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Doctorate (Ph.D.)
Admission: starting a PhD at Ghent University
- Holders of a foreign degree need to complete a (mostly administrative) admission procedure during which the academic aspects (equivalence of your degree, research proposal, language skills) will be evaluated. This procedure may take some time (discounting even the time spent gathering your documents and applying for a visa).
- Holders of a Belgian degree can apply through a simplified procedure.
In both cases a candidate needs to obtain the explicit commitment of a UGent supervisor.
Enrolment as PhD student
All PhD researchers must enrol as student at the Central Student Administration Office at the start of their study, as well as re-enrol every following academic year (until graduation).
- In some cases candidates may be required to first successfully complete a predoctoral training programme
- Provisional enrolment (only applicable to candidates with Belgian diploma)
Joint PhD contracts can be established from the start of the PhD degree if a research student intends to carry out doctoral research at more than one institution for a considerable length of time, and with a supervisor in each of the institutions.
Enrolment for Doctoral School and Doctoral Training Programme
- All new doctoral candidates enrolled at Ghent University are member of one of the Doctoral Schools. You will have to decide which Doctoral School best meets your research topic.
- All candidates are also enrolled for the Doctoral Training Programme Ghent University. That way you can partake in courses and activities. In some faculties this programme is mandatory.
Stopping your Doctorate
Should you wish to stop your doctorate/doctoral training programme/predoctoral training programme, you will need to personally go to the Central Student Administration or send a registered mail. Attention: not in case of a defence or when you have completed your doctoral research!
You need to hand in your student card and you will no longer have access to the UGent network (account will also be terminated). You can have a refund of the tuition fee (except for the fixed amount), should you formally terminate your doctoral enrolment within 4 months after your first enrolment.
