Those voices include, as this column noted in early July, two recently published reports: Research Universities and the Future
of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation's Prosperity and Security, from the U.S. National Academies, which urges universities to «restructure doctoral education..., shorten
time - to - degree and strengthen the preparation
of graduates for careers both in and
beyond the academy,» and the Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group Report, from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), which advocates «
additional training and career development experiences to equip students for various career options, and test ways to shorten the PhD training
period.»