Department of Education University of York s allyhancockyorkacuk Access amp Widening Participation Network SRHE 9 th March 2017 INEQUALITIES IN THE TAKE UP OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES AFTER GRADUATION ID: 559018
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Dr. Sally Hancock" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Dr. Sally Hancock
Department of Education, University of York
sally.hancock@york.ac.ukAccess & Widening Participation Network, SRHE9th March 2017
INEQUALITIES IN THE TAKE UP OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES AFTER GRADUATION?Slide2
Acknowledgements
Dr
Paul WakelingProfessor Gillian Hampden-ThompsonSlide3Slide4Slide5
Shifting landscape
Considerable growth in postgraduate numbers
Increases in UG and PG fees (and debt)
“the new frontier of widening participation… lack of access to postgraduate study is in danger of becoming a social mobility time-bomb” (Alan Milburn, 2012)
Access to finance a significant barrier (OFFA) Slide6
What would equality look like?
Take up of postgraduate study is…
Consistent across graduates’ characteristicsTrendless across graduates’ characteristics
Associated with first degree attainment(meritocracy)Slide7
Data
‘Understanding the Student’, Postgraduate Support Scheme, 2014-15
Who progresses (taught Master’s)Destinations of Leavers of Higher longitudinal survey (2008/9 and 2010/11)Who progresses (doctoral degrees)Slide8
Dataset 1
‘Understanding the Student’, Postgraduate Support Scheme, 2014-15
Six research-intensive English HEIsLarge scale survey of first-degree alumni
(2009 and 2012) (n=2849)
Analysis of application data (2013 and 2014)
(n=42,888)Slide9
Dataset 2
Destinations of Leavers of Higher longitudinal
survey2008/9 and 2010/11 UK doctoral graduates
Linked to Student Record
-
socio-demographic characteristics
Response rate
(n=4,731)Slide10
Progression to taught Master’s degreesSlide11
Some good news?
Attainment
1st class or 2:1 more likely to progress to PGT and PGRSlide12Slide13
Some good news?
Attainment
1st class or 2:1 more likely to progress to PGT and PGTDebt
per se not a predictor of transitionHigher debt (over 20k) associated with lower progression to PGR,
but
not when attainment and subject taken into account
Access to finance more important
loans
(see
Wakeling
, Hampden-Thompson & Hancock, forthcoming)Slide14
Parental HE
NS-SEC
POLARSlide15
Average earnings
With PGT
- M: £25,500 F: £22,500Without PGT - M: £
22,500 F: £19,500Slide16
Applications to taught Master’s degreesSlide17
Offers
Enrolments
60 per cent
60 per cent
ApplicationsSlide18Slide19Slide20
Doctoral degreesSlide21
Initial observations
Equally split by gender
~70% aged <35 on entryJust over half have one or more parental HE
Vast majority from state school
Vast majority White British (~90%)
5.3% Asian; 1.2% BlackSlide22
Initial observations
Subject area
70% STEM; 19% AH; 11% SSVaries little by gender, parental higher education, or POLARv
ariance by institution type (Russell Group - 66.4% STEM, 53.4% AH, 45.6% SS)variance by age on entry (<50% of those aged 35 or over in STEM)
v
ariance by ethnicity (85.5% Asian in STEM)Slide23
Initial observations
Highest qualification on entry
~50% enter with a first degree only~40% enter from PGTNSSEC 4-8 more likely to transition directly (two-thirds)Slide24
Distributions by mission groupSlide25Slide26
Further tentative findings
Black students
Less likely to enter from first degree only (and more likely to complete PGT)Higher proportions aged >35 or olderConsiderably lower proportions at Russell Group even within STEM (~44% compared to 65% of White British students studying STEM)Slide27
Persistent
inequalities
access & outcomesDiversity is on the agendaLoan scheme welcomeBetter data needed
ReflectionsSlide28
References
Boliver
, V. (2013) ‘How fair is access to more prestigious UK universities?’, British Journal of Sociology, 64(2)344-64. Boliver, V. (
2016) ‘Exploring ethnic inequalities in admission to Russell Group universities’, Sociology, 50(2), 247-66.
OFFA (2016) The challenges of widening access to higher education. Accessed 6
th
March 2017
http://www.insidegovernment.co.uk/uploads/2016/05/
lesebdon.pdf
Wakeling
, P. (2008) ‘Are ethnic minorities underrepresented in UK postgraduate study?’
Higher Education Quarterly
, 63(1), 86-111
Wakeling
, P
. and
Hampden-Thompson,
G. (2013)
Transitions to Higher Degrees Across the UK: an analysis of national, institutional and individual differences
. York: Higher Education Academy.
Wakeling
, P
., Hancock, S., Hampden-Thompson, G., an
d
Coxhead, A. (2015) ‘Understanding the Student: consortium research on taught postgraduate access and motivations’, in Strike, T and
Toyne
, J. (Eds.)
Widening Access to Postgraduate Study and the Professions.
University of Sheffield.
Wakeling
, P., Hampden-Thompson, G., and Hancock, S. ‘Is undergraduate debt an impediment to postgraduate enrolment in England?’ Forthcoming.