Postgraduate desk drought

Over the past ten years the number of full-time research postgraduates has increased 129 per cent but this has not been matched by funding. Therefore since undergraduate numbers have also increased, more and more postgraduates are being squeezed into what is often less and less accommodation.

A research degree is an individual experience, but it should not be a solitary one. The chance to talk over work with other students as well as one's supervisor is stimulating, lending enthusiasm, fresh ideas and reassurance.

It is unfortunate, therefore, that the postgraduate common room is one of the first things to disappear when departments are pressed for space. One recognises the pressure on departments, but they in turn must recognise that postgraduate research provides a base for other research.

The National Postgraduate Committee is drafting guidelines on postgraduate accommodation. Top of this list is that all full-time research students should be entitled to a desk in their departments.

Over the course of a research project a desk guards against students becoming semi-detached and only visiting the department to see their supervisors.

Isolation is a real problem particularly when students approach the "two- year hitch" - a period of doubt for many as they start writing their thesis.

Most part-time fees do not cover the cost of a desk. But a common study room for part-time postgraduates, perhaps shared by departments, could be a solution. Something must be provided, lest the fee becomes no more than a high-cost library card with visiting rights to a supervisor.

Many institutions have policies to increase research student numbers but few have plans for providing adequate resources. Many departments simply shoe-horn more students into existing rooms or move desks into the corridor. A space in which to work and interact with other students is a necessary resource, and departments must provide this if they are serious about high- quality graduate education.

JAMES IRVINE Chair, National Postgraduate Committee.