Doctoral school

MD/PhD students are offered a tailored Master’s degree program to enable the combination of education and research (see example above). The actual start and end dates of the Master Phases 1 & 2 and 3 are set by Faculty of Medicine UvA, because the internship schedules of subsequent generations of MD/PhD students have to be attuned in order to avoid vacancy of internships. The other parts of the MD/PhD program are flexible. Since internships might need to be planned as far ahead as five years, periods rather than actual places will be assigned. MD/PhD students have to contact Amsterdam UMC Onderwijsadministratie eight months in advance to announce the desired starting date of the 'senior coschap'

The MD/PhD students have the same rights and obligations as other master students during their clinical internships. The Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) of the Master’s degree program apply to them, as well as the Teaching Regulations for MD/PhD students

Considering the MD/PhD trajectory but not quite sure yet? Do you want to hear experiences form other MD/PhD candidates and ask them some questions? Send an email to MD/PhD Scholarship (Amsterdam UMC/UvA)

Candidates for the MD/PhD program must have a track record full of scientific affinity.

Eligible for the MD/PhD program 2025 are students* who:

• Started the Bachelor's degree program in Medicine in the academic year 2022-2023
• Started the premaster program in Summer 2024

and

• Have not yet started clinical internships, and will not start their clinical internships before March 1, 2026
• Have not yet completed their scientific internship

and

• Will obtain a Bachelor's or Premaster degree in Medicine before January 1, 2026

The MD/PhD program is open for honours Bachelor students as well as other outstanding medical students. The combination of MD/PhD program and honours Master’s degree program is not allowed

It is possible to participate in the selection of the MD/PhD scholarship as well as the double master's degree in biomedical sciences and medicine (DuMa trajectory). In case you are selected for the MD/PhD scholarship, the DuMa program will be terminated. Your clinical internships will be scheduled according to the MD/PhD schedule

*It is not possible to combine the position of anatomy assistent with the MD/PhD Scholarship

If you have any questions regarding the requirements, please contact the Doctoral School

To apply for an MD/PhD scholarship, you must submit the following documents to the Doctoral School, in this order:

• a letter explaining your reasons for applying and how you fulfil the requirements
• a research proposal using the standard form (this will be renewed as soon as the new deadline has been announced):

• your curriculum vitae, including the course transcript of your Bachelor's degree or equivalent (cijferlijst) issued by the faculty student administration, and a list of your publications
• written confirmation from your intended PhD supervisor (promotor) that he or she is willing to act in that capacity

The research proposal can be prepared jointly with your intended PhD supervisor, who must sign it for approval. The form includes a description of your research project, the name of the Amsterdam UMC department at which you wish to work, the name of the PhD supervisor, and a budget with the estimated total costs of your research (contact AMR BV for help and instructions), including the proportions to be met from the scholarship and from elsewhere, such as the department or external sources

The MD/PhD research proposal must be submitted with the application. The PhD supervisor is required to co-sign for the research project, and explicitly state his role in the project and confirm his role as promotor. Quality of the research proposal and the supervision are part of the selection criteria

The MD/PhD research proposal must allow for an MD/PhD program scheme: the research work plan typically alternates intensive periods of experiments or data gathering and analysis with quiet periods, or allows for interruptions. During clinical internships, intensive research work is not possible

All applications will be evaluated by a selection committee of three Amsterdam UMC/UvA professors, the manager of the Doctoral School and the program director of the Master's program of Medicine UvA, appointed by the Vice Dean of Education of the Faculty of Medicine UvA. Provided that all formal requirements have been met, the committee will consider the motivation, talent and ambition of the applicant, the quality of the research proposal with respect to the scientific content and its feasibility, and the supervision. Previous experience with the research project adds to the credit of the proposal. An external review of the research proposal may be part of the selection procedure

After this first round of deliberations, a short list of applicants will be invited for an interview. The final selection of applicants will then be nominated to the Vice Dean of Education of the Faculty of Medicine UvA. In making these nominations, the committee also seeks to achieve a fair balance across the many areas of research at the Amsterdam UMC. The final decision on granting the MD/PhD Scholarships is made by the Vice Dean of Education of the Faculty of Medicine UvA

The MD/PhD program enables MD/PhD students to combine the Master’s degree program and the PhD track and complete both in 5½ years, as follows. The Master’s degree program in Medicine is a three year program. MD/PhD program, students can get exemption from the extended 24 weeks research internship (see Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) of the Master's degree program) and it therefore is not possible for them to follow an elective internship (‘keuzecoschap’)

The length of a regular PhD track equals 4 years of full time research work. The MD/PhD program shortens the combined track from 7 (3+4) to 5½ (3+2½) years by offering a program of clinical internships alternated with research periods, expecting hard work and full commitment from the students and well organized supervision and good mentorship

This is a global scheme; the exact starting and end dates as well as the number of weeks of the Master program are determined by Onderwijssupport

• Master Phase 1 & 2: Clinical internships duration is one year and two months including holidays. Start at fixed date 
• Master Phase 3: Clinical internships duration is 9 months including holidays. Start at fixed date
• Senior coschap' duration is 16 weeks and can be started either directly after Master Phase 3 of six months or more after Master Phase 3

Start dates of Master Phase 1 & 2 and Master Phase 3 are to be determined by Onderwijssupport

In total, three Amsterdam UMC/UvA funded MD/PhD Scholarships are available each year. The amount of each scholarship is 144k€ (amount of round 2025). There are also four places for unfunded Amsterdam UMC/UvA funded MD/PhD candidates.

The MD/PhD scholarship covers the costs of the salary of an MD/PhD student, plus limited additional research expenses. The department is obliged to match the costs for the PhD trajectory, if the costs exceed the scholarship amount

Before the allocation of the MD/PhD Scholarship, a written matching declaration signed by both the head of the department and the division manager must be submitted. It is also possible to apply withcomplete departmental or external funding. These applications follow the same selection procedure and criteria

The MD/PhD student is offered a contract with the Amsterdam UMC Research BV. It will consist of a series of temporary full-time positions during the research periods. The MD/PhD salary is based on CAO-UMC salary scale 7. In consultation with the Research BV a budget will be made. Please note that the MD/PhD student must be formally registered as medical student during the Master Phase periods

The MD/PhD Scholarship is a personal grant. If the MD/PhD student leaves the Amsterdam UMC or abandons the approved research before the end of the contract term, the scholarship ends

The MD/PhD Scholarship winners can start their track once they have obtained their bachelor degree, the director ofthe Master program has agreed on the start dates of the Master Phase 1 & 2 and 3 (clinical internships), and they are officially registered as MD/PhD candidates. The MD/PhD students participate in a mentor group with a special mentor who will guide and support them throughout the complete MD/PhD program

Each MD/PhD track has its own timing, but there will be fixed moments of evaluation and feedback for both the MD/PhD students and the organization of the program. All MD/PhD students must register as PhD candidates with the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School upon the start of their MD/PhD track, and have access to the PhD Course Program as well as other activities. The academic study advisors for the Master’s degree program in Medicine will act as the primary study advisors for the MD/PhD candidates