Why go to graduate school?
Every student has his or her own reasons for wishing to pursue a postgraduate course or degree. Students who choose a research based course usually do so because of a genuine interest and desire to make a career in veterinary or biomedical research. A fascination for the biological world is probably the most common factor determining this decision and is essential for many courses, which require considerable commitment and determination to last the duration.

Today's competitive employment environment has made it increasingly necessary to have a postgraduate qualification. In many circumstances it is possible that having a PhD, a research or taught Masters degree, or any other postgraduate qualification, may make all the difference to being offered a job or not. In the long term, it may also open up opportunities for more senior positions, or even make it easier to change direction in career. Although the pursuit of a postgraduate course is usually a commitment to follow a specific career path, it cannot be denied or ignored that jobs are less stable than they used to be, making career changes more common.

Graduate school education also gives students the opportunity to develop into mature, independent-thinking individuals with the confidence to run their own research projects. In this respect, I used to believe that American PhD students had the 'edge' over the equivalent British students. Not only did they have to attend taught courses, but also had to meet regularly with departmental and faculty members to present and discuss their data and related topics. It seemed to me, that these formal courses and presentations provided students with an enviable confidence which better equipped them to tackle their research projects. It seemed, too, that their career options were greater because of the broader based education they had received. Fortunately, there has been considerable change in the training offered by graduate schools in Britain and many other European countries. It is now common to find an introductory training programme in basic research skills for all new full time postgraduate research students. Optional courses and individual seminars are also offered on topics such as the more specialised research techniques, statistics, scientific writing and careers guidance and advice. It is likely that many of these courses found inspiration from similar ones offered in American schools and are probably the result of increased competition between a growing number of graduate schools, as well as increased collaboration between departments and faculties within universities and neighbouring research institutes; all of which has necessitated multi-disciplinary training.

The acquisition and development of generic and transferrable skills is an important part of postgraduate training and it is probably true to say that the differences found between equivalent postgraduate research degrees in different countries are getting smaller, and are likely to continue to do so.

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