Doctoral Education in Canada, 1900-2000

Dr. Garth Williams

www.publicknoweldge.ca / www.savoirpublic.ca

“Armed with cutting edge technology from around the world, the latest tools, the latest techniques and processes learned from their work under the very best researchers, they graduate with much fanfare and go on to build the industry, institutions and society of our country.”

Mike Lazaridis1

Founder, President and CEO, Research-in-MotionChancellor, University of Waterloo

1 Mike Lazaridis, “The Importance of Basic Research,” in Re$earch Money, Vol. 18, no. 18, (2004), p. 8.

Periods of Development

1. Foundation: 1900 to 1950

2. Expansion: 1950 to 1980

3. Globalization: 1980 to the present

First Doctoral Degrees Conferred(excluding medical doctors)

University of Toronto, 1900

McGill University, 1909

Université de Montréal, 1922

Université Laval, 1932

Doctoral Degrees Conferred, 1920-19502

1920 – 241925 – 281930 – 461935 – 681940 – 751945 – 1041950 – 202

2 Statistics Canada. “Degrees awarded by Canadian universities and colleges, by sex, Canada, selected years, 1831-1973.” Historical Statistics of Canada, 11-516-X1E, Section W: Education, Series W504-512.

Federal Initiatives, 1950- 19803

1951 - Direct grants to universitiesIncreased funding for the National Research Council

1957 - Established the Canada Council for the Arts1960 - Created Medical Research Council1967 - Replaced direct grants to universities with conditional transfers

to provincial governments (1959 in Québec)1977 - Established Program Financing

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research CouncilSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council

3 David Cameron, “Post-secondary Education and Research: Whither Canadian Federalism?” in Frank Iacobucci and Carolyn Tuohy, editors, Taking Public Universities Seriously (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005), p. 277-282.

Provincial Initiatives, 1960 - 19804

1960 to 1975 - Increased universities’ operating expenditures nation-wide by 1,000 per cent.

The contribution of student fees to university operating expenditures declined from 25 per cent to 14 per cent nation-wide.

1968 – Université du Québec1969 – UQAM, UQAC, UQAR, UQTR. INRS, ÉNAP1970 – UQAT1974 – ÉTS, Concordia University1981 – UQO

4 Statistics Canada. Historical Statistics of Canada, 11-516-X1E, Section W: Education.

Degrees Conferred, 1960 - 19805

1960 – 306

1965 – 696

1970 – 1,625

1975 - 1,680

5 Statistics Canada. “Degrees awarded by Canadian universities and colleges, by sex, Canada, selected years, 1831-1973.” Historical Statistics of Canada, 11-516-X1E, Section W: Education, Series W504-512.

Federal Initiatives, 1980 – Present6

Phase I (1980 - 1997)

1980 - Capped Established Program Funding1995 - Canada Health and Social Transfer

- Reduced Council Funding

6 David Cameron, “Post-secondary Education and Research: Whither Canadian Federalism?” in Frank Iacobucci and Carolyn Tuohy, editors, Taking Public Universities Seriously (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005), p. 277-282.

Federal Initiatives, 1980 – Present

“There can be few things more critical to determining our economic success in the next century than a vigorous, broad-based research and development effort. The fact is the more R&D that is done in Canada, the more jobs will be created for Canadians.”

Paul Martin7

Finance Minister, 1998

7 Paul Martin, Budget Speech, (Ottawa: Department of Finance Canada, 1998).

 

Federal Initiatives, 1980 – Present8

Phase II (1997 - Present)

1997 - Canada Foundation for Innovation1998 - Restored Council Funding2000 - Genome Canada

- Canada Research Chair Program- Canadian Institutes of Health Research

2001 - Indirect Costs of Research (permanent 2003)2003 - Canada Graduate Scholarship Program

8 David Cameron, “Post-secondary Education and Research: Whither Canadian Federalism?” in Frank Iacobucci and Carolyn Tuohy, editors, Taking Public Universities Seriously (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005), p. 277-282.

Provincial Initiatives, 1980 – Present9

Public spending on universities declined 4.5 per cent despite an 18 per cent increase in university enrolment.

Public contributions to university operating budgets declined from 81 per cent, in 1986-87, to 61 per cent in 2000-01.

1983 – FCAR

9 Statistics Canada.“Changing patterns of university financing,” Education Quarterly Review, Vol. 9, no. 2, (2003), pp. 11. Catalogue no. 81-003.

Enrolment, 1980 - 200010

University Enrolment increased 30 per centGraduate Enrolment increased 66 per centDoctoral Enrolment increased 106 per cent

10 Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Trends in Higher Education (Ottawa: Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 2002), p. 8. Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001) p. 1. L.C. Payton, 1982 Statistical Report (Ottawa: Canadian Association of Graduate Schools, 1982) p.28.

Doctoral Education, 200111

27,340 Doctoral Students3,660 Degrees Conferred

ConcentratedBroad Interests – Targeted SupportInterdisciplinary StudiesDiverse Student PopulationMultiple Career Tracks

11 Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001) p. 65

Concentrated provincially, 200112 

Province PhD Students (no)(%) Population (%)Ontario 10,900 39.9 38.0Québec 8,510 31.1 24.1British Columbia 3,050 11.2 13.0Alberta 2,860 10.5 9.9Manitoba 545 2.0 3.6Saskatchewan 480 1.8 3.2Nova Scotia 445 1.6 3.0New Brunswick 270 1.0 2.4Newfoundland 255 0.9 1.6Prince Edward Island 10 0.4 0.4

12 Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001), p. 6-7. Statistics Canada. A profile of the Canadian Population: where we live. Census, 2001. (Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2002). Catalogue no. 96F0030XIE2001001.

Concentrated in Cities, 200113

50.6 per cent of PhD Students are in three major citiesMontréal: 21.2 per centToronto: 19.7Vancouver: 9.7

33.2 per cent study in other large citiesEdmonton 7.2 per cent London 3.2Québec City 6.1 Waterloo 2.8Ottawa 5.2 Hamilton 2.7 Calgary 3.2

13 Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001), p. 8.

Concentrated institutionally, 200114

15 universities enrolled 79.9 per cent of all doctoral candidates6 universities enrolled 51.9 per cent

University of Toronto (15.9 per cent)Université de Montréal (8.07)University of British Columbia (7.39)University of Alberta (7.23)McGill University (7.15)Université Laval (6.11)

14 Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001), p. 8.

Broad Interests – Targeted Support15

Discipline Enrolment Funded

SSH 50.7 per cent 50 per centSci/Eng 43.1 57Health Sci 6.2 66

15 The column “funded” indicates the percentage of students in each discipline who said they replied primarily on fellowships or bursaries from federal, provincial or university sources to fund their doctoral studies. Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001), p. 9. Statistics Canada. Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Profile of Doctoral Degree Recipients. Ottawa: Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Research Papers, 2005. Catalogue no. 81-595-MIE2005032.

Diverse Student Population16

Year Full time Women Foreign

1991 82.2 35.5 36.0

2001 89.6 46.1 33.9

16 Jean Lebel, Statistical Report 1990-2001 (Ottawa: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2001). Statistics Canada. Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Profile of Doctoral Degree Recipients. Ottawa: Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Research Papers, 2005. Catalogue no. 81-595-MIE2005032.

Multiple Career Tracks17

Employment of PhD graduates with firm plans for the coming year, 2005

  Ed. S&T H/Soc. P.S. Prod. OtherHumanities 78.7 - - 7.3 - 9.6Social Sciences 51.1 6.1 29.3 9.6 - -Physical Sci. 43.6 26.6 - 12.5 10.1 -Engineering 37.3 32.6 - 8.4 14.9 -Life Sciences 38.9 19.9 15.8 10.1 8.5 6.8Other 83.9 5.3 - 6.9 - -Total 57.0 13.4 10.6 9.0 4.6 5.4

17 Note that “life sciences” denotes agricultural, biological and health sciences. “Other” disciplines include, principally, education and professional fields. “Ed.” indicates educational services. “H/Soc.” indicates health and social service professions. “P.S.” indicates public service. “Prod.” indicates a field of industrial production. Statistics Canada. Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Profile of Doctoral Degree Recipients . Ottawa: Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Research Papers, 2005. Catalogue no. 81-595-MIE2005032.

 

This presentation is based on a paper prepared for the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies. The paper is available at:

http://www.cags.ca/Portals/34/pdf/doctoral_education_canada_1900-2005.pdf

 

Thank you / Merci

Garth Williams, Ph.D.PrincipalPublic Knowledge Canada /Savoir Public Canada

www.publicknoweldge.ca / www.savoirpublic.ca