Your PhD from start to finish

MyPhD is the official administrative system that Utrecht University uses to register and track the progress of PhD candidates (promovendi-volgsysteem). Administrative processes related to the PhD, i.e. the submission of the thesis, run through MyPhD in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the UU Board for the Conferral of Doctoral Degrees. In addition, the system allows you to register training and thus monitor your progress regarding PhD education (see Phd education). 

Registration to MyPhD is mandatory for all PhD candidates. Please register as early as possible within your PhD - ideally within your first 3 month at UU. 

To register in MyPhD, you need to provide the following documents and information:

• An electronic copy of your most relevant degree, including the name of the institute, type of degree programme, type and date of degree. If you have questions about the validity of foreign or other degrees, please contact the Admissions Office (admissionsoffice@uu.nl).
• An electronic copy of a valid ID.
  Note for Dutch citizens: If you want, you can make your Citizens Service Number (BSN) illegible on the copy. Rijksoverheid.nl describes how to make a secure copy of your ID (only in Dutch).
• The working title of your doctoral thesis. This can be adjusted at any stage of your PhD.
• The composition of your supervisory team: If your supervisors have an employment contract at Utrecht University their information is automatically completed by MyPhD. If you have an external member within your supervisory team, you have to provide their details yourself. This includes full name, initials, title, e-mail address and name & postal address of their place of employment.
• Your choice of mentor 

The registration process also contains an item where you are asked to confirm that you are aware of The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (that all researchers have to comply to) and will act accordingly during your PhD. 

For more information regarding MyPhD, please consult the MyPhD intranet page, the manuals page on MyPhD or contact the key-user for the Faculty of Science (contact details on the intranet or manuals page). 

The Training and Supervision Agreement (TSA) is your individual training plan as well as an agreement between you and your supervisory team regarding supervision and your PhD education. All PhD candidates are required to submit their TSA to MyPhD. This has to be done as early as possible, ideally within three months of the start of your PhD. Your supervisors will be asked to approve your TSA and thereby agree to finance your intended training programme.

Discuss the knowledge and skills you will need to develop during your PhD with your supervisory team, as well as mutual expectations concerning supervision and teaching tasks, and fill out the TSA together. Agreements made regarding for instance the go/no-go decision or the frequency of meetings can also be recorded in the TSA.

Your intended training programme may constitute of a mixture of courses, seminars, symposia, etc. (see PhD education for more information on the (requirements) of PhD training) and can be adapted to your needs throughout your PhD. Revisit and use your TSA to monitor your development during your PhD and to prepare for your annual progress meetings (A&D or PhD progress meeting, see below). You do not have to resubmit an adjusted TSA to MyPhD.

Download the GSNS TSA here. 

All PhD candidates pursuing a PhD degree at Utrecht University are required to have an annual PhD progress meeting with their supervisory team to monitor the progress of their PhD. These meetings should also include the evaluation of supervision, discussion of training needs and general work circumstances.

For PhD candidates with an employee status these are called assessment & development interviews (A&D; beoordeling en ontwikkeling (B&O) gesprek) and are coordinated by the Human Resources (HR) department. The A&D requires a progress report  that includes a reflection part written beforehand and the report of the meeting itself. The report will be part of the employees file with HR.
In contrast, the annual PhD progress meetings of PhD candidates without an employee status do not require formal documentation. However, we strongly suggest that the same procedure is followed and the same documentation is used as for the A&D interviews of employed PhD candidates. Alternatively, you can use this exemplary form of the GSNS for the PhD progress meeting. 

Please note: The first annual progress meeting or A&D also forms the basis for the go/no-go decision and during the meeting one year before your intended defence date you need to draw up a plan of completion with your supervisors (more information in the next sections).  

Preparing for your annual progress meetings

In preparation of the annual progress meetings, PhD candidates are encouraged to collect feedback from their colleagues and to reflect on their performance using the TRIPLE model (team spirit; research; impact; professional performance; leadership; and education). Additionally, the PhD competencies self-assessment tool (PhD Competence Model) can be used to monitor progress in the development of academic and transferable skills and to discuss training needs with supervisors. It can also be helpful to re-visit the individual training plan in your TSA and use it as a basis for discussion.

The first annual progress meeting, at the end of the first year of a full-time PhD programme also forms the basis for the go/no-go decision. The go/no go decision (go = continuing the PhD; no-go = not continuing the PhD) is a formal and binding decision whether to continue the PhD programme or not. The timing and stipulations of this decision may vary depending on local context, but it is often linked (in time) to the first PhD progress meeting and legally required to take place within the first 18 months of the (full-time) PhD.

Make sure to discuss expectations and stipulations of a 'go' or 'no-go' with your supervisory team early on. Agreements made regarding the go/no-go decision can be recorded in the TSA .

Depending on your category of PhD candidate and your contract, you will be asked to do teaching tasks during your PhD. PhD candidates with an employee status usually have an contract that includes teaching tasks (10-15% of appointment depending on the department), while PhD candidates without an employee status (PhD candidates with a scholarship, externally funded or external PhD candidates) usually do not have to teach.

Specific tasks and the way they are distributed may differ between department and research groups. In general, the objective of these teaching activities is to gain teaching experience, to improve qualifications for a future academic position and to contribute to the teaching tasks of your department.

If you have teaching task during your PhD, you are required to obtain training before or while you start your teaching activities. See PhD education for more information.

The doctoral thesis contains at least a general introduction, publishable research chapters and a general discussion, that need to form a collective unit. Besides the scientific content, a concise curriculum vitae, a description of the composition of the assessment committee and (if written in English) a Dutch summary and translation of the title is obligatory in accordance to the doctoral degree regulations. Often laymen summaries as well as personal acknowledgements are added as well. At Utrecht University, propositions are not a part of the defence and PhD thesis.

General introduction

In the general introduction, the PhD candidate describes their view of the current state-of-the art in their discipline. Gaps in scientific knowledge are highlighted and an overview of the thesis introduced. The general introduction contains information that readers need to know to comprehend the context of the research chapters. If a review article is used as part of the general introduction, a short general introduction and overview of the thesis must be added. There is no minimum length for the introduction; quality is the only criterium.

Research chapters

The GSNS defines a publishable research chapter as a (future) publication or a substantial part of a more extensive study. It is not a requirement that the chapters in your thesis are published. Nor is there a requirement for the number of research chapters in a thesis: quality, coherence, complexity and the specific contributions of the PhD candidate prevail over quantity. The guideline is 3 or more publishable chapters, but fewer can be justified, for example, by the extensiveness or the complexity of the work.

The research chapter contain work that demonstrates that the PhD candidate has followed the scientific research cycle:

• Identification of the gap in scientific knowledge;
• Outline of the approach;
• Description of data collection and analysis, or analysis of existing databases;
• Reflection on the results within the context of the specific field.

The length and format of a chapter, the scientific depth, the quality of data collection and analysis thereof, should be of a level customary to the specific discipline.

General discussion

In this final chapter, the PhD candidate reflects with a birds-eye perspective on their research chapters and notable findings. Future opportunities for research are identified and the impact on the research field and society discussed. There is explicitly no minimum length for the discussion; quality is the only criterion.

The Assessment Committee decides whether your manuscript demonstrates the your capacity for the independent pursuit of research to such an extent that you shall be admitted to defend their thesis.
The members of the assessment committee are appointed by the Board of Conferral of Doctoral degrees, after recommendation by the supervisory team and according to the Doctoral Degree Regulations of Utrecht University. When committee members accept the invitation to take part in the committee, they are asked to document their decision within four weeks in MyPhD. They assess the manuscript based on four aspects: originality, scientific level, written presentation and an overall assessment. In addition, they are asked if the thesis might be awarded a cum laude (with distinction) designation; i.e., thesis quality is among the top 3-5% in the relevant field of research worldwide.

The Beadle (pedel) is a university official that acts as a master of ceremonies during PhD defences and other academic ceremonies. The Beadle’s Office advises on and assists with these ceremonies. This includes the planning of PhD defences. Contact the Beadle’s Office from Monday to Friday or send an email to pedel@uu.nl.

The thesis defence takes place before an examination committee – the opponents – which are appointed by the Board for the Conferral of Doctoral degrees on the recommendation of the first supervisor, with the approval of the dean. The committee consists of voting and advisory members, as laid down in the Doctoral Degree Regulations.

The PhD defence in the Netherlands is public and has a strong ceremonial character. Among the customs to adhere to are specific clothing requirements and highly scripted speech as well as action sequences. Most of these customs and requirements are laid down in either the doctoral degree regulations or the instructions for PhD candidates and will also be explained in detail to the PhD candidate by the chair of the examination committee before the defence.  Ceremonial functions like the Beadle and Paranymphs also play an important part during the PhD defence.

Paranymphs (from Greek prefix para = alongside or next to; and nymphē = bride; NL: paranimfen) can be compared to wedding witnesses and play a purely ceremonial role. Each PhD candidate appoints two paranymphs. These are often colleagues, but family members or friends are also possible. Paranymphs do not need to have knowledge of the dissertation. It is customary that the paranymphs aid the PhD candidate with the organisation of the festivities after the defence.

Another aspect of a PhD defence in the Netherlands is its highly scripted nature. At Utrecht University the time of the defence is strictly delineated to 45 min of opposition (Please note: contrary to other Dutch Universities, the opposition is not preceded by a laymen’s talk). This is safeguarded by the Beadle.

During the opposition, independent of the language of the defence, PhD candidates are required to formally address their opponents in Dutch when answering their first question. The terms of address depend on their status (e.g. opposing professor, doctor or supervisor) and are defined in the Instructions for PhD candidates.

The opposition ends when the Beadle announces ‘hora est’ (lat.: it is time) and is followed by a closed-door deliberation of the examination committee. If the defence is deemed successful, the PhD candidate will then receive the doctoral degree with all the rights and obligations attached to it.

The ceremony is concluded by a laudatio to the new Doctor of Philosophy by a member of their supervisory team. The ceremony is often followed by a reception (at the University Hall), a dinner (with close family and friends as well as the supervisory team, paranymphs and sometimes even members of the examination committee) and further celebration during the evening. 

Upon successfully defending their thesis, the PhD candidate will receive a diploma written in Latin (degree certificate) and a translation in English, together with a legally valid English declaration of the doctorate. 

If PhD graduates, following the PhD thesis defence ceremony, need a proof of their defence, this can be requested via the office of the Board of Conferral of Doctoral Degrees. If, however, they need a validated and certified copy of their diploma to use abroad, they need to contact DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs).  

In addition to your PhD Degree you can receive the GSNS PhD Training Certificate on the day of your defense, provided that your training portefolio meets the requirements of the certificate and you have requested the certificate prior to your defense.

The GSNS PhD Training Certificate demonstrates that you have actively participated in doctoral education and developed your personal competencies during your PhD. It also serves as transcript of the training that you have taken while pursuing your PhD.

To obtain a GSNS PhD Training Certificate, the PhD candidate should have done a minimum of 5 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System; 1 credit = 28 hours and 1.5 credits = 1 week) for each fulltime equivalent year of research appointment (15-20 ECTS in total). A minimum of 20% of the total credits were transferrable skill training.

Please request your Training Certificate at least 8 weeks before your defence via email to science.phd@uu.nl.