PhD Opportunities

The PhD system in the Netherlands is rather different from that of e.g. the United States. Please note the following:

In the Dutch academic system there are essentially two ways of writing a Ph.D.

1. In the context of a temporary position as junior researcher
2. As a so-called “external Ph.D. student” (buitenpromovendus)

In the case of a junior researcher’s position, you are appointed by the university for a period of three years, and receive a salary during that period. In previous years the position was for a period of four years, and included both an educational program and opportunities for building up teaching experience; essentially due to budget cuts, this was recently changed into a three-year program focused entirely on the actual Ph.D. research.

The Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam offers a limited number of positions each year (the average number is eight; plans are underway for offering a greater number). The positions are announced by an ad in the major Dutch newspapers, and candidates can apply for them. Since the number of positions is small, and they are open to candidates from other countries as well as from the Netherlands, competition is very stiff.

In addition, the center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents has permanent room for two Ph.D. positions in the domain of the study of Western esotericism: one with a focus on the early modern period, the other with a focus on the period after the 18th century. Different from other programs in the Faculty of Humanities, the Center gHF offers the option of an additional 1-year appointment as teaching assistant, so as to make it possible for its Ph.D. researchers to build up teaching experience (in such a case the Ph.D. is done parttime, i.e. 75%, so that the period of appointment comes to 4 years; the additional 1-year appointment is then for 25%, also spread over 4 years). The early-modern position will become vacant in the summer of 2011; the 19th-21st century position will become vacant in january 2012. There will be an open competition, and it will be possible for Dutch or international students with an MA diploma to apply.

An “external Ph.D. student” is responsible for his/her own income, which means that persons in this category usually work on their Ph.D. research in the evenings and weekends, or are financially supported by their partner. A candidate who considers this option contacts a professor who has the so-called ius promovendi (in the Netherlands this is any academic who officially carries the title of “professor”), and asks him/her to act as principal supervisor for the Ph.D. project. If the professor and the candidate reach an agreement, and if a dissertation of sufficient quality is eventually produced, it can be officially submitted at the supervisor’s institute. In principle it is possible for an external Ph.D. student to work on the project while living in another country (although of course from time to time it will be advisable to arrange a personal meeting to discuss the progress of the research).