PhDs/guests
How to obtain a PhD
A Master degree is the prerequisite to be eligible to work on a doctorate (PhD-thesis).
The project takes at least four years and consists of independent research, supervised by a professor ('promotor'), who has consented to lend his or her assistance.
The doctorate candidate ('promovendus') is not a student, nor is he or she registered as such at the university. The promovendus is required to incorporate the findings of his or her research in a doctoral dissertation ('proefschrift'), and to defend it in a public sitting of the university's Council of Deans. A dissertation may be written in Dutch, English or French, but must be defended in Dutch, unless permission is granted to conduct it in one of the other two languages.
Most doctorate candidates are employed by the university as trainee research assistants ('Assistent in Opleiding', AIO) or as a trainee researcher ('Onderzoeker in Opleiding', OIO).
The candidate may also be employed elsewhere or carry out research in his or her own time. However, in order to work in the Netherlands, non-EU candidates must have a residence permit specifically for this purpose.
More information on regulations, practical matters and financial aid can be obtained by following the links below.
