At Maastricht University, a PhD degree is not just a studybut a serious research project that adds new knowledge to a given field. There are three ways to become a PhD candidate at UM, which are outlined below. As a PhD candidate, you’ll spend most of your time conducting original research and writing a dissertation. You might also follow courses relevant to your research or have teaching responsibilities as well. Most candidates take four years to complete their dissertation and earn their degree. Requirements for our PhD programmes vary, but you will at least need a master’s degree, a high level of English proficiency and a strong academic record.
There are three ways to obtain a PhD at Maastricht University:
Apply for a paid PhD position
As a paid PhD candidate, you’ll be an employee of the university and will conduct research in conjunction with a faculty, research school or institute. You can search for a PhD vacancy on Academic Transfer or contact a faculty directly.
Paid PhD positions
Note: FHML/MUMC+ discerns 4 types of PhDs.
Enrol in a PhD training programme
Several of our graduate schools and research institutes offer PhD training programmes. In these programmes, you will follow a number of courses as well as write a dissertation. We have both full-time and part-time programmes.
PhD training programmes
Obtain external funding & pitch your idea
Do you have a specific research proposal that does not match one of our vacancies? Then you can also obtain external funding and pitch your idea to one of our faculties, graduate schools or research institutes.
Externally funded PhDs
WhyMaastrichtUniversity?
The Netherlands ranks second worldwide in the number of publications per researcher and third worldwide in the impact of research publications, according to the Netherlandsorganisationfor international cooperation in higher education (NUFFIC). AtMaastrichtUniversity, PhD candidates are respected as full-fledged members of our research community. You'll be treated as a peer and will be given all the support you need for your research. There is a high level of interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cooperation at UM, andPhDsoften complete their dissertation alongside their career. Such a commitment requires hard work and fortitude. And it especially requires the capacity to innovate, to come up with new ideas and new ways of seeing and applying knowledge.
International environment
MaastrichtUniversity was the first university in the Netherlands to strive forinternationalisation. Almost half of our students and 40% of our academic staff come from abroad. Each faculty, school and institute has extensive international partnership networks and the university encourages international research collaborations. Students and researchers have many opportunities to study and work abroad, and our graduates are eagerly sought in the internationallabourmarket and research community.
Active PhD community
At Maastricht University, we have a vibrant PhD community. There are many ways to connect with your peers on a social and professional level:
- PhD Academy Maastricht
- Young Researchers Academy
- Central PhD Candidates Platform
- PhD candidates Network (PNN)
- Representative participation for UM
- ProVUM Maastricht
- European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc)
Current PhD candidates
In the overview for current PhDs, you can find more information on:
- additional courses
- professional development opportunities
- practical matters
- Scholarships
Overviewfor current PhDs
Research master's
Have you finished your bachelor’s and would like to pursue a PhD? Then you should consider one of our research master’s programmes, which specifically prepare you to be successful as a doctoral candidate. In some of these programmes, more than 90% of the students go on to become PhD candidates. You can find the research master's programmes in our master's overview.
Master's programmes
Defending your thesis
A PhD Defence ceremony is a formal occasion with strict protocols governing each person’s role, responsibility, and even the language used.It all works a bit like a trial, hence the term ‘PhD defence’. If you are a PhD candidateat the end of your trajectoryyou need to formally request permission for a public defense ceremony soon. In this website you find information on practical matters you need to arrange before and during your doctoral research and explains how to go about your your PhD defense.
More information
One step closer to an anti-stress pill
Why are some people more sensitive to stress than others? Dennis Hernaus was hired as a PhD candidate to study the relationship between stress and dopamine levels of patients using PET scanners. He found that low dopamine levels are associated with increased sensitivity to stress and vice versa.
Wrestling with medical-ethical dilemmas during WWII
Is it okay for a doctor to make someone ill or appear ill if it saves them from being boarded on a train and sent to a death camp? Hannah van den Ende studied the experiences of 534 Dutch-Jewish doctors who wrestled with this type of ethical dilemma during WWII.
Studying HIV-related stigma in virtual reality
Stigmatising behaviour is often unconscious. People don't usually realise that they treat HIV patients differently. But the consequences are real. Henna Toppenberg and her PhD supervisor Rob Ruiter are using virtual reality to gain more insight into this behaviour so they can help bring about change.
A Beginner's Guide to Dutch Academia
Detailedinformation on Dutch research and higher education can be found inA Beginner's Guide to Dutch Academia.
Hortense Jongen winner of The 2018 Dissertation Prize
The 2018 Dissertation Prize, this year awarded for the best doctoral dissertation from the inner city faculties, went to Hortense Jongen from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Her thesis is entitled: ‘Combating corruption the soft way: The authority of peer reviews in the global fight against graft.’
