Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Third Cycle

Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Third Cycle
Composition
The following countries/organisations are members of the Ad-hoc WG:
Armenia, Austria, Belgium/Flemish Community, Belgium/French Community, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Holy See, Hungary, Ireland, Moldova, Poland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, EUA, EI, European Commission, EURODOC.
Purpose
Map the current implementation of the third cycle in the EHEA, in the light of the “Salzburg II recommendations” and the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training;
Formulate policy proposals to promote quality, transparency, employability and mobility in the third cycle, on the basis of the outcomes of the previous point and taking into account the developments foreseen within the ERA by Horizon 2020 and other EU initiatives.
Formulate policy proposals to improve the transition between the second and the third cycle, with the aim to strengthen the link between education and research.
Specific Tasks
1.    In cooperation with EUA and the European Commission, analyse the current state of doctoral studies in EHEA countries, taking account of the two reference documents – the Salzburg II Recommendations and the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training.
2.    Starting from the information provided by the existing National Qualifications Frameworks, map: i) the diverse kind of third cycle degrees offered by HEIs and possible pathways connecting them; ii) different types of doctoral programs in order to formulate  policy proposals to improve existing models and instruments.
3.    Explore and make proposals  for strengthening  the link between the second cycle and third cycle in order to facilitate progression, the development of research competencies and timely recruitment to doctoral programs.
4.    Explore and make proposals concerning  quality and quality assurance procedures in Doctoral training, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
5.    Formulate policy proposals to increase the use of existing transparency tools for third cycle degrees, based on existing good practices in the field, and explore new instruments to increase transparency of third cycle degrees.
6.    Examine third cycle degrees with the view to identify , with a specific focus on Doctoral studies, the barriers and incentives to international mobility and define policy proposals for improvement.
7.    Analyse the results achieved by the different profiles of third cycle degrees offered, with a specific focus on Doctoral Degrees, and define policy proposals to improve their employability.
Make other policy proposals related to the third cycle, as appropriate, such as sustainable funding for third cycle education or candidate recruitment practices.
Last Update
2012-2015 ToR_Third Cycle Ad-Hoc WG.
News and documents.
Contact Person
Nicola Vittorio - Italy
Marzia Foroni - Italy
Gloria Molero - Spain
Cezar Haj – Romania