Doctoral education in Europe: trends and perspectives

The paper introduces latest trends in doctoral education in Europe, based on results of numerous conferences, seminars, workshops, debates and interviews with European universities' representatives. It focuses on the impact of the Bologna Process and the EU research strategies on the reform of doctoral education in Europe. It challenges some trends such as the focus on coursework and credits, and emphasizes the core component of doctoral education--original research that should remain the crucial feature of training of young researchers. The paper examines key changes in European doctoral education related to organization and structure, supervision, skills training, and internationalization.