Beginning to end

At the start of your PhD programme, you must register properly in MyPhD, as described on the UU pages on PhD registration. Before submission, the registration must be inspected and approved by your supervisors and other involved parties.

(Deviation for non-standard and non-scholarship PhD candidates in timing of registration.)

Within three months after the start of your programme, complete your Training and Supervision Agreement (TSA). The TSA sets out the rights and obligations of you and your supervisors during the PhD programme. Discuss the possibilities for courses (as part of your education and development) with your supervisor, and make sure you ask for approval if costs are involved. Once you agreed on the TSA, you upload it in MyPhD. Your supervisors then formally approve the TSA in MyPhD, where it is also stored.

As a PhD candidate, you have a Progress Review at least once a year: a meeting with your supervisor to discuss your progress and the supervision. For UU employees, this is the Assessment and Development Interview (A&D). Your supervisor is responsible for the planning and conduct of the meeting, but you can also take the initiative for this meeting yourself. Both you and your supervisor may each bring someone else along, if desired, in consultation with each other (for example, a daily supervisor).

Use this meeting to formalise agreements, for example, expected output, supervision, working/research internship abroad, planned attendance of conferences (see tips and tricks) and discipline-specific or general courses (see education and development). Hence, training is an important topic during the interview, other than the assessment. Discuss with your supervisor beforehand which topics will be addressed. 

Before the meeting, you write a progress report. Use the A&D form if you are a UU-employee, and the Progress review form GSG for non-employees otherwise. Send it to your supervisor(s) at least one week prior to the meeting. Your supervisor records the assessment and the agreements made in the meeting in a report. You confirm this written, confidential report. If you are a UU employee or if you are registered as a guest with GEO HR, your supervisor sends the report to GEO HR (hr.geo@uu.nl), who files the report in your digital personnel file and registers it in the administration. Otherwise, you and your supervisor keep a digital copy yourselves.

If you are a standard PhD candidate, the first A&D takes place in the sixth month of your employment. The second A&D (in the ninth month) includes a decision on continuation after the first year (Go/No-go). For other UU employees a similar Go/No-go procedure is followed, but the timing is adapted to the situation at hand. For other PhD candidates, the Go/No-go procedure depends on the specific agreements.

PhD candidates employed by the Faculty of Geosciences usually are involved in teaching. The total time of the training component (including training on the job in teaching and following courses) is at most 20% of your total employment time. Specific tasks may differ per department. The objective of these teaching activities is to gain teaching experience and improve qualifications for a future academic position. You cannot be asked to spend time on teaching tasks in the final year of your track. Teaching in the final year is allowed only on a voluntary basis.

All PhD candidates whose PhD tracks start from 1 September 2020 onwards at Utrecht University and that have education tasks, should enroll in education training. Exceptions are possible in special cases. You should enroll in education training (preferably) before you start with your education tasks. You can read more about this topic on the Education and Development site, under “Mandatory courses”.

Everyone involved in academic teaching and research at Utrecht University shares in the responsibility to maintain academic integrity. Promising that you will always perform your duties according to the principles of academic integrity will be part of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony. 

Valorisation is one of the core tasks of Utrecht University – Teaching and Research being the other two. Valorisation activities may be targeted at the societal domain, for example, contributing to the public debate through public engagement. Economic valorisation, on the other hand, is aimed at the creation of economic value from knowledge, for example, though initiating a start-up. Valorisation may be relevant in your research as well. You may want to discuss the possibilities with your supervisor. Geosciences’ Societal Impact Guide may help you. Also, courses and workshops are available if you want to learn more about this (see education and development). 

Good supervision is crucial for a successful PhD trajectory. You, as a PhD candidate, and your supervisors each have a role and responsibility in the supervision process. It is good to make these explicit and to express expectations to each other. To support this, the UU has developed a vision on PhD supervision - an overview of "guiding principles" for PhD candidates and supervisors. The GSG has adopted the UU vision without modifications (GSG vision).

How to use this vision? The vision clarifies the aspects that play a role during supervision. We advise you to check your own attitude to this and discuss the mutual expectations with your supervisor(s). You can use the vision as a guideline.

To be allowed to defend your PhD thesis and obtain your PhD, you will have to follow/arrange many official procedures, starting with the formal approval of your thesis by your supervisor(s) at least four months before your intended date of defence, and, upon the supervisors’ approval, asking the Beadle’s Office to assign a provisional date for the doctoral thesis defence ceremony. The UU pages on practical matters provide more information on the PhD thesis approval and the necessary regulations and forms to complete your PhD programme (including information about the ceremony and a time schedule). 

MyPhD plays an important role in this phase. For example, you upload the pdf of your manuscript in MyPhD, for formal approval of your supervisors. Also a number of subsequent formal steps are facilitated through MyPhD. The UU pages on the required actions to complete a PhD programme provides you with a detailed description.

The faculty and university provide information for all employees through:

• general information for new UU employees, with pointers to many topics, for example, IT, health and illness, expense declaration, annual assessment and development interviews. 
• the university Intranet, where you can find university related information such as procedures, news, facilities, expense claims, IT.

Also see support and counsellors. 

PhD representation councils and organisations provide useful information on the PhD track and other PhD-related matters. Also see tips and tricks for more information. 

• The Collective Labour Agreement (cao) for Dutch Universities applies to the employees of Utrecht University, see the VSNU website. It lists the terms of employment of various kinds.
• Utrecht University also has a number of additional terms of employment that specifically apply to the organisation.

If you have any questions about the terms of employment, you can contact the Faculty Human Resources department. See support and counsellors for the contact details. 

Utrecht University has extended and expanded her fund for PhD candidates and postdocs whose research has been delayed due to the coronavirus. More details, such as target group, conditions and application procedure can be found at the faculty’s site on this topic. Please note that you discuss and complete the application form together with your supervisor. Submission of the application is done by your supervisor.