Careers on the Move: International Doctoral Students at an Elite British University

Abstract

International student mobility, especially at doctoral level, is a largely under-researched component of international migration. This is in stark contrast with the case of credit mobility where much research has been undertaken on Erasmus students. The aim of this paper is to remedy the situation by focusing on international doctoral students who chose to study at an elite higher education institution in the UK. By analysing the role of -local, national and international -schemes of funding in shaping individual mobility decisions, the author argues against the portrayal of international students as 'rational decision makers' in favour of a more contextualised approach to mapping the graduate student migratory phenomenon. By contrasting the 'entry channels' of students with their future plans -in terms of the nature of future career and geographic location -the author challenges the assumption that internationally mobile students are coming with the intention of settling down in their study destination. The study cannot uphold the view of international students as a 'migratory elite' either; although some postgraduate students are indeed from more privileged backgrounds, many individuals undertake international doctoral mobility with the explicit aim of capital accumulation. Last but not least, the paper strongly argues for abandoning the term 'spontaneous mobility' in student mobility research because a significant proportion of degree mobility does not occur spontaneously but is a result of organised schemes of funding.

A Systematic Review of International Higher Education Scholarships for Students From the Global South

“…On a related note is the concern that scholarship host universities may be slow to change and interested in replicating Anglo-American values and ways of knowing—especially to impose these on a student from the Global South. Pásztor (2015) raised the question of whether some universities have actually “entered a new era of ‘widening participation’” or whether they continue to act “as transmitters of privileges” (p. 833), replicating Global North and white values. These points are suitable counterarguments to the logic of elite Global North universities as suitable venues for all scholarship participants.…”

PhD funding as a determinant of PhD and career research performance

“…The literature claims that the main funding sources for doctoral candidates are doctoral grants, which take the form of either PhD grants or research project grants (Visser, Luwel, and Moed 2007;Mars, Bresonis, and Szelényi 2014;Pásztor 2015). They are the types of doctoral grants available in Portugal, and are different in several ways.…”

“Knowledge migrants” or “economic migrants”? Patterns of academic mobility and migration from Southern Europe to Mexico

“…The concept of “academic mobility” has been applied to the movement of students and academic staff in research and higher education since the 1990s (Jöns, ). Yet the literature has paid relatively little attention to the international mobility of researchers and university professionals (Czaika & Toma, ; Pásztor, ), compared with the large number of studies looking at international mobility among students (e.g., King, ; Van Mol & Timmerman, ). In this respect, this article fills a gap in the literature by researching mobility and migration patterns in a group of academics from Southern Europe (Italy and Spain) who migrated to Mexico.…”