Vrije Universiteit Brussel

for prospective
PHD students

• Central PhD Office
• What is a PhD?
• Admission requirements
• Funding
• Finding a subject and a supervisor
• Application & Enrolment

for Phd students

• Regulations and forms
• Progress Monitoring
• Joint PhD
• Defence
• Ombudsperson for PhD students
• Publication and Technology Transfer
• Newsletter for Junior Researchers

doctoral schools

• Doctoral Training Programme
• The 3 Doctoral Schools
• Workshops & Seminars

Admission requirements

• Doctor's degrees
• Before you begin
• Diploma requirements
• Supervisor and subject
• Funding
• Application & Enrolment

 

Doctor's degrees

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel awards PhD degrees in more than 30 disciplines. While the disciplines are rather fixed, the actual titles might change. We try to keep following list as up-to-date as possible.

These are the degrees for which you can apply:

Faculty of Arts and Philosophy

• Doctor in Philosophy and Ethics
• Doctor in Linguistics
• Doctor in Literature
• Doctor in Language and Literature: Romance Languages
• Doctor in Language and Literature: Germanic Languages
• Doctor in Language and Literature: Latin and Greek
• Doctor in History
• Doctor in Archeology and Art Sciences
• Doctor in Media and Communication Studies
• Doctor in Media and Communication Studies: Journalism Studies
• Doctor in Arts

Faculty of Law and Criminology

• Doctor in Law
• Doctor in Notary Studies
• Doctor in Criminology

Faculty of Psychology en Educational Sciences

• Doctor in Psychological Sciences
• Doctor in Educational Sciences
• Doctor in Educational Sciences: Adult Education Science

Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy

• Doctor in Physical Education and Movement Sciences
• Doctor in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy

Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering

• Doctor in Sciences
• Doctor in Bioscience Engineering

Faculty of Engineering

• Doctor in Engineering

Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Sciences & Solvay Business School

• Doctor in Economic Sciences
• Doctor in Applied Economic Sciences
• Doctor in Applied Economic Sciences: Management Science
• Doctor in Political Sciences
• Doctor in Social Sciences: Sociology

Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy

• Doctor in Medical Sciences
• Doctor in Dentistry
• Doctor in Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Doctor in Social Health Sciences
• Doctor in Human Ecology
• Doctor in Gerontology
• Doctor in Nursing and Obstetrics
• Doctor in Biomedical Sciences

Interdisciplinary

• Interdisciplinary Studies

If your research topic is interdisciplinary in a way it crosses faculty boundaries, you can (from 2009-2010 on) apply for an Interdisciplary PhD. A special interdisciplinary commission, composed of the three Doctoral School Directors, the vicerector Education, vicerector R&D and minimum 1 representative of the assisting academic staff, will decide whether or not your application is interdisciplinary.

 

 

Before you begin

Before you can start a PhD research, there are some important things you need to consider:

• Do you really want to study for a PhD degree?
  It is not an easy task. You should expect it to take 4 to 6 years of full-time work and sometimes even longer.
  
  
• Do you have a Masters degree?
  The default requirement for admission as a PhD student is a Masters degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field from a Belgian university. Derogations may be granted for the holders of a Masters degree in a relevant field from a non-Belgian university. Derogations for candidates without a Masters degree are unlikely to be granted unless the candidate has very strong research or professional credentials. The ultimate decision about the eligibility for PhD research resides with the Faculty in which the research will be conducted.
  
  
• Do you have a supervisor?
  You need a supervisor ("promotor" in Dutch). This is a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in your research field who is willing to guide and evaluate your research.
  We strongly advise you to increase your chances by going through our research pages, to see whether you can find a match between your research interests and research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. You can browse the university’s web pages or use the search engine available here.
  
  
• Do you have funding?
  You need sufficient financial means to support yourself during your stay in Brussels. Besides the tuition fee, you should have at least € 10.000 yearly for the duration of your research.
  Have a look on the webpages of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel that contain the vacant PhD positions with funding or on the R&D pages for some grants and scholarships. You can also check the Belgian Portal for Research and Innovation.
  

• Other administrative requirements
  The supplementary faculty regulations can specify additional administrative conditions.
  
  
• Have a look on this website about studying in Flanders. It gives you some basic information on Flanders, the educational system, study and research programmes, funding opportunities and gives you a check list of things to bear in mind before coming to Belgium.

 

Click here for a schematic overview of the requirements and steps.

 

Diploma requirements

 

Default diploma requirements

The default requirement for admission as a PhD student is a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field from a Belgian university. Derogations may be granted for the holders of a Master’s degree in a relevant field from a non-Belgian university.

To be admitted as a PhD student, candidates must hold one of the following diplomas:

• a Master’s degree or equivalent from an academic institution;
• a Polytechnic civil engineering diploma or Master’s degree from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels;
• the equivalent of a Master’s degree (“licentiaatsdiploma”) in Commercial Sciences or Management Science (“handelsingenieur”).

The supplementary faculty regulations determine which specific diploma is required for each PhD.

 

Derogations

Derogations may be granted for the holders of a Master’s degree in a relevant field from a non-Belgian university. Derogations for candidates without a Masters degree are unlikely to be granted unless the candidate has very strong research or professional credentials.

The supplementary faculty regulations determine whether that exemption should depend on the successful outcome of a preliminary examination and an investigation into the applicant’s suitability: will he or she be able to complete a doctoral thesis. The ultimate decision about the eligibility for PhD research resides with the Faculty in which the research will be conducted.

 

Having a Master’s degree does NOT automatically mean you will be admitted as a PhD student. The admission can be subjected to a preliminary examination and an investigation into the applicant’s suitability. The ultimate decision about the eligibility for PhD research resides with the Faculty in which the research will be conducted.

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Supervisor and subject

Besides meeting the above mentioned diploma conditions, candidates must, in order to apply for admission as a PhD student, also have a supervisor and have laid down their choice of subject.

A supervisor (“promotor” in Dutch) is a Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in your research field who is willing to guide and evaluate your research.
You can go through the university’s research pages to see whether you can find a match between your research interests and research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. You can browse the university’s web pages or use the search engine available here.

Click here for more information.

 

Funding

Candidates need sufficient financial means to support themselves during their stay in Brussels. Have a look on the webpages of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel that contain the vacant PhD positions with funding or on the R&D pages for some grants and scholarships. You can also check the Belgian Portal for Research and Innovation.

Click here for more information.

 

Application & Enrolment

When you have found a supervisor and funding, and you think you have the right degree, you can officially make a request for admission as a PhD student. This request or application is NOT the same as an enrolment and does NOT guarantee you will be accepted. There are 2 procedures: one for candidates with a Belgian degree and another one for candidates with a non-Belgian degree.

Applications should be sent to the relevant Faculty (if you have a Belgian degree) or to the Regsitrar's Office (if you have a non-Belgian degree), and not to the Central PhD Office.

There is no deadline for applications. Applying for admission to the PhD can be done the whole year through.

You will only be able to enrol, after receiving a positive answer from the Faculty.

Click here for more information on the application and enrolment procedures.

 

 

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