Research On American Postgraduate Cultivating Mode

A basic symbol measuring a national higher education development, culture and science growth as well as its potential and prospect is the quality and quantity of postgraduate since postgraduate education is the top level of higher education. It ought to be noted that the quality and quantity of postgraduate is closely related to the postgraduate cultivating mode, to a further degree, the postgraduate cultivating mode is a key factor in affecting the quality of postgraduate. Hence, the reform of cultivating mode is not only necessary requirement of synchronized development of the postgraduate educational scale and quality, but also demand for promoting social economy development.Since the period of colony, American postgraduate education was characterized by its unique feature and formed a set of complete and standardized postgraduate cultivating mode with diversification and flexibility after associating American local practice and revolution and innovation on the basis of referring German mode, which represents the advanced level of postgraduate education in the world as well as future developing tendency of postgraduate education and has increasingly became successful exemplification acknowledged and followed by modern international society.Guided by the literature, historical and comparative research methods, this thesis chooses American postgraduate cultivating mode as the object of research so as to making an objective and comprehensive research on relevant knowledge. Adopting literature method is for the purpose of summarizing literature on American postgraduate cultivating mode, using predecessor's main research achievement, emphasis and methods for reference. The paper looks back on the development process of American postgraduate cultivating mode with its development cause as well as the development rule clarified through the use of historical research method, which forecasts the future growing tendency of Chinese postgraduate cultivating mode. The dissertation selects America as comparative target of China and adopts comparative research method to analyze the current situation and features of American postgraduate cultivating mode, aiming at giving reference for perfecting Chinese postgraduate cultivating mode.The whole thesis is composed of four parts.Introduction, the first part of this thesis, firstly presents the origin as well as the significance of the study, the present situation of research and the related research methods and thought. Secondly, it constituts basic theory framework for the thesis through making theoretical concept of cultivating mode and postgraduate cultivating mode.Chapter II, namely the second part, explains the theoretical basis of postgraduate cultivating mode,which respectively introduces the composing elements of the postgraduate cultivating mode and the real factors in affecting postgraduate cultivating mode. Then it analyzes the composing elements of postgraduate cultivating mode which are cultivating objective, cultivating process, curriculum design and quality management. Furthermore, it points out the real factors in affecting postgraduate cultivating mode from the development of science and technology, the knowledge economy, the idea of lifelong education and generalization of higher education, which shows the cause of the reform of the postgraduate cultivating mode.The third part, including Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter V and Chapter VI, detailedly illustrates specific status of American postgraduate cultivating mode. Chapter III describes that the type of American postgraduate degree contains Master degree and Doctoral Degree. Chapter IV reviews evolution process of American postgraduate cultivating mode from four stages which are the embryonic stage, the forming stage, the stage of flourishing development and the stage of reform and exploration. Chapter V analyzes the current situation of postgraduate cultivating mode in the United States from four aspects: cultivating objective, cultivating process, curriculum design and quality management. Chapter VI inquires into the following six characteristics with regards to American postgraduate cultivating mode: diversified cultivating objective, cultivating process in professionalizing, curriculum design in flexibility, quality management in strictness, cultivating purpose in socialization and cultivating trend towards internationalization.Chapter VII is the fourth part. After combining the pratice of Chinese postgraduate cultivation on the basis of using American postgraduate cultivating mode for reference, it provides some meaningful enlightenment, which are : 1) realizing diversified cultivating targets; 2) adjusting periods of educational acceptance and implementing flexible length of schooling; 3) reforming the teaching of courses; 4) carrying out responsible system charged by tutor group; 5) establishing cooperative mechanism between higher school and science & research units and enterprises; 6) perfecting curriculum design; 7) improving the level of the quality management of postgraduate; 8) adapting postgraduate education to international trend; 9) creating free and relaxing academic environment for postgraduate's study; 10) emphasizing the cultivation of postgraduate's innovative ability.