Twente Graduate School (TGS) offers integrated Master and PhD programs from various faculties. Dean Gerard van der Steenhoven opened the meeting: ‘We want to help students to get better opportunities in the job market. We believe that, next to becoming excellent researchers, they should also become acquainted with design and organization elements.’ PhDs follow courses and trainings in order to achieve this.
One of the reasons for TGS’s establishment in 2009 was to reduce the time to PhD. Research Masters should prepare excellent students with academic ambition in such a way that less time is needed to complete the doctoral thesis. Additionally, Van der Steenhoven has other positive experiences from German universities: ‘Students broaden their perspective through the courses. Even though this takes time, the increased motivation actually leads to higher productivity.’
Petra de Weerd-Nederhof, director of TGS, acknowledges that it takes a few years before the school is fully up to speed, and therefore announced key objectives for 2012. ‘We are working on the clarification of Master routes into Twente Graduate School.’ Next to that, De Weerd-Nederhof pointed out the growth of the school. ‘At its genesis in 2009, TGS consisted of 6 programs with 52 students. Currently, there are 17 programs that host more than 250 students. We are looking into possibilities to cluster programs.’ Finally, 2012 will also bring a unified PhD policy throughout the UT. De Weerd-Nederhof: ‘The executive board of the university has appointed a steering group for this. It discusses systems of supervision and education, tuition fees, and one-desk functions, for example.’
Mariska Roersen
