Assessment of US Doctoral Programs Expected in Several Months. (November 7, 2008)

The US National Academies' assessment of the nation's doctoral programs is expected sometime early next year. However, the new edition, the first since 1995 will release "a description of what's new" to university administrators, faculty members, and graduate students in a few weeks.

According to Science the new edition will contain: "multiple ratings. In addition to a score from peers on overall quality, each of the 5000-plus programs at 212 universities will be ranked according to dimensions such as faculty productivity, diversity, and student outcomes. 'They include factors the schools can influence and those that they can't really control,' says study director Charlotte Kuh of the National Research Council."

It's to be hoped that our academic administrators, responsible governmental ministers, and ARC and NHMRC staffers will peruse the report and consider how Australia's doctoral courses compare.