This page contains relevant information for PhD candidates at Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Several steps need to be taken to successfully complete your PhD. Here, information is listed regarding the doctoral school, Hora Finita, and doctoral regulations.

The Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School for all Amsterdam UMC PhD candidates

As of January 2023, all Amsterdam UMC PhD candidates must be registered at the Amsterdam UMC doctoral school. The doctoral school supports both PhD candidates and supervisors by providing information, administration, advice, and education. They will assist you prior, during, and while finishing your PhD. For more information visit the Amsterdam UMC doctoral school website. 

The Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School aims to provide a central system for all PhD candidates. Nevertheless, differences in PhD trajectories will arise as a result of different regulations between the VU and the UvA. On this page, further information for all different types of PhD trajectories within Amsterdam Neuroscience is available. Please ensure you look at the right information for your PhD trajectory. 

ONWAR – Graduate School for Neuroscience PhD candidates 

All Amsterdam Neuroscience PhD candidates from both Amsterdam UMC, VU and UvA are eligible to join ONWAR. ONWAR is an interuniversity graduate school for Neuroscience PhD students. They provide courses, lectures, annual meetings, events, and more opportunities for networking. For more information and to join, visit the ONWAR website.  

Please note that ONWAR is an additional graduate school to the graduate school of your university. Joining ONWAR does not substitute for the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School or the graduate schools of the VU or UvA. ONWAR is additional to these mandatory graduate schools. Joining ONWAR is highly recommended by the Amsterdam Neuroscience Board due to the specialized neuroscience, psychiatry, or psychology courses and events. Therefore, being part of ONWAR contributes to a more in-depth understanding of important topics in the field of neuroscience. 

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Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

  • The Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School is the starting point forall Amsterdam UMC PhD candidates.The Doctoral School provides information about registration, courses,training,and supervision.Please visit the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School for detailed information.
  • The doctorate regulations of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdamdescribethe requirements to conduct your PhD research and obtain the VUdoctoraldegree.
  • ASAP (Association of Amsterdam UMC PhD Candidates) is the association for PhD students of the Amsterdam UMC, founded in February 2021. ASAP strives to offer a professional and social network for PhD candidates at Amsterdam UMC and its affiliated centers.
  • Amsterdam UMC-VU PhD candidates have to register their trajectory with Amsterdam Neuroscience for inclusion in the Hora Finita PhD registration system.Registration in Hora Finita will occur automatically after registration at the Amsterdam UMC doctoral school.In case of questions please contact the Amsterdam UMC-VU doctoral office: promoties-decanalezaken@vumc.nl. 
  • Anyone wishing to obtain a PhD at Amsterdam UMC-VU must fill out the required information and draw up a Training Plan at the start of their trajectory. Approval for the training plan will be given by the affiliated research institute through Hora Finita. Required compounds within the Training Plan can vary between research institutes. Mandatory compounds for the training plan for the research institute Amsterdam Neuroscience can be found in the PhD Training Plan template. Please also use this template to hand in your TSP in Hora Finita.

Do you have any questions about your registration in Hora Finita? 
Please contact VUmc Office of Doctorate Affairs (promoties-decanalezaken@vumc.nl) 

Do you have any questions about your training plan or portfolio? 
Please contact Amsterdam Neuroscience (AmsNeuroscience.hora@vumc.nl). 

Amsterdam UMC, location AMC

  • The Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School is the starting point for all Amsterdam UMC PhD candidates.The Doctoral School provides information about registration, courses,training,and supervision.Please visit the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School for detailed information.
  • ASAP (Association of Amsterdam UMC PhD Candidates) is the association for PhD students of the Amsterdam UMC, founded in February 2021. ASAP strives to offer a professional and social network for PhD candidates at Amsterdam UMC and its affiliated centers.
  • The UvA Doctorate regulations describe the requirements to conduct your PhD research and obtain theUvAdoctoraldegree.

    Do you have any questions about your registration or training plan?
    Please contact theAmsterdamUMC-UvA Office of Doctorate Affairs:(promotiezaken@amc.uva.nl). 

New Amsterdam UMC Research Code 

Scientific Integrity requires continuous attention by anyone involved in science. The ‘rules of the game’ are described by the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and are further specified by our recently published Amsterdam UMC Research Code. 

The Amsterdam UMC Research Code defines local guidelines and expectations that researchers and staff are expected to follow when conducting research at Amsterdam UMC. Despite efforts to promote responsible conduct of research, situations can arise where research integrity seems to have been compromised. Together with the associated universities, Amsterdam UMC operates joint policies for the handling of alleged breaches of integrity. 

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

  • PhD candidates at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: visit the website of the Vrije Universiteit PhD program.
  • PhD candidates at the Faculty of Science have to comply with the training requirements set by the Faculty of Science.
  • The doctorate regulations of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdamdescribethe requirements needed to complete your PhD research and obtain a PhD at VU Amsterdam.
  • VU PhD candidates also have to register their PhD trajectory in HoraFinita. To register your PhD project, please contact the Hora Finita key user for your faculty/department Hora Finita - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

University of Amsterdam

  • PhD candidates at the University of Amsterdam find all information on the PhD website.
  • The UvA Doctorate regulations describe the requirements to conduct your PhD research and obtain the UvA  doctoral degree.