Categories of PhD candidates

1. Employed PhD candidate (werknemer-promovendus). A PhD candidate with a labour contract as a PhD candidate for a period of, usually, 4 years at Utrecht University or the UMC Utrecht. Most PhD candidates fall under this category.

2. Employee in PhD track (promoverende medewerker). Other types of appointments at one of the institutes at Utrecht Science Park that combine research with other tasks such as patient care or teaching. Many clinicians fall into this category.

A PhD candidate with a scholarship does not have an employment contract with the university but receives funding for doctoral research from an external scholarship provider. In addition to the requirements of the scholarship programme, Utrecht University must admit you as a PhD candidate. This means that the PhD candidate has to meet the entrance requirements and should have a prospective supervisor affiliated with Utrecht University.

Externally funded PhD candidates are permitted to work on their doctoral research in their employer’s time (which might be at a government, company or research institute). Their salaries are therefore paid by their employers, but their doctoral research is conducted under the guidance of a supervisor at Utrecht University.

External PhD candidates receive no funding for their doctoral research in the form of a salary or scholarship, but obtain their doctorates in their own time, supported by their own resources. They receive guidance from a supervisor at Utrecht University. Research is often conducted on a part-time basis and such candidates have no dedicated workspace at the university, which means that external PhD candidates are somewhat detached from the university. This demands a high degree of independence. Nevertheless, the same requirements are placed on the quality of supervision and thesis, as in all types of doctoral programmes.