Abstract
The aim of this article is to understand whether the conditions in Portuguese public polytechnics (PPPs) when studying for a PhD are similar to those in Portuguese public universities (PPUs). Three pillars were analyzed (research, academic staff degree, and precarious rate of academic staff), and to this end, we conducted independent sample t-tests and designed a correlation matrix to shed light on the relationship between the percentage of precarious academic staff and the short-run variables in the environment of PPPs. The main findings reveal differences between PPUs and PPPs, indicating that policymakers failed to ensure that PPPs are competitive vis-a-vis PPUs in this area. Decree-Law No. 65/2018 granting PPPs the right to award doctoral degrees gives rise to a number of risks: a loss of focus in PPPs, the disappearance of the most used system in higher education (binary or dual system), and the absence of higher institutions in Portugal that provide practical training. If this is the path chosen by policymakers and the nature of course programs in PPPs and PPUs are becoming more similar, we strongly recommend that similar conditions should prevail in the two subsystems; this entails greater investment in PPPs and even the possibility of awarding PhD professional degrees in close connection with firms and corporations.
Highlights
In recent years, Portuguese polytechnics have faced growing pressure to become more research-focused and to obtain the right to award PhD degrees, a position the Portuguese Polytechnics Coordinating Council (PPCC) has publicly defended
Out of 342 R&D Units financed by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), currently only 18 are primarily linked to Portuguese public polytechnics (PPPs); that is, the vast majority are directly or indirectly run by Portuguese public universities (PPUs)
This means that approximately 5% of all R&D units financed by FCT are directly led by PPPs
Summary
Portuguese polytechnics have faced growing pressure to become more research-focused and to obtain the right to award PhD degrees, a position the Portuguese Polytechnics Coordinating Council (PPCC) has publicly defended. This internal pressure was heightened by an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report (Guellec et al, 2018) stating that Portuguese polytechnics should be entitled to award doctoral degrees. The Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education (Professor Manuel Heitor) set in motion the procedure to draw up a law conferring Portuguese polytechnics with this right. Most European countries have a binary system of higher education (HE), in which there are two different types of institutions, that is, traditional (academic) universities and more vocationally oriented institutions; so why fade this system out in Portugal? And why in Portugal ? Are Portuguese public polytechnics (PPPs) adequately prepared to award doctoral degrees, namely in terms of the role/commitment of the professors or lecturers and the relative number and quality of research units vis-a-vis Portuguese public universities (PPUs)?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
