Programme structure

Overview

The Ghent University Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) is structured as follows:

* Communication skills, Research & Valorization, Leadership & Personal efficiency, Career management

Certificate of the Doctoral Training Programme

PhD students seeking to obtain the certificate of the Doctoral Training Programme are required to complete the minimum set of activities, i.e. three specialist courses, three transferable skills seminars (out of three different clusters), three conference contributions, the annual self-reflection reports and the doctoral defence.

Most PhD students (with the exception of those for whom the programme is compulsory) can freely choose courses relevant for the development of their research and their (research) career. In the minimum set of the Doctoral Training Programme, PhD students can include courses organised by Ghent University's Doctoral School, as well as courses organised by other institutions and/or regular course units (master and above).

The research component of the Doctoral Training Programme allows PhD students to showcase their most representative research output (presentations).

PhD students who have completed the minimum set of activities, and who would like to obtain the certificate of the Doctoral Training Programme, should submit their curriculum for final evaluation 20 working days prior to the faculty board meeting deciding upon admittance to the doctoral exam. For more information on how to submit your curriculum for final evaluation, please refer to these guidelines.

Faculty-mandated compulsory programme

Faculties may choose to make (part of) the Doctoral Training Programme compulsory for some or for all of their PhD candidates, although certain restrictions have to be observed (see table below). Consult your faculty's regulations to inform yourself about whether or not a compulsory programme applies to you.

Additional activities

PhD students are allowed to include additional courses (either specialist courses or transferable skills seminars) in their curriculum. The maximum set of activities can include courses organised by Ghent University's Doctoral School (max. 3 specialist courses and max. 3 transferable skills seminars) and/or up to 30 ECTS in regular course units (bachelor and above).

Additional research activities and courses exceeding the maximum set should be included in your cv.

Combination Educational Master

Doctoral students may pursue an educational master's degree during their doctorate. Part of the course units of an eduma can be included free of charge in the curriculum of the doctoral program. Specifically, these are course units from the programme line theoretical training and elective course units related to education. These can be included in the basket of 30 ECTS provided for in the maximum set (see above). For the inclusion of these course units, PhD students always need the permission of the supervisor.

Course units from the programme lines didactics, the internship and the master's thesis can only be taken via a separate enrolment in a diploma contract for the relevant Educational Master programme at UGent. For these courses, PhD students must pay the tuition fees.

From the program line internship of the Educational Master program of UGent, internship A or internship B or internship C - these are the internships that are in line with the followed subject didactics - can be recognized as broadening course within the doctoral program in the cluster 'Career Management'. This does not mean that this internship is exempted from paying the tuition fee, nor does it mean that this internship does not require enrollment in the diploma contract of the Educational Master's program.

Not finding the information for your specific situation on this page? Contact us!

Questions about the doctoral training program: doctoralschools@ugent.be

Questions about the educational master: educatievemaster@ugent.be

Related information

Registration, recognition and funding procedures for courses