elicited by an expanded question set to explore not only structure and organisation but also areas of strategy and culture. The findings reveal significant changes in organisational structure, leadership, management and governance within doctoral education over time and in the context of sector changes in funding patterns, how research is organised and contemporary policy discourses on student experience, widening participation and internationalisation. The paper concludes with a thematic analysis of responses to questions relating to strategic priorities, challenges and opportunities and reveals the detail of widespread ambitions for growth, strong intentions to address inequality, commitment to innovation in new programme development and anxieties around access to funding, mobility and well-being in the doctoral community in the post-Covid, post-Brexit era.