El doctorado en educación: un ejemplo de desregulación en el campo de la educación superior en Chile

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study about the situation of the Doctoral Programs in Education in Chile. The study is aimed to characterize the provision of these Doctoral Programs and raise the main demands by employers, as well as doctoral students. It is based upon documents and online information, secondary data and interviews with employers, students and PhD graduates in education. Results show a wide and dispersed supply of 16 doctoral programs with various goals, curriculum plans, and over all, different approaches and levels of demand towards the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge and its theory. Along with this, employers of PhD in education, students and the alumni of programs expressed several critiques about the quality of education provision and research training. The outcomes represent an example of the deregulation of higher education in Chile and indicate that the national current regulatory mechanisms remain inadequate, especially in relation to postgraduate studies.