Abstract

Recent changes to social science doctoral educational policy, instigated by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and endorsed by central government, have begun radically to alter the nature of the UK social science PhD. Perhaps the most fundamental change has been the introduction of the training‐model doctorate, with its concomitant taught research methods component. Underlying the move towards this model can be discerned an assumption of the doctoral student body as homogeneous. This article challenges the validity of this assumption and subsequently charts what is known about doctoral students’ responses to the current pro research training climate. The article concludes with a call for greater flexibility of provision to meet the needs of a wider range of research students than are currently catered for.