Appointment/duration.
PhD programmes at VU Amsterdam generally last three to four years, depending on the scientific discipline, type of appointment and funding. The VU Doctorate Regulations and the admission procedure apply to all PhD candidates, regardless of their type of appointment. The Doctorate Regulations cover matters as admission to the PhD programme and the responsibilities and authority of those involved in the programme.
The admission process begins when an employee is hired as an internal PhD candidate, or, in the case of researchers with a scholarship, externally financed PhD candidates, or external PhD candidates, when the supervisor agrees to supervise the PhD candidate. Generally, graduate schools/departments are responsible for the admission process. The admission process starts after the application for the doctorate is successful.
Registration
The PhD candidate and the supervision team are registered in the registration and tracking system Hora Finita. Follow-up steps in the PhD programme are also registered in this.
Training and supervision plan (TSP)
As soon as possible after registration, the agreements about supervision, research and education are registered in the training and supervision plan (TSP).
Supervision
Good supervision of PhD candidates is crucial; it contributes to the well-being of PhD candidates and an open, safe and inclusive research culture, high research quality, and it prevents delays and dropout of PhD programmes. To facilitate adequate supervision for PhD candidates and supervisors, Golden rules for supervision have been established. There are also suggestions for a go/no go procedure at the end of the first year.
For supervisors of PhD candidates, a PhD supervisors starting page has been prepared with relevant links. All supervisors of PhD candidates are obliged to follow the basic training course Supervising PhD candidates (starting or senior version) (offered by HRM). This also applies to experienced supervisors, unless they receive permission from the dean to follow a customised trajectory.
There are more (in-depth) training courses aimed at supervising PhD candidates from the VU Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). In the flowchart Training for supervisors of PhD students you will find more information on which training is the best match. For more information on the courses: Personal development VU employees - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Education
The educational programme for PhD candidates provides for a variety of activities that strengthen the academic, professional, and general skills of PhD candidates. During the doctoral period, each PhD candidate must obtain 30 EC. Guidelines for following PhD candidate education can be found here.
Teaching
Teaching is a skill that PhD candidates need to acquire as academics, and should preferably be an integral part of PhD trajectories. Teaching can have a positive effect on their academic training and future career steps. However, it is important to keep teaching time limited, to assure timely completion of the doctoral programme.
The teaching includes, but is not limited to, giving tutorials, practical classes, lectures, and providing support in writing theses and doing research to Bachelor and Master students. Faculty guidelines for the time and activities dedicated to teaching for the different categories of PhD candidates are given here.
Thesis and Plagiarism Scan
Guidelines and suggestions for dissertation composition and scope can be found here. Authorship of scientific articles should be well agreed upon between PhD candidate and supervisors. A presentation on authorship can be found here.
All PhD candidates starting from 1 September 2022 are required to submit one written product in the first phase of the PhD programme to a plagiarism check. In addition, all PhD candidates, who started before September 2022 can voluntarily use the tool up to once a year.
Reimbursement
The regulation regarding reimbursement expenses incurred during a PhD trajectory can be found here.
