Most of the almost 1,300 respondents rated supervision as well as the support from the research community and supervisors positively.
The responses to the PhD survey, targeted at University of Helsinki doctoral researchers and conducted for the first time this year, demonstrate the diversity and variety of research at the University. The content and development of the survey are coordinated by the University of Helsinki's Centre for University Teaching and Learning HYPE. The purpose of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the doctoral process and to identify factors that facilitate or hinder it.
Of the nearly 1,300 respondents, two-thirds indicated that they were working on their doctoral theses primarily on their own. Roughly a third were completing their theses at least partially as part of a research group.
Two-fifths of the respondents were from the University's City Centre Campus. Regardless of the faculty granting the right to pursue a doctoral degree, the responses were categorised according to the home campus of the coordinating faculty of the relevant doctoral programme.
Doctoral researchers satisfied with support
Satisfaction with supervision and support provided by supervisors was high on all University campuses, and the respondents felt they were also effectively supported by the rest of the research community.
Those conducting their doctoral research in the launched just over a year ago reported that they receive a great deal of supervision, and that they were satisfied with supervision and the support from the research community.
"The responses of those pursuing their doctoral degrees in the pilot may reflect the new support measures for doctoral research implemented in the pilot. In the coming years, the aim is to adopt the good supervision practices and other support measures employed in the pilot into wider use in the University's doctoral education," says Director of the Doctoral School Minna Palander-Collin.
Plenty of enthusiasm but challenges as well
The responding doctoral researchers were mostly enthusiastic about their research and satisfied with their doctoral studies.
The survey also highlighted challenges in doctoral research: on average, doctoral researchers reported moderate levels of stress and burnout associated with doctoral research. These challenges were slightly more prominent among those in the middle or late stages of their doctoral research than among those in the earlier stages.
The fact that a little over a quarter of the respondents had at some point considered abandoning their studies speaks to the demanding nature of doctoral research. However, three-quarters of respondents felt that they received help when needed.
Responses boost development of doctoral education
The results of the PhD survey will support the steering groups of the and the leadership of the doctoral school in the development of doctoral education at the University of Helsinki.
"When developing doctoral education, we will naturally consider the results of the University's workplace wellbeing survey conducted in the spring and the career-oriented survey targeted at doctoral researchers conducted by the University of Helsinki PhD Students association," says Palander-Collin.
