Educational Programme

The four-year PhD programme largely consists of conducting research and writing a thesis (dissertation). Furthermore, 15% of the time is spent on training and education activities which include participation in (international) courses, competence and skills training, seminars, conferences and workshops and max.10% of the time can be spent on teaching.

Educational programme, TSP & training budget

Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)

In the beginning of their research contract, PhD candidates should plan their educational programme. This educational planning will be formalised within a TSP, and should be formulated upon consultation with the thesis supervisor. The TSP, especially the educational programme part, should be discussed with the supervisors every year during the results and personal development meeting (R&O gesprek).

THE HORA FINITA PORTFOLIO FUNCTIONALITY IS IN DEVELOPMENT. Please do not add your activities in the portfolio.


Training budget

Once the TSP has been approved, the PhD candidate is entitled to a “training and education backpack” of €3,500* provided by the chair group, which can be used to pay for the activities listed in the TSP. The budget is generally not enough; PhD candidates and supervisors may need to find additional funding opportunities. VLAG can offer additional financial support for the participation in (external) courses.

*For PhD candidates who started before 1 January 2020 the budget is €2,500.


ECTS credit points

The study load is defined according the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). One ECTS credit is the equivalent to a study load of 28 hours. Some organisers have defined the number of credits for their activities. If you have to calculate it yourself, divide the number of hours by 28, and round the number to one decimal. For example: 3 days = 24 hours. 24/28 = 0.86. This equals 0.9 ECTS.


Requirements educational programme

Discipline specific activities 11 ECTS
General courses 6 ECTS
Assisting in teaching and supervision activities maximum 4 credits
Other activities 8 ECTS
Total 30 ECTS


VLAG education certificate

To obtain the VLAG education certificate at your graduation, you have to meet the educational programme requirements. You need to send your list of educational activities and if applicable the overview of your teaching activities to Yvonne Smolders or Cornelia van Bree-Evers, as soon as your graduation date is fixed. The education coordinator will then evaluate whether the requirements for the VLAG certificate are met.


Educational programme & printed thesis

The Doctorate Conferral Regulations (Promotiereglement) state that the completed education activities must be reported on the next-to-last page preferably on a single page.

This list can be a simplified version of the version used to obtain the VLAG education certificate. It is sufficient to specify the kind of activities (discipline specific activities, general courses, assisting in teaching and supervision activities, other activities), the organizer, country, and the year in which the course was attended. The heading of the list should be 'Overview of completed training activities'.