Postgraduate Education and the Student's Contribution to Research

The Swinnerton‐Dyer Report of the Working Party on Postgraduate Education bases its recommendations on meeting the manpower needs of society. It largely omits from consideration the contribution to research and knowledge that postgraduates may make while working towards research degrees. This article uses interview and observational data from a study of postgraduate research students in physics to attempt to predict the possible effects on university research of any reductions in the number of postgraduate students. It is argued that manpower needs is only one of a number of criteria which need to be used in any consideration of future postgraduate numbers.