Professional doctorates in psychology and medicine in new zealand and australia: Context of development and characteristics

Abstract

Policy reforms and calls for the need to link university ends with national economic priorities in government reports of the 1990s–2000s provided a context for the subsequent proliferation of professional doctorates in New Zealand and Australia. In these two countries with a unique context of close geographical, economic, and sociopolitical ties, the professional doctorates in psychology and medicine have taken different forms in the development process (Zurn & Dumont, 2008). Given such a transnational context, it is argued that a cross-country case study methodology seeking to identify the characteristics of these professional doctorates will add a new dimension to scholarship in this subject. The findings of this study can be used as a platform for enquiry or discussion about other countries that have similar sociopolitical or geographical ties and health professional regulation mechanisms as is the case between Canada and the United States.