Information about the WIAS PhD programme

The PhD programme is a learning trajectory. A PhD project at WIAS usually takes four years. The core of the programme is the PhD research project. 

PhD research project

The PhD research project includes planning and performing research, reporting the results and presenting them to an international audience. The thesis often consists of chapters that are published or publishable in international scientific journals, plus an introduction and a general discussion chapter but other forms are also possible.

Training and Education

PhD candidates spend up to 15% of their time on postgraduate training and education, such as courses, seminars, conferences and workshops to broaden their skills, deepen their knowledge and increase their exposure to the international scientific community.

The WIAS Education Certificate will be awarded upon graduation when the PhD candidate has fulfilled the education requirements. See PhD Training & Education - WUR for more details regarding the rules and regulations of Wageningen University. 

Teaching

Employed PhD candidates may spend up to 10% of their time teaching and supervising Master's students who participate in the research of the PhD candidate. See Teaching - WUR for more information. 

Aim and learning targets  

According to the ‘Doctoral degree regulations’ of Wageningen University the recipient of the doctorate is capable of:  

• functioning as an independent practitioner of science, as shown by: formulating scientific questions, whether based on social issues or scientific progress; conducting original scientific research; publishing articles in leading journals, publishing books with leading publishers or making a technical design;
• integrating his or her own research in, or placing it within the framework of, the corresponding scientific discipline and against the background of a broader scientific area;
• placing the research aims and research results in a societal context;
• postulating concisely worded propositions in scientific and societal areas, formulated in such a way that they are subject to opposition and defence.