ABSTRACT
Modern doctoral education began in China in 1981, and the first doctoral awards were made in 1983. The intervening 40 years have seen a massive expansion of doctoral education to the point at which China is among the two largest producers of doctoral graduates in the world.
Initially, eligibility to supervise was defined by the government, but this was devolved to institutions which set the criteria. In recent years, this has involved opening up the opportunity to supervise to greater numbers of faculty who can demonstrate academic excellence.
In terms of how supervision is undertaken, the ‘master–apprentice’ model, whereby students are supervised by a single supervisor, has remained predominant in China. This model has, however, been criticized by some students, and a few institutions have begun to introduce other models, including team and advisory committee supervision.
In China, supervision is still seen as an activity that can be successfully undertaken by any competent researcher, and relatively little support has been made available in terms of initial or continuing professional development. Likewise, little need has been seen for the support or recognition of supervisors, although there are some exceptions.
This chapter details these changes and other significant aspects of supervision in China.
