The development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is firmly rooted in the idea of higher education (HE) as the cornerstone of a knowledge-based society. Throughout Europe, HE bodies are addressing issues of quality, mobility, employability and lifelong learning. HE agencies and institutions alike are working hard to harmonise European degrees and apply quality assurance standards (ESG, 2005). Central to these efforts is the development of outcome-based curricula and assessment. Doctoral programmes are viewed as the “third cycle”, to be aligned with the framework for qualifications (QF-EHEA, 2005) and equipped with degree descriptors expressed as learning outcomes. Doctoral education is thus viewed from a curricular perspective (Gilbert, 2009). This view is in many ways at odds with the traditional view, where the doctoral degree is earned mainly by doing research as presented in a thesis. These ongoing changes to doctoral education may be labelled either a crisis for research or a possibility to supply society with skilled people (Coate & Leonard, 2002).

In Sweden, the alignment to the QF-EHEA took place in 2007. The Swedish HE Ordinance now states intended learning outcomes for all degrees. For the doctoral degree, ten multifaceted learning outcomes now exist under three headings: knowledge and understanding, skills and competence, and judgement and approach.  These outcomes outline a wide and detailed account of the requirements of the doctorate and describe qualifications not easily assessed through a thesis alone. This raises the question of whether the new outcomes are being integrated in the assessment of the degree and affecting doctoral student learning, or whether they are just an administrative layer on top of traditional practices for doctoral education.

This study addresses the question of whether the new intended learning outcomes are being made part of the social practices of doctoral education or not.

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