Memorandum submitted by the Wellcome Trust
1. The Wellcome Trust is pleased to respond
to the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee
Inquiry into the Bologna Process.
2. The Wellcome Trust is the largest independent
charity in the UK and the second largest medical research charity
in the world. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the
UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each
year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas.
The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research
and its impact on health and wellbeing.
3. The Trust welcomes the general approach
of the Bologna Process, particularly the mobility of students
and researchers that it should enable. However, we do have a number
of concerns which we would like to bring the Committee's attention
to, which are outlined below.
"Implications of the Bologna Process for
the UK Higher Education sector: advantages and disadvantages"
and "The implications of a three-phase structure of higher
education awards for one-year masters and short undergraduate
courses (HNCs, HNDs, and Foundation Degrees)".
MANDATORY REQUIREMENT
FOR MASTERS
DEGREES FOR
PROGRESSION TO
PHD STUDY
4. The Trust currently runs a four year
PhD awards programme. These awards are made to students who have
a first degree, but generally have not undertaken postgraduate
study. Institutions are free to design their own study programme,
however it is expected that in the first year of study students
will undertake a range of activities, including taught courses
and research skills development: gaining experience of different
laboratories through working on a range of research projects.
Some of these programmes are structured with the award of an MSc
at the end of year one. This programme has been enormously successful,
with very high rates of completion and progression of many on
to a research career.
5. The Trust is concerned that any development
which would make masters degrees mandatory for progression to
PhD study may be superfluous and a disincentive for many of the
highest quality students; it would affect the local flexibility
of design of such successful PhD programmes and would constrain
the future development of further new innovations in PhD training.
We question therefore whether making an MSc a mandatory step in
the progression to PhD is the right approach.
LENGTH OF
MASTERS DEGREES
6. The Trust is also concerned that some
degree of flexibility should remain in the length of time taken
to complete a masters degree. The great majority of masters degrees
in the UK are completed within one year, and to date this has
proved adequate for progression on to further study or a research
career. The Trust is concerned that potential students will be
discouraged from undertaking a masters degree if the length of
the course is increased to two years. We believe that the emphasis
should lie on the content and learning outcomes rather than the
volume of study. Currently UK one year masters qualifications
correspond to continental two year qualifications in terms of
learning outcomes.[14]
PHD STUDY
7. Similarly, the Trust hopes restrictive
stipulations on the length, structure and assessment process for
PhDs will not be introduced as part of the Bologna Process.
IMPACT OF
THE BOLOGNA
PROCESS ON
UK MEDICAL, DENTAL
AND VETERINARY
QUALIFICATIONS
8. It is not yet entirely clear what the
implications of the Bologna Process will be on UK medical, dental
and veterinary qualifications. However, the Trust is concerned
that any measures to determine the length, structure and assessment
of these qualifications should not make the system more difficult
for clinicians, dentists and veterinary students to undertake
a research career. The Trust is particularly concerned about what
the impact of any measures might be on intercalated undergraduate
courses and MB-PhDs. The Trust believes that the UK health research
base could be significantly damaged if measures further complicate
the system.
"Awareness and engagement in the Bologna
Process within HEIs".
EUROPE UNIT
9. The Trust welcomes the information and
services provided by the Europe Unit, based within Universities
UK. The Trust supports the continued work of Europe Unit in ensuring
that key stakeholders are aware of the progress of the Bologna
Process and the implications of any proposals suggested and decisions
made as they happen.
"Quality Assurance systems in HE (teaching
and research): the compatibility of UK proposals and Bologna".
FURTHER INFORMATION
ON QA SYSTEMS
FOR RESEARCH
10. There seems to be little information
on the quality assurance systems for research within the Bologna
Process. The Trust would welcome more effective dissemination
of information on, and discussion of, this topic. The Trust is
additionally concerned that a rigid, one-size-fits-all structure
for quality assurance systems for research should not be introduced.
"The agenda for discussion at the 2007 meeting
in London—clarifying the UK position".
INVOLVING RESEARCH
ORGANISATIONS
11. There are a range of stakeholders for
whom the outcomes of the Bologna Process will have a significant
impact. The Trust feels that it is necessary for these stakeholders
particularly research organisations to be fully involved in the
development of the Agenda for the 2007 ministerial summit.
"The broader impact of Bologna across Europe:
a more standardised Europe and the consequences for the UK's position
in the global market for HE (Bologna and the second phase of the
Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education (PMI 2))".
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
The Trust cautions that the UK's higher education
and research position globally should not be compromised by harmonisation
at a European level. It is therefore important that as the detail
of the Bologna Process is developed and before it is implemented,
the global context is considered. Furthermore once the detail
has been agreed the UK will need to consider to what extent it
wishes to implement the policy, UK higher education institutions
and research organisations must be involved.
December 2006
14 Europe Unit, 2006, The Bologna Process: Implications
for dental and medical qualifications in the UK, London, Europe
Unit. Back
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