Pursuing a PhD means spending a minimum of four years conducting original research and writing a dissertation. Throughout this time, PhD candidates work in close collaboration with their supervisor. A PhD is not regarded as study, but as serious research and PhD candidates in the Netherlands are often in paid employment.

Why choose Holland for your PhD?
The Netherlands has:

• excellent graduate schools;
• a large variety of research fields and extensive interdisciplinary collaboration;
• world-class research: ten Dutch research universities are ranked in the top 200 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022;
• mostly paid employment contracts for PhD candidates.

A Dutch PhD is highly regarded
Once your dissertation is approved for publication, you will attend the public defence of your research and will be awarded the PhD at a ceremony steeped in tradition. A PhD from a Dutch university is highly regarded because of the high academic standards. The Netherlands has an excellent international ranking for the number of publications per researcher (2nd) and for the impact of research publication (4th).

Where are PhDs offered?
In the Netherlands, research is carried out by research universities, research institutes and companies, but only research universities can award PhD degrees. Other research institutes that work in close collaboration with a research university may also offer PhD positions.

Most PhD posts will often be advertised on job boards, such as AcademicTransfer, in scientific journals, or on notice boards at other institutions. If you see a PhD position that interests you, contact the institution directly about the application procedure.

Also interesting for you: Jobs in Academcs & Research, PDEng, Top PhD Advice e-book.