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As a new PhD candidate at the Faculty of Humanities, you will be confronted with a complex organization. First advice: cling to the coordinator of your school, your fellow PhD candidates and ask for help! Below you will find some general information and a few practical links which may help you find some things out.

Supervision

PhD candidates at the Faculty of Humanities have two supervisors, one of them being a full professor or Associate Professor with ius promovendi (the right to promote). In principle, PhD candidates see their supervisor(s) once every six weeks to discuss progress.

First year assessment

In their first year, PhD candidates are evaluated on the basis of a pilot study — a 30-50 page paper or chapter which demonstrates the candidate’s ability to handle the material and object of the thesis in an academic way (see below). If the supervisors and the Director of the Research School are satisfied with the quality of the pilot study and the revised work plan, the contract/affiliation with the PhD candidate will be extended by three years. After this first evaluation, the PhD candidates are asked to report on their progress on a yearly basis.

UvAnet and Library Access

PhD candidates receive a UvAnet ID which gives access to databases and electronic journals to which the UvA Library subscribes. The UvAnet ID will also give access to email facilities, both with an email client and with webmail.

Office Space

At the Faculty of Humanities the departments are responsible for providing office space. Office space is only available to PhD candidates employed by the Faculty of Humanities. Not for self-funded PhD candidates.

Training

The research schools, the Graduate School of Humanities and the National Research Schools all offer PhD training. Their programmes are open to all PhD candidates.