Supervision
PhD candidates at the Faculty of Humanities have two supervisors, one of them being a full professor. In principle, PhD candidates see their supervisor(s) once a month to discuss progress.
First year assessment
In their first year, PhD candidates are evaluated on the basis of a pilot study — a 30-50 page paper or chapter which demonstrates the candidate’s ability to handle the material and object of the thesis in an academic way (see below). If the supervisors are satisfied by the quality of the pilot study and the revised work plan, the contract/affiliation with the PhD candidate will be extended by three years. After this first evaluation, the PhD candidates are asked to report on their progress on a yearly basis.
UvAnet and Library Access
PhD candidates receive a UvAnet ID which gives access to databases and electronic journals to which the UvA Library subscribes. The UvAnet ID will also give access to email facilities, both with an email client and with webmail, and a login for UvA computers.
Office Space
At the Faculty of Humanities the departments are responsible for providing office space. If possible, the research school will try to arrange a flexible work space for externally or self-funded PhD candidates.
Training
The research schools, the Graduate School of Humanities and the National Research Schools all offer PhD training. Their programmes are open to all PhD candidates.
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Welcome letter
In the welcome letter you will find a lot of practical information regarding the job, facilities for PhD candidates, regulations, and social opportunities.
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Training and Supervision Plan
All PhD candidates are requiered to fill the Training and Supervision Plan. This plan is not set in stone, but can and will be adjusted as the PhD evolves. However, it is essential that you discuss and agree with your supervisors on how to proceed. Also we ask you to select and join one of the national research schools.
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Pilot Study
All faculty-funded PhD candidates are expected to hand in a pilot study for evaluation in their first year. The pilot study is evaluated by the supervisors, an external reader and the director of the Research School. The director of the school decides on the basis of the evaluations if the project will be continued. Since the continuation of the PhD project depends on the quality of the pilot study, the timely completion of the pilot study should be the absolute priority for both the PhD candidate and the supervisors in the first year.
The month in which the evaluation will take place is stipulated in the PhD candidate’s employment contract and is usually 6 months before the end of the contract date (normally for PhD candidates with a full time contract in the 9th month of the contract period).
Each school provides both the supervisors and the PhD candidates with guidelines regarding the pilot study and the first-year assessment at the start of the PhD candidate’s contract period. These guidelines are also available from the respective websites.
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Research Budget
All PhD candidates are entitled to a research budget for presenting papers at conferences, research travel to archives/fieldwork/research trips, and the production of the thesis.
Self-funded PhD candidates (all PhD candidates who do not have a contract from the Faculty of Humanities) have a total budget of up to 3.750 euro (for their entire trajectory) for the conferences, research travel to archives/fieldwork/research trips (travel and accommodation, participation fee); and for the production of the thesis (printing, light editing). Costs for the cloak room at the defense venue can be claimed afterwards, on the basis of the invoice of the venue.
To apply for this funding, and receive details how to claim, please contact Astrit Blommestijn via E: extprom-fgw@uva.nl.
Externally funded PhD candidates (who recieve external funding through the Faculty of Humanities) as well as postdocs, have a personal budget (‘bench fee’) available to them via their project budget. For more infromation, please contact your project manager.
Faculty funded PhD candidates have an annual budget, which can be accessed at the following link:
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UvA Profile
All PhD candidates will be visible on the UvA website. Please make sure to create and update your online profile.
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Staff ID
In the Netherlands, PhD candidates are considered to be 'employees' and not 'students'. Hence you are entitled to a staff ID, which also serves as your library card.
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Admission to the Doctorate Programme
At the time of your registration, you will be asked to register for the Admission to the Doctorate Programme. This is a separate administrative track handled by Meta van Diest who can be reached at promoties-fgw@uva.nl.
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Faculty PhD Regulations
All formal regulations regarding PhD candidates at the Faculty of Humanities can be found in PhD Regulations.
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UvA Doctorate Regulations 2020
When you approach the completion of your thesis, please read (at least twice) the PhD Defense Guidelines. All documents related to the admission to and completion of the doctorate programme can be found here.
In November 2020, the Faculty of Humanities organised an explanatory meeting on the current doctorate regulations. You can download the presentation below.
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International PhD candidates
There is a special section on the UvA website for international students and employees which will help them with practical matters