Graduate School BSI

The BSI Graduate School offers a KNAW-accredited PhD programme to train high-quality scientific researchers in behavioural science. Successful students complete the PhD programme with a doctorate in social sciences. During their PhD project, the PhD students acquire advanced research skills and topical expertise, preparing them for an academic career as a researcher and a career as a researcher in health care and education or a related field.

Interdisciplinary 

The interdisciplinary BSI PhD programme offers an inspiring combination of psychological, educational and communication & media science, focusing on increasing our understanding of human behaviour.

PhD Traning and Research Support

PhD students enrolled in the programme carry out their research projects under close supervision of highly qualified scientific researchers. In the PhD training programme, PhD students receive additional training in various relevant skills and knowledge areas.

  • In the training programme, students are offered workshops and courses on specific topics and training opportunities to become proficient in the essential professional skills of scientific researchers. This enables them to prepare themselves for a career within or outside academia optimally.
  • PhD students have a 10% teaching obligation within the School of Psychology, Communication & media, Artificial Intelligence and the School of Education. In fulfilling this teaching obligation (640 hours during their PhD project), PhD students can work on their portfolio for their UTQ. 

External PhD-students

Next to PhD students appointed at the Radboud University, there are also PhD students with employment elsewhere or funding outside the Radboud University, called external PhD students ('buitenpromovendus'). External PhD students:

  • Hold a Master's degree (e.g. a taught or research Master's degree in Behavioural Science, Psychology, Educational Science or Communication Science).
  • Have excellent research, methodological and statistical skills.

As an external PhD, you can access our facilities within reason (e.g. our labs are in the Netherlands and cannot be moved abroad). External funding is needed if there are costs involved for data collection, equipment or otherwise. BSI provides supervision and standard facilities like an email address, data storage room, and library access. We don’t offer a salary or give expense allowance as it comes to external PhDs.

A full professor of the BSI Graduate School supervises external PhD students. All exterior PhD projects start with the writing of a project proposal. The project can formally begin after our Science Committee approves this proposal and additional agreements or statements have been signed. For more information about the possibilities of becoming an external PhD student, please contact the %20gsc-bsi [at] ru.nl (Graduate School Coordinator). 

Get in touch

Director PhD programme

Dr. Hanneke Hendriks

Coordinator PhD programme

Drs. Meta van den Eng

+31 6 51249745

Contact department