Required actions to complete a PhD programme
Before a PhD candidate and their supervisor or supervisors can complete a PhD track, they are required to carry out various actions. Without completion of the following actions, the PhD defence ceremony cannot take place.
The PhD candidate is required to take action on the following occasions.
1. At least four months before the intended date of the PhD ceremony
After consultation with the supervisor or supervisors, the PhD candidate can upload the pdf of the manuscript in MyPhD. After formal approval in MyPhD by all supervisors, the first supervisor will receive an email with the request to recommend the composition of an Assessment Committee.
As soon as the composition of the Assessment Committee in MyPhD has been approved, the Assessment Committee will receive a request for assessment via MyPhD with a link to the uploaded manuscript. The members of the Committee will have four weeks to provide their assessment.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 14.
2. At least three and a half months before the intended date of the PhD ceremony
As soon as the composition of the Assessment Committee in MyPhD has been approved, the PhD candidate will receive confirmation by email. From this moment on the PhD candidate can set a preliminary date for for the PhD ceremony in consultation with the Beadle's Office.
3. At least two and a half months before the date of the PhD defence
Register the title page and the reverse of the title page in MyPhD. The Beadle will inspect the registration and approve it, also in MyPhD. Apply the strict guidelines while making the title page and the reverse as indicated in the email that MyPhD sends automatically after the Assessment Committee has been approved.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 19 and Instructions to the PhD candidate (pdf) Article 2 and 3.
Send the thesis to the printer. This is only allowed after the Assessment Committee has approved the manuscript and the Beadle has approved the title page and the reverse. The PhD candidate will receive confirmation of both approvals via MyPhD.
The aforementioned conditions do not take the time required to print the doctoral thesis into consideration separately. This (strict) time schedule allows for a period of seven weeks to have the doctoral thesis printed.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 16 and 19 and Instructions to the PhD candidate (pdf) Article 4, 5, 6, 9 and 11.
4. At least two months before the date of the PhD defence
For information on the possibilities of having a PhD ceremony online or in the Utrecht University Hall please contact the Beadle.
5. At least six weeks before the date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
Register information in MyPhD for Communications & Marketing and the University Library, as indicated in the email that MyPhD sends automatically after the Assessment Commission has approved the manuscript.
The requested information includes: popular Dutch and English summaries (no more than 250 words) of the doctoral thesis, and a Dutch scientific summary of the doctoral thesis. These summaries need to be approved by the supervisor or supervisors.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 19 and Instructions to the PhD candidate (pdf) Article 7 and 25.
6. At least three weeks before the date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
Send one copy of the thesis the Beadle’s Office. For a defence ceremony in the Utrecht University Hall the PhD candidate needs to bring 11 copies of the thesis. For an online defence ceremony this is not necessary.
Upload the definitive pdf of the doctoral thesis and the cover (as sent to the printer) to MyPhD for the University Library and complete the form as indicated in the email that MyPhD sends automatically after the Assessment Committee has approved the manuscript. Note: this form also includes information on a possible embargo period on publication for the University Library.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 19, Instructions to the PhD candidate (pdf) Article 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Send copies of the doctoral thesis to the chairperson and the members of the Doctoral Examination Committee.
Schedule a meeting with the chairperson of the Doctoral Examination Committee. For the name of the chairperson please contact the faculty contactperson of your department or faculty.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 21, Instructions to the PhD candidate (pdf) Article 13.
The supervisor or cosupervisors are required to take action on the following occasions.
1. At least four months before the intended date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
After consultation with the supervisor or co supervisor, the PhD candidate can upload the manuscript to the registration in MyPhD. After formal approval in MyPhD by all supervisors and co supervisors, the first supervisor will receive an email with the request to recommend the composition of an Assessment Committee..
As soon as the composition of the Assessment Committee in MyPhD has been approved, the Assessment Committee will receive a request for assessment via MyPhD. The members of the Committee will have four weeks to provide their assessment.
As soon as the composition of the Assessment Committee in MyPhD has been approved, the PhD candidate will receive a confirmation by email. From this moment the PhD candidate can set a preliminary date for for the PhD ceremony in consultation with the Beadle's Office.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 12,13 and 14.
2. At least two and a halve months before the date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
As soon as the approval of the manuscript by the members of the Assessment Committee has been registered on MyPhD, the first supervisor will receive a request from MyPhD to register the Doctoral Examination Committee via MyPhD. After this registering has been done correctly, MyPhD will inform the Beadle, the chairperson of the Doctoral Examination Committee and the other members of the the Doctoral Examination Committee by email. The Beadle will inform the parties concerned via a separate mail about the procedures on the day of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 16 en 22.
3. At least four weeks before the date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
If there is a possibility for a cum laude, the Dean – after consultation with the chairperson of the Assessment Committee (this is the Dean in some faculties) and the supervisors – will pass on the names of at least two experts to the Rector Magnificus via MyPhD.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 17.
4. At least five work days before the date of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony
If the experts who were invited via MyPhD agree in their assessment filed in MyPhD with a possible cum laude doctoral degree, all involved parties, including the Beadle, will be informed by email of this.
See also: Doctoral Degree Regulations Article 17 and 22.