Revista Capital - Phd Made in Chile
Chile leads programs of doctoral programs in Latin America and is becoming a pole of attraction for students from different countries of the region. Biological Sciences takes the lead among the specialties.
The first was the Catholic University. In 1935 he debuted in doctorates in Chile with theology. She teaches today, 35 of these programs in 18 faculties. From the 1930s until today more than 1,700 doctors have graduated (PhD) in different areas and its newest program is the plant biotechnology, created in 2017 in conjunction with the University of Bordeaux.
Contribute to the global world of knowledge through research and advanced human capital formation is the main objective that have in mind the Chilean universities. That is why many of them are offering not only master within their curricular, but also, and increasingly, doctorates who are even competing with some of the most important academies in the world.
According to the Director of the PUC, Jani Brouwer, PhD in Chile the majority of doctorates has been developed in the area of biological, chemical, physical and mathematical sciences. "Locally we have more years of experience in the scientific area, over years of accreditation, therefore it attracts more students with those programs where there is greater experience, best laboratories, more teachers, while in the area of the social sciences," most still prefer to do a doctorate outside. That is because while some universities have career, there is more supply abroad versus supply and incipient quality in our country", she explains.
However, he adds that there is a very good level and it is no longer necessary to go abroad to make a doctorate.
So much so that Chile leads programs of doctoral programs in Latin America and increasingly access more students from countries in the region. In fact, 1.151 current students that currently exist in the PUC, 320 come from 39 different countries (almost 30%). Foreign total, 287 correspond to Latin America: Colombia (97), Venezuela (36), Ecuador (36) and Brazil (19).
It says the Director of research and doctorate from the University of development, UDD, Denise Saint Jean. He argues that the Chilean universities are very well considered in the region, which, together with the full scholarship offered by the House of study, appeals to Latin American students.
In his assessment matches that in Chile the doctorate has been developed in biology mainly. "If the OECD tables we have focused more in life sciences, engineering sciences, chemistry and social sciences in education. In fact, of all doctorates Conicyt scholarship, the highest percentage corresponds to medicine. It has been good that locally we have specialized in this niche because there are many publications, developments and resources to continue to position Chile in research around the world", he says.
This House of studies began to be taught doctorates in 2014 and already offer four: doctorate in science and innovation in medicine, science for development and psychopathology, in business economics and Social complexity of science.
References in economy
In the case of the University of Chile, the director of school graduate FEN, Mauricio Jara, indicates they impart the Ph.d. in Economics since the year 2000, "which is a regional benchmark to economists, graduates from related areas or industrial engineers to the" economy that have clear academic interests and research skills. This is how in the past three years, our graduates have been hired in institutions such as the Central Bank of Chile, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), ministries and banks and financial institutions".
Likewise, in 2016, that House of studies launched the doctorate in business administration with the objective of training researchers and scholars who contribute to the creation of new knowledge. "In both cases, the programs are recognized in Chile and in the region, given the prestige and positioning of the University of Chile and the Faculty of Economics and business", emphasizes Jara.
In the case of the Universidad de los Andes, offers six doctoral programs in the areas of law, philosophy, history and communication. "We started with the Faculty of law from 2002. In 2010 a program of biomedicine and later in 2012, in the area of the humanities, philosophy and history programs opens. Finally, between 2016 and 2017 will create programmes communication and engineering sciences, respectively", said María Isabel Jottar, Director of graduate programs and programs of the University of the Andes.
It adds that these programs are in the stage of consolidation and others in initial development, "so that, to date, have not become in a programmatic instance that can compete with prestigious foreign universities. Notwithstanding that, at the time of creating it, such competition for the purposes of assessing the relevance of the program is considered".
The IAT has also innovated in their doctoral programs offer. Currently taught five: engineering of complex systems, of the Faculty of science and engineering; Management and a PhD in finance from the school of business; Industrial Engineering and operations; Processes and institutions policies, dictated by the Government school, and next year they will begin to offer the doctorate in Neurosciences at the school of psychology.
Soledad Arellano, academic Vice-Rector of the UAI, said that competition with foreign universities is strong. "On the one hand, the Chilean candidate usually prefers to leave Chile (United States and Europe). In the case of foreigners, we compete mainly with Latin American universities and U.S. The main decision variables are the prestige of the program and funding. The differentiation of the program is also relevant, e.g., is there not another doctorate in finance in the region,"he explains.
Value for the country
In general, a Ph.d. has an extension of four years, or eight semesters, plus six additional months for the realization of the thesis. But according to Jani Brouwer, PUC, the real average of study are approximately five and a half years. "Doctorates should be full-time, but in practice many students Besides work, despite having scholarship that delivers Conicyt and the same universities for four years. We as a University are trying to shorten the time of graduation,"he says.
The value of a Ph.d. in the different Chilean universities depends on the area of study and ranges from 2.5 million pesos to more than 20 million pesos.
According to figures from the National Commission for scientific and technological research (Conicyt), to June this year they postulated scholarships Chile (to start or continue studies for obtaining the academic degree of doctor at institutions of excellence abroad) 683 applicants, of which 45.4% were women and 54.6%, men. While in the competition of national PhD (which supports doctoral studies taught by Chilean universities for a maximum period of four years), to January of this year, applicants totalled 2.157, of which a 41.9% were women and a 58.1%, men .
Brouwer argues that to obtain the degree of doctor, in the case of UC, is required to have made a publication of the highest standard, along with internships abroad. "There is a correlation between the number of PhDs with research and development of a country. "In Chile are very low in terms of the number of PhD, so we have to increase graduates with PhD (per million population) in order to move forward as a country developed", says.
And adds: "If there are more researchers with doctorate, is can find solutions and work together with researchers from other countries, thus allowing greater participation in the global world of knowledge", says Brouwer.
A similar view has Denise Saint Jean, the UDD. He says that practitioners decide to do a PhD because interested in research, to identify complex social phenomena and solve society's problems.
