phd progress report vub

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Interdisciplinary PhD programme

The VUB is the only university in Belgium—and one of the few internationally—that offers a PhD degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. This program has been set up in large part under the impulse of CLEA. Our motivation was that under the old regulations, PhDs in CLEA always needed to be formally situated in a particular discipline and faculty (e.g. psychology), even when the research extended across several disciplines (e.g. psychology and computer science), thus creating needless restrictions and administrative complications. 

Making a PhD usually takes about 4 years, with a legal minimum of 1 year (which only makes sense for people who already have done most of the work before they register as a student). The official language at the VUB is Dutch, but practically everybody is fluent in English and French, and the work can be done wholly in English. It is in principle possible  to work part of the time outside of Belgium , as long as there is sufficient contact with the promoter to allow supervision of the on-going work. This will depend on the promoter and the topic.

While you are registered, you are supposed to report yearly on the work you have done, so as to allow the PhD committee to check on your progress. For more details on the deadlines and procedures have a look at the VUB website for the Central PhD Regulations. 

https://student.vub.be/en/phd/step-by-step#progress  

When the PhD work is finished, you must submit and defend the thesis for a jury of VUB professors and invited international experts from other institutions. If the jury accepts the thesis, you get your degree. However, your promotor will see to it that poor PhD work is remedied before the stage where it is defended before a jury.

For more information on all aspects of becoming and working as a PhD student at the VUB, see the website of the  Central PhD support programme . 

Candidates and their topics

CLEA attracts a particular profile of researchers: very open-minded, bright, non-conformist, passionate, and ambitious in addressing difficult and unconventional issues. Researchers are free in choosing their research subjects and approaches. However, in order for us to provide the required supervision, there must be a clear connection with the topics where CLEA has special expertise, as listed on our research page .

Given that we receive many applications, while having only limited capabilities for supervision, we are quite selective in the candidates we accept. Our selection criteria are not so much based on degrees or specific expertise, but on intrinsic intelligence, motivation, creativity and open-mindedness, as well as on proven ability to produce high-quality work, such as papers or dissertations, and on the relevance of the topic to our general research philosophy.

We offer candidates an environment that is very free and open, socially and practically supportive, and intellectually stimulating and challenging. Young researchers are guided by seniors and peers, in part through seminars and forums in which their as yet unfinished ideas are subjected to in-depth discussion. This provides them with plenty of feedback and suggestions for extending their approach. Thus, through their research output they gradually build up a portfolio and CV that will help them in their further academic career. 

Formal requirements / How to apply

To get a PhD at the VUB, you need to fulfill the following basic requirements:

• The default requirement for admission as a PhD researcher is a Master’s degree (or equivalent). Non European degrees might have to be certified to be equivalent to a Belgian master.
• find a professor who is willing to be the formal " promoter " (supervisor, thesis advisor) of your research. For a PhD at CLEA this most likely will be the CLEA director   Francis Heylighen , It will in general be necessary to find a second, "co-promoter" who would actually guide the work. Another senior CLEA researcher more specialized in the PhD topic can be a co-promotor. For a (co-)promoter to decide whether he would be willing to supervise your work, s/he should at least receive a clear statement of your interests, your curriculum vitae, and, if possible, some samples of work (papers) that you have done before. These are preferably discussed by email. If these seem acceptable, a meeting can be arranged in Brussels for in-depth discussion.
• Once a promoter is found, the PhD candidate will have to apply to be allowed to enter the PhD program at the VUB. This is normally a formality for people with a Belgian degree, but demands some extra effort for people with a non-European degree. You can find more information on the prerequisites, the necessary documents and fees on the following page https://student.vub.be/en/phd/step-by-step#application  

There are  different ways to fund your PhD research. It is, for example, possible to be hired by the university as a research assistant or to apply for a scholarship or grant by submitting a research project to some funding agency. However, there is a lot of competition for such grants, so you should not count on easily getting one. You can also rely on your own finances, e.g. by working part-time on your PhD while having a paid income from another source. Find out more about  mandates, vacancies and funding resources . 

• Publications

PhD-survey VUB 2017: report

Verbeylen, J. , J. Minnen , P. te Braak , I. Glorieux (2017) : PhD-survey VUB 2017: report. Brussel: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Onderzoeksgroep TOR (37 blz.) - TOR 2017/28 .

In 2017, the Central PhD Office of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) organized a pilot study at several faculties to measure the working conditions of the PhD candidates. Together with the par-ticipating Doctoral Schools and participating faculties, the Central PhD Office aimed at gaining more insight into the needs of the PhD candidates and to measure to what extent these needs are being met. Which aspects of the PhD process are already positively evaluated and which aspects need more support? Not only does the university want more successful PhD’s at the end of their trajectory, she also wants more satisfied students and personnel during their trajectory. To learn more about the PhD process, PhD candidates were asked to fill out a survey with ques-tions concerning their doctoral trajectory: the support from their supervisor and broader scientific guidance network, their perceived progress of their PhD research, their career plans and training needs. In total, 540 PhD candidates from 3 different faculties (Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, Faculty Physical Education and Physiotherapy) were invit-ed to participate. In the first chapter, we will elaborate on the research design, the population and the response. The second chapter will discuss personal characteristics to get a better idea of the composition of the group of respondents. The third chapter will elaborate on the development of the PhD proposal and prior experience of the PhD candidate. In the fourth chapter, different aspects of the PhD process are discussed such as the supervision, the working conditions, working hours and the Doctoral Schools. In the last chapter, we will go deeper into the dynamic of these aspects and the overall satisfaction of the PhD candidates. This study was conducted by Research Group TOR of the VUB, under the supervision of Prof. Ignace Glorieux. TOR is responsible for the data collection, the data cleaning, the data analysis and the writing up of the final report. For more technical details or more information on the ques-tionnaire, please consult the technical report.

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• Higher Education

Phd-survey VUB 2017: Report

• December 2017

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel

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Read more about how a cooperation between two universities can be interesting for your PhD and how this works.

What is a joint PhD?

A joint or double PhD, known as ‘ gezamenlijk doctoraat ’ or ‘dubbeldoctoraat ’ in Dutch and ‘ cotutelle de thèse ’ in French, stands for a doctorate which is executed, written and defended under the joint responsibility of two partner institutions. In concrete terms, this means that the Vrije Universiteit Brussel cooperates with another institution.

The terms of cooperation are stated for each PhD candidate individually in a contract signed by the rectors or other authorized signatories of the two institutions, the PhD candidate and the supervisors.

Why do a joint PhD?

A joint PhD stimulates and formalises cooperation between research institutions either on a national or international level, leading to a greater exchange of knowledge. As a result, the PhD candidate will be in a better position to benefit from a more diverse expertise in the course of their research project. 

Moreover, a joint PhD formally underscores the PhD candidate’s (inter)national mobility during the research programme.

The joint PhD certificate makes official mention of the cooperation with another partner institution. This is an asset in terms of career perspectives, both within the academic community and in other career sectors.

Can I start a joint PhD?

Different institutions may have different educational ideals, rules and regulations. VUB's Joint PhD Office helps doctoral candidates to understand the terms for their research projects.

The conditions for conducting a joint PhD in Flanders are set out in the Higher Education Code (Codex Hoger Onderwijs) of 11 October 2013:  "A university may confer, in conjunction with another domestic or foreign university, a joint PhD degree or a double PhD degree, provided that a public defense of the thesis has taken place before a jury including professors from the two institutions concerned and that the PhD candidate has spent a minimum of six months at the partner university for thesis research work.”

The conditions necessary for a joint PhD can be summarised as follows:  

• The partner institution relies on a legislation which allows a joint PhD (similar to the Higher Education Code of Flanders). 
• The candidate is enrolled in both institutions, starting with the academic year in which the joint PhD would begin. 
• The candidate has a supervisor in each partner institution. 
• The candidate conducts at least six months for doctoral research at each partner institution. This is possible in one continuous period or over several periods.
• All involved parties sign an individual joint or double PhD agreement. The Joint PhD Office must be involved in all steps of handling this agreement.   

Joint or double PhD agreements have to comply to the regulations of both partner institutions. Therefore, a contract which is to lead to a joint PhD may not conflict with the  Central Regulations regarding the Conferment of PhD degrees of the VUB , nor with the supplementary faculty regulations  of the relevant VUB faculty.

The PhD candidate is required to enroll at both institutions from the academic year in which the contract takes effect up to and including the academic year in which the final PhD examination takes place, without interruptions. You can find out more about the procedures on our Enrolment page .

When do I apply for a joint PhD?

You can register for a joint PhD at any moment. It is not mandatory to arrange the agreement at the start of the PhD research. This is because cooperations gradually establish themselves in the course of the PhD trajectory.

However, because negotiations and the signatures can take several months, it is required to  start the procedure at least 1 year prior to the defence .

Where do I begin?

If you want to start a joint PhD, the first step is clear.

Contact [email protected]

Agreements negotiated and/or signed without the Joint PhD Office's knowledge and approval are not accepted. The Joint PhD Office will also help you through the steps you need to take.

If a joint PhD is possible for both institutions, you should start with a request toward the institution you wish to partner with.

The final version of any joint PhD agreement needs to be approved by the Joint PhD Office before it can be signed.  Please note that the signature process cannot be started before the PhD candidate is correctly enrolled at VUB. 

There are many prerequisites for a joint PhD. Don't panic - if the legislation of the institutions allows it, it's likely that an agreement will be reached.

For collaborations with non-Flemish institutions  

Once you have a promotor at each institution, ask the partner institution for the coordinates of their counterpart for the VUB’s Joint PhD Office and communicate this information to [email protected] . The VUB’s Joint PhD Office will then start the contract negotiation process. There is no need to fill out any template before an agreement on the content of such document is reached. You will be invited to do so at that time by the Joint PhD Office.

The VUB has developed a model agreement which the Joint PhD Office will use as a basis for negotiations.  For some institutions such negotiations have already taken place so it might be possible for the Joint PhD Office to use these earlier agreed upon templates.

For collaborations with Flemish institutions or with KMS/RMA

Fill in the request form for a Joint PhD with a Flemish institution  and send it to [email protected]. After verification by the head of the department that the conditions for a joint PhD are met, the procedure can start.

For outgoing PhD candidates: The correct template for the Joint PhD-agreement will be filled in and sent to you, your VUB-promotor(s) and the faculty for review and approval. Once approved, the Joint PhD of VUB will send the proposal to the Joint PhD-office of the partner institution.

For incoming PhD candidates: Once the Joint Phd Office received the proposal of the partner institution, the agreement will be reviewed and send to the VUB-promotor(s) and the faculty for approval.

Progress and assessment of the thesis

IMPORTANT : the PhD-student must review the Joint PhD-agreement, the rules of both the universities and the supplementary faculty regulations throughout the entire process and certainly at every important stage in the doctorate (progress of the PhD, registration, submission of the PhD...) and must keep the administrations (faculty) of both institutions informed.

As you approach the end of your joint PhD, there are some rules to keep in mind when writing and presenting your dissertation.

The doctoral thesis in a joint PhD project is written and defended in the  language  approved in the contract by all parties. The PhD candidate must provide a summary in a second language if this is required by the supplementary faculty regulations.

In principle, the  final examination  in a joint PhD takes place at the home institution, unless the contract specifies otherwise. The examination board for a joint PhD at VUB comprises a minimum of six members, including the two supervisors and two members external to both institutions. Each of the two partner institutions will appoint at least two members of the examination board. Any deviation from this composition needs to be approved by the competent faculty body.

What happens at the end of your collaboration with two institutions? Depending on the disciplines integrated in your doctorate, you will earn one of two types of PhD degree.

Joint degree  

• A joint degree stating one title and discipline. It is awarded if there is full equivalence between the PhD degrees of both partner institutions. 
• The degree can be printed on either one joint or two separate diploma certificates.  

Double degree  

• Awarded if there is no degree equivalence between the two partner institutions or the titles awarded by each institution are not exactly the same. The resulting diploma will state the two titles.
• Double degrees may also take the form of either one certificate or two separate certificates.

If there is one certificate, this will be drawn up by the institution where the thesis defence takes place. If there are two certificates, each institution will draw up its own certificate. 

Financial support

Procedures and amounts, additional information.

VUB seeks to encourage research collaborations. The Research Council provides financial support to candidates pursuing a joint PhD project.

What is a bench fee?  

The bench fee is a one-off payment awarded to doctoral candidates who follow a joint PhD trajectory. As part of the joint PhD agreements signed between the VUB and other domestic or foreign universities, the Research Council provides this form of funding to encourage partnerships.

The bench fee should be seen as a contribution towards the extra costs that a joint PhD project entails. The allocated amount may be used towards the travel and accommodation expenses necessary for the joint PhD project and/or towards the purchase of study or research materials.

Bench fees are only available for PhD candidates who are correctly enrolled as doctoral students at the VUB. If the PhD already receives an annual travel/research allowance (EUTOPIA), the bench fee does not apply.

The fee is transferred as soon as all the following conditions have been met: 

• all parties have signed the joint PhD contract (only agreements which have been approved by the Joint PhD Office will be recognised); 
• the candidate is enrolled at the VUB as a doctoral student.  

The bench fee amount varies depending on the area where the partner university is located: 

• Benelux:  € 2000 
• North America:  € 5000 
• Other countries:  € 4000

How is the fee transferred?  

• The bench fee is paid into a special account of the department to which the PhD candidate and the supervisor belong. The fee is managed by the VUB supervisor.

Will I get another bench fee next year?  

• The bench fee is a one-time payment. Only one may be granted per PhD candidate.

What happens if the joint PhD is terminated?  

Should a joint PhD project be stopped before it is completed or if a joint PhD contract is terminated, the candidate must report this to the Joint PhD Office. If applicable, a termination document will be prepared and signed by all parties. Upon discontinuation of the joint phd, the financial department is asked to transfer the amount not yet used from the bench fee back to R&D for reinvestment in new Joint PhDs.

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