The social and personal-development needs of students who study for higher degrees must be taken more seriously

Postgraduates are our future. Without them, the academy is unsustainable: they are the teachers and researchers of tomorrow. But even beyond that, educating postgraduates is important for the future prosperity of the nation. First Secretary Lord Mandelson, who knows a good business opportunity for UK plc when he sees one, announced a review of postgraduate provision this summer, describing it as "a major export earner for the UK, and one which we have perhaps taken too much for granted".
Indeed. In the UK, postgraduate needs often go unheard amid the clamour over undergraduate education, unlike in the US, where they are often accorded a higher priority. With jobs in short supply, the numbers wanting to take postgraduate courses have increased; even before the downturn, they had grown by more than 64 per cent in ten years. But it is vital that universities have the structures in place to support their postgraduates properly.
The arguments over the practical issues - whether students should have a masters before embarking on a PhD and whether three years is long enough for a doctorate - are well rehearsed. But what about the social and personal-development needs of doctoral students, which can make or break an academic career? These are arguably as important. Getting the wrong supervisor, for whatever reason, can make all the difference between completing and not completing, and changing supervisor can be very traumatic.
Times Higher Education