To do:

  • The supervisor first polls the candidate members on willingness and availability to attend the PhD ceremony and fills out the Hora Finita tab ‘PhD examining committee’ (‘oppositie’) (titles and names, affiliation, discipline, email addresses)
  • Both the Office of Doctorate Affairs VUmc (Bureau Promotiezaken) and the Dean, assess the composition of the committee
  • After approval a letter with relevant data will be sent to all the members of the committee from Hora Finita

Necessary documents:

Not applicable

Tips:

Day of the defence

Check for practical information the VU Amsterdam website (in English & in Dutch)

The official language allowed to be used during the ceremony is Dutch, English, French or German. Another language is possible if the VU Amsterdam Rector Magnificus gives permission

Information about how to generate media attention for your PhD thesis and conferral can be found on the VUmc website (in Dutch) and on the VU website (in Dutch)

Dress code

  • Professors wear gown and beret with dark clothing / shirt with dark tie, dark (socks and shoes) underneath. That means, among other things, no jeans, no shorts, no T-shirts, no sweaters, no colored pumps, no sneakers
  • Co-supervisors and opponents who are not professors wear dark, occasion-appropriate clothing / tenue de ville / shirt with jacket and dark tie. That means, among other things, no jeans, no shorts, no T-shirts, no sweaters, no colored pumps, no sneakers
  • During the PhD ceremony, the PhD candidate and paranymphs wear full dress suit or other clothing suitable for the occasion (tenue de ville). Appropriate clothing can also be understood to mean appropriate traditional clothing from the country of the PhD candidate. The PhD candidate conforms to the judgment of the beadle

Laudatio

Due to the tight schedule of the ceremonies, a laudatio by the (co)supervisor of max. 4 minutes is allowed

Please find current policy on defence ceremonies on the VU-website; links below

Invitation Meet the Beadle

Wednesday 19 April 2023, 16.00 in the Aula VU Main Building

The VU beadles Ellis Verkerk and Eef Bergs (Beadle’s Office) and VU PhD policy advisor Fernie Maas (Institutional Affairs) organize ‘Meet the Beadle’ sessions. You are very much invited to join them. During the session, Ellis Verkerk and Eef Bergs will explain all about the PhD ceremony and take you to the sites that will be relevant: the Aula, the promovendus room and the Forum room. Explore the Aula and experience how it feels to be on the stage! You will also learn about the technical equipment. And of course: plenty of opportunity to ask your questions to the Beadle. An excellent way to prepare for your defence!

If you want to join this session, or in case of questions or comments, please contact Fernie Maas (f.g.t.maas@vu.nl)

Note: places are limited. Registrations are accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. The session is open to all VU PhD candidates, particularly PhD candidates who are approaching their defence date

Later 'Meet the Beadle' sessions in 2023 are: Thursday 7 September, Thursday 9 November

Note: Please be aware to update your email address in Hora Finita, at the moment this changes. For example when you are no longer a VUmc (or Amsterdam UMC) employee. If we don't have a current email address, we won't be able to reach you

Downloads:

Information on the VU website:

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