Flanders

One of the most important developments concerning postgraduate research training at this moment is the shift towards a doctoral training programme. Universities have a legal base for this programme. According to the law the Dutch-speaking universities are supposed to organise a training programme of no less than 1500 and no more than 1800 hours of study or other related activities, but they are free to determine the content of the programme. Universities have special training programmes for their PhD students. This shift from a learning-by-doing model, where the individual relation with the supervisor was essential, towards a formal training programme attended by all PhD students, is a consequence of the international development towards graduate schools. However, most universities are still in a transitional period. The first steps have been taken but until now the doctoral training has not the same structure as a graduate school. It is too soon to assess the contribution of this doctoral programmes to the development of the numbers of awarded PhDs. Until now the number of Doctorâ s degrees awarded is rather low, certainly in the humanities. Science and applied science have more resources to encourage doctoral work, and probably a PhD in these fields enjoys more recognition on the labour market than in the other fields of study. We may conclude that making a PhD in Flanders, still is an occupation restricted to a very small group of second-cycle graduates. Strict access conditions, and a limited amount of positions prevent high numbers of participation. Moreover, there is almost no tradition to work for a PhD, when the candidate cannot rely on a salary as an assistant or a scholarship provided by one of the scientific funds.status: publishe