@article{9481ea346ded469a933cbc2680b67e18,
title = "The attainment of doctoral degrees at Flemish Universities: A survival analysis",
abstract = "This paper examines the propensity to attain a Ph.D. degree at the five largest universities in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. It provides insight into the rate at which junior scholars appointed at the universities involved attained their Ph.D.-degree, and the duration of the doctoral training period. Cox's regression model was applied to statistically analyse the influence of a number of 'demographic' and 'merit' variables, and variables related to funding source and type of appointment of the junior scholarly staff. Large differences in Ph.D. durations and attainment rates were found across funding sources, research disciplines and types of appointments. The policy background and implications are discussed briefly.",
keywords = "Attainment rate, Belgium, Doctoral degree, Flanders, Research funding, Survival analysis, Time to degree",
author = "Visser, {M. S.} and M. Luwel and Moed, {H. F.}",
note = "Funding Information: In Belgium education and nearly all competences related to science and technology have been devolved in 1988 from the federal state to the regional authorities (Luwel, 2000). In Flanders all curiosity driven research and nearly all basic research is carried out at universities. University-based research is funded by various public organisms, industry and marginally by research funding charities. In the beginning of the 1990s, when Flanders became responsible for higher education and science policy, public R&D expenditures were considerably lower than they were in other medium sized and highly industrialised regions and countries. From 1994 onwards, the Flemish Government started an ambitious program to increase public R&D investment yearly by 50 million euro. This study covers the early phase of this process. The Flemish Government (and prior to the devolution in 1988 the Belgian Federal Government) funds university research using four mechanisms: a block grant, a lump sum for curiosity driven research and two funding agencies: FWO-Vlaanderen and IWT-Vlaanderen. Table 1 gives a short description of these agencies. Funding Information: The Ph.D. attainment rate was found to vary widely for the different funding sources. About 80% of the junior scholars entering a junior position during 1991– 1997 with a Ph.D. studentship granted by FWO and IWT, attained their doctoral degree during the time period up until 2002. Among all funding categories, these two are the most appropriate for Ph.D.-research since they use at the entrance a rigorous selection mechanism and carry out intermediate evaluation of the work in progress. These nominative fellowships are characterised by a strong student–supervisor relationship. They are limited to a maximum of 4 years. However, the time to degree of these students is on the average somewhat longer. After completing their FWO or IWT fellowship, they nearly always obtain an appointment funded by other sources to finalise their dissertation.",
year = "2007",
month = oct,
doi = "10.1007/s10734-006-9021-9",
language = "English",
volume = "54",
pages = "741--757",
journal = "Higher Education",
issn = "0018-1560",
publisher = "Springer Netherlands",
number = "5",
}