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 (see section X) 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. 

Every year, you will have an Assessment & Development interview (A&D) with your supervisors (‘promotor’ and ‘co-promotor’). The first interview takes place in the twelfth month of your employment. The second A&D interview, in the sixth month of your second year, includes a decision on continuation of your PhD (Go/No-Go). Thereafter, A&D interviews continue every twelfth month of every year of your contract.

When an A&D interview is due, one month before the scheduled date, you will receive an email through MyPhD with the incentive for the interview. Write your progress report with the form which is provided on intranet and email this to your (co-)promotor. Before the interview, print the ‘portfolio’ form from MyPhD which recounts the formerly agreed planning of training and teaching activities. Use the meeting to renew these agreements, e.g. on expected output, supervision, working or a research internship abroad, planned attendance of conferences (see tips and tricks), teaching activities and your discuss your educational needs (see PhD education). Plan with your supervisors beforehand which topics will be addressed. Register the new activities you have decided on in MyPhD. Your promotor will upload a signed A&D report in MyPhD to be archived by the HR-department.

If you are not employed by Utrecht University you will have a yearly review with your supervisor(s) about your annual progress.

Most PhD candidates employed by the Science Faculty spend time on teaching activities. You can be requested to do so up to a maximum of 10 or 15% (depending on the department) of your appointment. Specific tasks and the way they are distributed differ per department and research group. The objective of these teaching activities is to gain teaching experience and improve qualifications for a future academic position, and to contribute to the teaching tasks of the 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 or the Development guide on the intranet for the course offerings. An example is the Start to teach Training, which is open to all staff members (including PhD candidates) who have little or no teaching experience. You may use MyPhD to keep track of your teaching activities.

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, through initiating a start-up. Valorisation may be relevant in your research as well. You may want to discuss the possibilities with your supervisors and follow training on the subject during your PhD. 

To be allowed to defend your PhD thesis and obtain your PhD, you will have to follow a number of official procedures. This starts with uploading your thesis in MyPhD, thereby asking the approval of your thesis by your (co-)promotors, at least six months before your intended date of the defence. Upon the promotors’ approval, you should contact the Beadle’s Office to assign a provisional date for the doctoral thesis defence ceremony. Approval of your thesis by your promotor sets in motion subsequent procedures which in the end results in the final approval of your thesis by the College for Doctoral Programs (of which you will receive notice).

When you have completed 20 EC of training you can apply for a certificate. To be eligible for a certificate you must upload an item of proof (e.g. a course certificate of a confirmation for registration of a conference) for each activity that you register. Contact the GSNS (science.phd@uu.nl) to obtain one.

The UU pages on practical matters provide more information on the PhD thesis approval and the regulations to complete your PhD (including information about the ceremony and a time schedule).