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    Future of the Dissertation
    NextGen PhD Consortium

    CGS has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to establish the Next Generation Humanities PhD Consortium (Next Gen Consortium), a collaborative learning community for the 28 recent NEH Next Generation PhD grant awardees. These universities, all of which are CGS member institutions, seek to strengthen the career preparation of PhD students in the humanities. CGS will provide intellectual leadership to this group and guide their mission to transform the culture of graduate education.

     

    Future of the Doctoral Dissertation

    CGS is leading the graduate community in discussions about the future of the PhD dissertation. A project on the dissertation supported by ProQuest culminated in a workshop held in Washington, D.C. in January 2016. The two-day workshop convened key stakeholders to discuss how emerging technologies and other innovations in doctoral training may shape the Ph.D. dissertation of the future. Presentations were given by graduate deans, publishers, library and information professionals, scholars, and disciplinary representatives.

     

    Learning Outcomes in Doctoral Education

    To better understand the state of doctoral outcomes assessment in the U.S., the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), with support from Lumina Foundation, conducted a year-long research project to explore national and global contexts for doctoral learning outcomes and evaluate the use of competency frameworks at the doctoral level. The results of this project inform the work of learning outcomes assessment for doctoral programs as well as next steps for graduate schools, faculty, and other stakeholders.

     

    CGS is the leading source of information, data analysis, and trends in graduate education. Our benchmarking data help member institutions to assess performance in key areas, make informed decisions, and develop plans that are suited to their goals.
    CGS Best Practice initiatives address common challenges in graduate education by supporting institutional innovations and sharing effective practices with the graduate community. Our programs have provided millions of dollars of support for improvement and innovation projects at member institutions.
    As the national voice for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource on issues regarding graduate education, research, and scholarship. CGS collaborates with other national stakeholders to advance the graduate education community in the policy and advocacy arenas.  
    CGS is an authority on global trends in graduate education and a leader in the international graduate community. Our resources and meetings on global issues help members internationalize their campuses, develop sustainable collaborations, and prepare their students for a global future.