The roadmap below lists all the steps that you will go through in your PhD programme.
The full process and the rules on obtaining a PhD are laid down in the Doctorate Regulations.
For detailed information, see:
What your PhD programme will look like
Steps
1. Enrolling
You can enrol for a PhD programme if you have been accepted for a PhD position or if a professor or associate professor has confirmed their willingness to act as your PhD supervisor. For enrolment it is neccessary to register in Hora Finita
- Register in the UNL classification
- Check whether you have obtained the right degrees or diplomas in order to start a PhD programme
2. Setting up supervisory team
3. Drawing up study programme and supervisory plan
As soon as possible after enrolment, but in any case within three months, you must draw up your Training and Supervision Plan (TSP). You should do so together with your supervision team. The TSP contains agreements between the supervision team and the PhD candidate with regard to training and supervision during the PhD programme. The following aspects must, in any case, be established in the TSP:
- The duration of the programme
- The composition of the supervision team
- Any obligations of the PhD candidate that are conditional for continued enrolment in the PhD programme
These basic agreements for the TSP are set out in Article 6.9 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU). In addition, faculties and graduate schools may apply some additional regulations. For example, they may set requirements for compulsory training courses. You can find more information and/or a template from the respective graduate school. After completing your TSP, you must upload it in Hora Finita. We recommend that you start working on this as soon as your PhD programme has started.
4. Establishing scientific work as manuscript
When your supervision team is of the opinion that your scientific work can be defended, your PhD supervisor will establish the work as a manuscript. In this phase, the research has been checked for plagiarism by the PhD supervisor and the research data management complies with the standard applicable to the respective academic field.
5. Setting up Manuscript Committee
The Dean will set up a Manuscript Committee and your PhD supervisor can issue advice on the composition of this committee. The PhD candidate must ensure that the manuscript is included in Hora Finita and can be received by the Manuscript Committee. In principle, the Manuscript Committee must have access to any research data.
6. Evaluation Manuscript Committee
- The Manuscript Committee will decide whether the work is of sufficient quality within five weeks upon receipt of the manuscript. To this end, the Manuscript Committee will use an appraisal form.
- The chair of the Manuscript Committee will inform the Dean about the decision.
- The Dean will forward the decision to the supervisor and PhD candidate.
- The Manuscript Committee will issue its decision based on a majority vote.
If the Manuscript Committee judges that the PhD thesis is among the top 5 to 10 percent of dissertations, the Manuscript Committee will advise the Dean to establish a Cum Laude Committee.
7. If applicable: setting up the Cum Laude Committee
If the Manuscript Committee recommends the establishment of a Cum Laude Committee, the Dean shall appoint one as soon as possible. The chair of the Cum Laude Committee is responsible for distributing the manuscript to the other members. The Cum Laude Committee will use an appraisal form and base its decision on a majority vote.
8. PhD candidate establishes a PhD graduation date with the registrar
As soon as possible after the PhD thesis has been approved, the PhD graduation date will be determined by the secretary of the Doctorate Board, at the request of the PhD candidate. The PhD graduation date must be determined before the Doctoral Examination Board is established and the members of the committee are appointed. The date of the PhD graduation date will be confirmed in writing.
9. Registrar checks the presence of formal requirements in the PhD thesis
The formal requirements include a correctly drafted title page, your CV and a summary. All requirements can be found in the Doctorate Regulations.
10. Printing the PhD thesis
The PhD candidate must arrange the printing of their thesis themselves. You may declare your printing costs.
11. Setting up the Doctoral Examination Board
As a PhD candidate, you are responsible for delivering your thesis to the Doctoral Examination Board yourself.
12. Submitting your PhD thesis
Deliver 10 copies of your thesis to the registrar. Also deliver a digital copy to the University Library, for the benefit of the Radboud Repository.
13. Defending your PhD thesis
The defence of the PhD thesis will take place during the PhD graduation ceremony in front of the Doctoral Examination Board, and will be open to the public. The PhD graduation ceremony will be chaired by the chair of the Doctorate Board and will proceed in accordance with the established protocol.
14. Deliberation and decision of the Doctoral Examination Board
After the conclusion of the defence of the PhD thesis, the Doctoral Examination Board will assemble for deliberation in a closed meeting. No report will be made of the deliberations.
15. Awarding the doctorate & signing the diploma
After approving the PhD thesis by vote, the Doctoral Examination Board will award the doctorate and, if applicable, the cum laude distinction. After awarding the doctorate, the degree will be signed as proof. The chair of the Doctorate Board and the PhD supervisor and possibly co-supervisor will sign the doctoral degree.