PhD Graduate Numbers Double in Decade
HEA Anticipates Over 1,000 Doctorates to be Awarded This Year
The number of PhDs awarded in the Republic of Ireland this year is expected to top the 1,000 mark for the first time and marks significant progress towards Ireland’s goal to be to the fore as a global centre for research, according to the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This achievement will be reached as the HEA and higher education institutions prepare to mark the tenth anniversary of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI), which is managed by the HEA on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science. It means that Ireland is well set to meet the ambitious targets of the Government under its Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation.
A decade ago, 514 students graduated from our higher education institutions with a PhD. Greatly increasing the number of PhD graduates (the “knowledge workers” of the future) was identified by the Government as essential to meeting the strategic goal of making Ireland a knowledge economy and a world centre for learning and research. The PRTLI has been the platform on which achieving this goal is built. It is also worth noting that PhD graduates have the highest employment rates of all graduates. It is expected that Ms. Mary Hanafin, Minister for Education and Science Minister will announce a further substantial tranche of funding under PRTLI in the near future.
According to Michael Kelly, Chairman of the HEA –
“This is a hugely symbolic milestone for the Government’s plans, for the PRTLI and for Irish higher education and research. More important than the numbers themselves, is the fact that these graduates, combined with a relentless focus on quality in our graduate education programmes, are the keys to our future prosperity and development as a society.”
The Higher Education Authority is the independent statutory body charged with advising Government on higher education policy and for funding our universities and third level colleges.
ENDS