The Graduate School of Social Sciences

Application

There are two ways in which PhD candidates can be admitted to VU-GSSS:

1. Through recruitment as an employed PhD candidate. Available PhD positions are advertised in different ways, including on the VU website and on international platforms like Academic Transfer, on behalf of an already determined supervisor or supervisory team. The supervisor (promotor) of the proposed candidate sends all necessary documentation to VU-GSSS for further admission and registration of the PhD candidate. See Admission documents for a list of the documents that must be submitted.
2. As an external PhD. External PhDs will fund their project either through a(foreign) bursary, public organization, or privately. External PhD’s should first find a supervisor (look for a full professor or associate professor with ius promovendi), have the supervisor's agreement to supervise them, and then formally request admission to the VU-GSSS. See Admission documents for a list of the documents that must be submitted.

If you have an occupational disability, we invite you to follow the procedure on the page Funding and guidance for PhD students with an occupational disability.

When you send your admission documents to the VU-GSSS, please make sure to include all necessary attachments as we won’t be able to proceed with incomplete applications. Your application will be assessed by the Graduate School and the candidate will be informed about the decision as soon as possible.

VU-GSSS advises a preferential starting date on 1 September for all PhD’s, to facilitate their participation in the 1st-year PhD training program. It is therefore recommended to submit all PhD application documents before 1 May.

You can find an overview of the application, admission, and registration process in the document Application, admission, registration to the PhD program.

Duration of the project

Regular PhD trajectories at the FSS last 4 fte and are usually completed in four years (48 months) when there is a PhD labor contract or an international fellowship. If the PhD candidate combines the PhD research with other work, execution is usually spread over six years (72 months). The intended duration of a project is calculated as the time between the start of the project and the intended approval by the supervisor. A project shorter than 4 FTE is allowed in exceptional cases and requires the approval of the GSSS. These policies are further elaborated in the document Admission with a regular, short or long PhD trajectory.

Budget plan

Your PhD application should include a budget plan. We encourage you to use our Budget Plan Template. 

Please take Graduate Fund into account (see the document Guidelines for the Graduate Fund). 

Note that all PhD candidates who provide the University Library with a free license for non-exclusive publication of the dissertation in electronic form, if necessary with a temporary publication embargo, are entitled to a dissertation remuneration of € 500,- (see instructions in the document Dissertation remuneration). 

For further guidance on how to calculate your PhD costs, see the document Tuition fee and costs to conduct PhD research.

Registration

After admission, all PhD candidates need to register with VU through Hora Finita. The process of registration, facilitated by VU-GSSS, needs to be completed within two months of the admission date. PhD candidates receive a letter of acceptance after completing the registration procedure.

During the registration phase, you will also be asked to draft a feasible work plan for your PhD, for which you can use the document Work Plan Template.

Training plan

After admission, and as part of your registration, you will draft a training plan. Please use our Training plan template when drafting this document. For details regarding the requirements for the training plan, please see our Training Plan Manual. The training plan should always be discussed with and approved by the GSSS Program Director.

Supervision plan 

In your supervision plan, you and your supervisors describe who is responsible for the supervision and how supervision is organized. Please read the document Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff when discussing and drafting your supervision plan.

Joint doctorate

If you intend to pursue a Joint doctorate, a special agreement needs to be drawn and approved by the two universities within the first year of the PhD trajectory. Information about joint doctorates can be found at this link. 

In case you have any questions about the application, admission, and registration procedures, please email us at graduate.school.fsw@vu.nl

Documents referred to in the text above 

• Admission documents
• Application, admission, registration to the PhD program
• Admission with a regular, short or long PhD trajectory
• Data on supervisors at the start of a PhD
• Budget Plan Template
• Work Plan Template
• PhD training – summary information for potential candidates and supervisors 
• Training Plan Manual
• EC calculation
• Training plan template
• Tuition fee and costs to conduct PhD research
• Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff
• Authorization form for Marie Curie (or similar) grant applications

If you're a non-Dutch national moving to the Netherlands for your PhD, here's where you can find essential resources and contacts at VU for visa and housing assistance.

KNAW's beginner's guide to Dutch academia provides insights into how Dutch academia operates, funding opportunities, and supportive networks.

VU Amsterdam offers a Bridging Programme, a predoctoral training specifically designed for international PhD candidates, aimed at enhancing research, academic writing, and soft skills. This three-week course takes place annually in January-February and awards 6 ECs. For details, contact the programme coordinator at sabina.diprima@vu.nl.

Non-EU nationals requiring a visa should reach out to the VU Immigration Office at immigration@vu.nl. For short stays under 90 days, you may apply independently. Residence or work permits necessitate HRM onboarding and supervisor initiation three months prior to your start date.

PhD candidates relocating to Amsterdam should visit the International Office's pages on accommodation and on relocating to the Netherlands. For accommodation, VU provides limited university housing for new international PhDs. Inquiries can be directed to accommodation@vu.nl, and general housing information is available on the VU accommodation page.

For all general information about being an international living and working in the Netherlands, check this page.

The International office organises monthly social gatherings for PhD candidates, specially designed for international PhDs. To know when the next one is, contact t.d.j.lagunameraz@vu.nl.

In order to monitor the quality and progress of PhD trajectories, the VU-GSSS organizes several assessments during your PhD trajectory. 

Go No Go assessment

Eight months after the start of a full-time PhD project, the candidates’ project progress is assessed on the basis of a so-called Go No Go product. For candidates with other obligations, this term can be extended to submitting a product within the first year, if this is agreed upon in the registration phase.

Please carefully read the document Go No Go assessment - introduction and explanations.

For your Go No Go you will have to submit a substantial product (an extended research plan or a combination with the short research plan and an article). The product will need to be submitted to the VU-GSSS together with the filled VU-GSSS Go No Go assessment - portfolio, a data management plan, and a plagiarism check report.

For your Go No Go product you will have to do a plagiarism scan with the software iThenticate. PhD candidates receive the log in information to iThenticate after their registration, so please check your vu.nl inbox for emails from UBVU iThenticate. For further information on the plagiarism scan, see Plagiarism check - background and procedure.

Annual Progress Interviews 

Once a year, both employed and externally funded PhD candidates have the opportunity to speak formally about development, results, and working conditions with their supervisors. Supervisors and PhD candidates look back together at the previous year, and they make concrete and transparent agreements about how the PhD candidate is expected to perform and develop. 

For employee candidates, this may coincide with the annual review conversations, of which the results are stored on the VU-dashboard. 

For candidates within a part-time project that is stretched over a longer period of time, the review is held regularly, such that a minimum of five reviews take place.

Half-way assessment

PhD candidates who are about halfway through their PhD trajectory will carry out a "Self-monitoring risk inventory". There will also be a short meeting between the PhD candidate and one of the Graduate School Program Managers. You will receive an invitation for the meeting once you are halfway your PhD trajectory.

Documents referred to in the text above

• Go No Go assessment - introduction and explanations
• VU-GSSS Go No Go assessment - portfolio
• Report on the plagiarism check of the GNG product or the final thesis
• Plagiarism check - background and procedure
• Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate
• VU-GSSS Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate

The VU-GSSS PhD program is designed to support PhD candidates linked to the departments of the VU Faculty of Social Sciences in their project progress and individual development. The courses are designed to enhance the academic knowledge and skill development of PhD candidates, not only to enable successful completion of their PhD project, but also to prepare them for an academic or other career thereafter. The program is tailored to serve the needs of PhD candidates at different stages of their project, regardless of their topic or methodological approach.

Training plan and requirements

To stimulate careful planning at the start of each PhD trajectory, PhD candidates and their supervisors are required to design and submit a detailed individual training plan for the PhD trajectory. This plan is discussed with the Program Director, and submitted as part of the registration. Please use the Training Plan Template when designing the training plan and email programdirector.gs.fsw@vu.nl to schedule a meeting in due time before the deadline of your Hora Finita registration.

Every PhD candidate needs to obtain 30 EC during their trajectory (exemptions are possible). This is a VU-wide requirement and applies to all PhDs who started after 1 April 2015.

Generally, the training plan should be designed such that PhD candidates develop their knowledge, expertise, and skills in the three areas specified below:

• Area 1: Social scientific content & theory
• Area 2: Social scientific methodology, methods & techniques
• Area 3: Academic & transferrable skills

The following courses/EC are mandatory:

• GSSS induction program
• Research Integrity and Responsible Scholarship (first year)
• Writing a Data Management Plan (before Go/No Go)
• Attend and/or present your research at a relevant academic conference

For more details on the requirements and recommendations for the PhD training plan see the Training Plan Manual.

Induction program

A mandatory induction program is organized by the GSSS at the beginning of every academic year for first-year PhDs. New/incoming PhDs will be invited by email.

VU-GSSS courses 

The VU-GSSS offers a wide range of courses every academic year, find an overview in the Training Plan Manual. Individual PhD candidates, or small groups of up to five participants, can also organize tutorials on topics of interest (more info in the linked manual). The training program is designed such that PhD candidates can fulfill their 30 EC internally. For an overview of our upcoming courses, please see the PhD courses website or the overview under "News and Events" below.

External courses

Depending on individual needs and wishes, PhD candidates can also follow courses outside the VU-GSSS program, given that the courses are at least research master's or PhD candidate's level. These may be courses and workshops offered at other VU faculties, in (inter)national research schools, or VU Interfaculty Research Institutes. The VU-GSSS has a course-sharing agreement with Zeppelin University and AISSR (UvA), meaning that VU-GSSS PhDs can participate in their courses free of charge.

Training for teachers

The VU Center for Teaching & Learning offers training to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO) several times every year. In addition to the course, teaching PhDs are also welcome to join their PhD Teaching community, where PhDs can join so-called ''Spark sessions'' every month on topic such as education innovation, supervision and interdisciplinary teaching. Find the schedule for these sessions here.

To prepare yourself for an academic career, you can consider these activities beyond your training. 

International Research visit

A PhD trajectory offers great opportunities to visit other institutions as a visiting PhD candidate. Such visits can help to create a network of collaborators and get to know fellow researchers in similar and different fields of research. Note that you do not receive EC for the research visit, but you can obtain EC for training you may take during the research visit. Please find more information in the document Research Visits.

Teaching

PhD candidates with a PhD contract generally have a teaching obligation as part of their contract. Other PhDs do not have a teaching obligation as part of their PhD agreement. However, external and self-funded PhD might benefit from obtaining teaching experience. Please discuss this with your supervisors and Head of Department. When making agreements about teaching, consult Agreements on the teaching role of PhD candidates. When you would like to teach at a Dutch university after your PhD, you need the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO). Note that you need to teach a course when you take the University Teaching Programme. The certificate is recognized by all Dutch universities. The course fee is to be paid by your department. The Graduate School has a limited budget to fund participation in this course for some participants (for VU-GSSS non-employed PhD candidates only). To apply for this funding, please contact the Graduate School. You will receive 6 EC from VU-GSSS after obtaining your UTQ. 

Career orientation

If you are unsure about your professional life after the PhD, the VU offers coaching and courses that might be useful for you. The Forum for Young Scientists offers workshops regularly, read more here. The VU career services also offer career guidance and coaching.

Peer coaching

The VU career services also offer peer coaching for PhDs. Peer coaching is a solution-oriented coaching technique in which fellow professionals (colleagues at a similar point in their career), under the guidance of a facilitator, help each other with work-related issues and obstacles during structured meetings. You discuss case histories using an efficient question-based approach and discover new insights. Read more here.

VU-GSSS Graduate Fund

In order to support PhD candidates to orientate themselves internationally and to promote a broad academic development, VU-GSSS provides financial support through the VU-GSSS Graduate Fund. Internal PhD candidates can apply with this form for various international activities, for instance for attending a summer school, presenting a paper at an international conference or workshop, participating in international education abroad, or conduct of fieldwork or a research stay at a foreign university. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed monthly. Please note that your application has to be approved before the activity takes place. 

For more details regarding the Graduate Fund, please see our document Guidelines Graduate Fund.

Documents referred to in the text above

• Guidelines Graduate Fund
• Graduate Fund application form

The VU doctorate regulations specify the VU requirements for the dissertation in Article 21. In addition to these requirements, the Faculty of Social Sciences has formulated Rules for the PhD thesis.

Towards the end of the PhD trajectory, several steps are required before the PhD title can be obtained. Before the PhD candidate can upload their final manuscript for assessment, the following documents must be submitted and approved by the Graduate School:

• The plagiarism check of the full manuscript (submitted by the candidate)
• The final PhD portfolio (submitted by the candidate)
• The proposal for the designation of the Doctorate Committee (submitted by the first supervisor)

Plagiarism scan & portfolio

All PhD candidates must perform a plagiarism scan of their (almost) final manuscript in iThenticate. The results of the scan are discussed with the supervisors, and subsequently, the PhD candidate fills in the Report on the plagiarism check of the GNG product or the final thesis. The report is sent to ithenticate.fsw@vu.nl.

Before the manuscript can be uploaded to Hora Finita, all PhD candidates must also fill in and submit the Final PhD portfolio for award of the degree. This document is submitted to graduate.school.fsw@vu.nl. When submitting the portfolio document, the PhD should also make sure that all their course ECs have been uploaded to Hora Finita.

The Graduate School reviews the plagiarism scan report, final portfolio, and ECs. The faculty data steward reviews the ethics and data management sections of the final portfolio.

Data management, ethics & authorship

The PhD portfolio serves as a checklist to make sure all requirements for obtaining a PhD are followed. The portfolio was adopted by the Faculty Board on 22 March 2021 and has been a mandatory requirement for all graduating FSW PhDs since 1 January 2023. 

The final portfolio must be approved before the thesis can be sent to the doctorate committee for assessment. PhDs should check the requirements specified in the portfolio in due time before finishing their manuscript. Start preparing the final portfolio well in advance of the thesis being ready to be sent to the committee, as the data management aspects take time. Important requirements include the safe storing of research data (including uploading their data in Yoda and generating a DOI). For questions on and assistance with research data management, please contact FSW Data Steward Emily Barabas, e.k.barabas@vu.nl. For questions on authorship, plagiarism check, or other parts of the portfolio, contact the Graduate School.

Doctorate Committee

Before uploading the manuscript to Hora Finita, a Doctorate Committee (assessment committee) must be appointed. This is the responsibility of the first supervisor and should be done in due time before the hand-in of the manuscript.

The supervisor fills in the Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document) and submits it to the Graduate School, graduate.school.fsw@vu.nl, for a preliminary check. Once the manuscript has been uploaded to Hora Finita and approved by all supervisors, the first supervisor fills in the composition of the committee in Hora Finita for approval of the Dean.

Manuscript and assessment procedure

Once the plagiarism scan and portfolio have been approved in Hora Finita, and the Doctorate Committee has been pre-approved, the PhD candidate can upload their manuscript in Hora Finita. The supervisor will then be requested to fill in the details of the Doctorate Committee, which will be approved by the Dean in Hora Finita. Once approved by the Dean, the manuscript is automatically sent out to the Doctorate Committee members for assessment.

The Doctorate Committee receives 30 (calendar) days to make their assessment. 

Defense

When the manuscript is approved by the Doctorate Committee and the Dean, the PhD candidate and the supervisors start planning the defense, together with the Beadle's Office. See Dissertation submission & defense for instructions.

Overview of documents/links:

• Final PhD portfolio for award of the degree
• Rules for the PhD thesis
• Hora Finita Manuals
• Report on the plagiarism check of the GNG product or the final thesis
• Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document)
• Assessment of the quality and scope of the PhD thesis
• Dissertation submission & defense
• Dissertation review procedure
• Dissertation Remuneration
• Request for information on degree ceremony by chair, to be provided by the first supervisor

Graduate School Management Team

• Prof. dr. Madalina Busuioc (Academic Director)
• Dr. Sarah van Duijn (Program Director)
• Drs. Saskia Jans (Program Manager & PhD Advisor)
• Alexandra Filius MSc (Program Manager & PhD Advisor)
• Nina Kaufmann MA (Program Manager & PhD Advisor)
• Dr. Antonella Sciancalepore (Program Manager & PhD Advisor)

PhD buddies

PhD buddies are there to welcome new PhDs to the department.

• Communication Science (CW): Dian van Huijstee
• Organization Sciences (ORG): Charlotte Vaaßen
• Political Science and Public Administration (BP): Bram Verhulst
• Social and Cultural Anthropology (SCA): Lisa Ausic
• Sociology (SOC): Ying Shen

Who is who at the Graduate School of Social Sciences

In case a PhD candidate is facing issues that hinder the progress of their project, there are several options for them. Check this page to learn more about the support and advice options available to PhD candidates at the VU.

PhD advisors

The Graduate School managers are also PhD advisors. Both PhD candidates and PhD supervisors can contact any of the Graduate School program managers if you have any type of preoccupations about your PhD, about your wellbeing, or about your relation with your supervisors or other members of your research environment. (see "Who is who" for contact details). If you want to talk confidentially, make that clear beforehand. They will listen to you and, in case you want, will advise you on how to proceed and who to further contact. 

PhD trustee

PhD candidates who are experiencing issues can contact the FSS PhD trustee for confidential matters, also if they are uncertain about the course of a conflict, the influence of private matters on work progress, or other things. A meeting with the PhD trustee is confidential, and the PhD trustee does not take the initiative to consult with other parties involved to resolve the issue. The current PhD trustee is Dr. Freek Colombijn. PhD candidates who prefer talking to a female trustee can contact Dr. Liesbeth Geudeke (Faculty of Humanities). 

Confidential counselors 

In case you prefer to talk with someone else than the PhD Trustee, you can contact another confidential counselor. The Confidential Counsellor for inappropriate conduct is Prof. dr. Bastiaan van Apeldoorn. The Confidential Counsellor for academic integrity is Prof. dr. Henk Overbeek. 

More information on confidential counselors here.

Mediation

The VU mediation pool offers mediation and counselling when friction arises between employees. If you have a dispute with a colleague (such as your supervisor or manager), consider turning to the mediation pool for help. Under guidance of an experienced mediator, you can enter into a conversation with the other person. Read more here or contact the mediation pool directly on mediation.personeel@vu.nl.

Are you an external PhD? Contact the Graduate School for advice.

PhD support

Occupational Social Work (OSW) offers advice and short-term counseling to employees who are at risk to get sick for work and/or private reasons. That may be functioning problems, dismissal, reorganization, problems in collaboration (with colleagues or management), inappropriate conduct, and traumatic events at work. It also covers work/life balance issues, relationship, and family problems, coping with grief and loss, and other psychological problems. The occupational social worker is bound to professional secrecy. The counseling is voluntary and confidential.

For more details check here. 

Head of Department

PhD candidates and PhD supervisors can contact the Head of Department to raise issues. 

Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory 

For internal and external PhD candidates and for supervisors there is an extra procedure at FSS in addition to the VU Doctorate Regulations (see below). The purpose of the FSS procedure is to resolve any problems in the working relationship between the PhD candidate and supervisor and vice versa in an easily accessible and satisfactory manner. Please consult the Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory for more information.  

Documents referred to in the text

• Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory

The Graduate School regularly organizes social and academic events. 

Lunch and borrel sessions for PhD candidates

The Graduate School organizes lunch and borrel (drink) sessions for PhD candidates. During these social events, we discuss interesting and relevant topics related to the PhD trajectory. Recurring themes include "How to supervise your supervisor" and "How to finish on time". PhD candidates will be invited by email, and are also invited to approach the Graduate School with ideas or requests for specific topics to be covered.

Borrel sessions for supervisors 

While the role of the supervisor is crucial for every PhD trajectory, it sometimes receives less attention than it deserves. VU-GSSS, therefore, organizes informal events during which we can socialize and discuss relevant topics. 

Writing marathons

The GSSS organizes writing marathons about 2-3 times a year for FSS PhDs and master students of the Societal Resilience Research Master. A writing marathon is nothing more and nothing less than a "shut-up-and-write" session. The idea of a writing marathon is that we come together with a group of PhDs for a whole day/week to write. We also welcome you to organize a writing marathon yourself. If you would like to do so, please contact the Graduate School for room booking and budget.

Induction 

At the start of the academic year, we invite all first-year PhDs to the induction conference to prepare you for the PhD journey ahead. Other FSS PhD candidates are welcome to join part of the social program and meet the new PhDs.

Prepare your defense

Toward the end of your PhD trajectory, you are invited to join the "Prepare your defense" session which is organized by the GS and covers the crucial last steps of your project, from finishing your dissertation, up until your defense.

Winter dinner

Every year in December, before the holidays, we invite all FSS PhDs for a winter dinner. 

Other VU PhD events

VU Social Gatherings for PhD candidates

>> NEW! Check our cheatsheet for (prospective) supervisors at the FSW!

Start of the project

• Are you planning on supervising a new PhD candidate? Please fill in the document Data on supervisors at the start of a PhD and collect the Admission documents and submit them to the Graduate School.
• Questions on admission and registration phases? Check Application, admission, registration to the PhD program and Application, admission, registration to the PhD program.
• Familiarise yourself with the rules and policies: read the VU PhD regulations and the faculty rules supplementing the VU Doctorate Regulations (Rules for the PhD Thesis and the Doctorate Regulations - Implementing Guidelines).
• Is your supervision time compensated? VU-GSSS Funding for time spent on PhD supervision 
• Have you discussed the supervision with your PhD candidate? This is where to start: Agreements between supervisors of PhD candidates at the start of a project
• Make sure you know what are the FSS Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff.
• Do you want open a PhD position funded by a Marie Curie grant or similar? Fill the Authorisation form and send it to the GSSS. 

Go No Go assessment

• 8 months after the start of their PhD, your supervisee will have to pass the Go No Go assessment. Think of possible reviewers for their GNG product and contact them: Go No Go assessment - sample letter of invitation to a potential GNG reviewer
• Reviewers will have to use this form: Go No Go assessment - form for reviewers (fill-in document)

Annual progress interview

• Twice a year during the first year of their PhD trajectory, and once a year after that, the PhD candidate meets their supervisors for a progress interview. This is what you can discuss during this meetings: Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate
• Want to keep record of what was discussed? VU-GSSS Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate (fill-in document to prepare and record)

PhD end phase

• The supervisors reach out to colleagues to become members of the doctorate committee: Sample letter for inviting someone to become member of a Doctorate Committee
• Once you have a committee, send this to the VU-GSSS: Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document)
• If needed, the supervisors reach out to colleagues to become members of the committee of the doctoral ceremony: Sample letter for inviting a member of the Doctorate Committee to the doctoral ceremony

Issues and changes

• Changes in the supervisory team? Notify the VU-GSSS through the document: Change the composition of the supervisory team
• Issues in the PhD trajectory? Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory

Obtaining ius promovendi

Are you an associate professor and wish to obtain ius promovendi? Consult the document VU-GSSS Procedure for assigning ius promovendi to an associate professor.

Please find here a list of important rules and regulations that apply to the PhD project within the Faculty of Social Sciences.

• VU Doctorate Regulations - Dutch: VU Promotiereglement
• FSS-specific rules supplementing the VU Doctorate Regulations: Rules for the PhD thesis and Doctorate Regulations - Implementing Guidelines
• Information about Joint doctorate
• Formal position of the VU-GSSS 
• FSS Research Data Management policy 
• Agreements on the teaching role of PhD candidates
• Possibilities for departmental policy toward PhD candidates
• Plagiarism check - background and procedure
• Buddy system

If you are a Doctorate Committee member, the PhD manuscript will be sent to you via the Hora Finita doctoral examination system. Please note that these e-mails might end up in your spam folder. It is possible to request a hard copy of the manuscript, the PhD candidate is responsible for sending this to you.

You give your assessment of the manuscript within 30 days. You provide your review through Hora Finita. The chair of the committee will summarize all the reviews and submit the advice to the dean in Hora Finita.

The date of the defense ceremony is determined after the manuscript has been approved.

The documents below provide detailed information on the requirements set by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam:

• Assessment of the quality and scope of the PhD thesis
• Rules for the PhD thesis

Register for upcoming GSSS courses via the links below. On the linked course pages, you will also find the full schedules and more information (note that the pages are subject to minor changes).

For Research Master courses (Social Sciences for a Digital Society), please register by emailing graduate.school.fsw@vu.nl.

Upcoming courses spring 2025

• Key Thinkers in Social Sciences, 6 February - 17 April
• Advanced Theory Development, 18 February - 28 March
• Rise & Shine: How to Present your Academic Research, 4 - 17 March
• Writing Academic English, 4 - 20 March
• Attractive Academic Writing, 1 - 11 April
• Interpreting Qualitative Data, 7 - 30 April
• How to Publish and Write Journal Articles, 10 & 15 April

Zeppelin University

Courses offered by Zeppelin University are open to participation from VU-GSSS members (max. 5), free of charge. Please find the program for the spring 2025 here. 

AISSR

VU-GSSS members can also follow courses offered by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), free of charge. Find the program for 2024-2025 here. 

Other VU courses

https://vu.nl/en/education/phd-courses

GSSS activities

• PhD social lunches (12-1 pm): Thursday 9 January 2025; Thursday 6 February 2025; Tuesday 4 March 2025. 

VU-wide activities

• Meet the Beadle: 5 February 2025, 16:00 - 17:30 (registration via email)

Defense ceremonies

• Alana Castro de Azevedo, 14 January 2025, 15.45 (auditorium)
• Yvonne La Grouw, 17 January 2025, 13.35 (aula)
• Maura Gardeniers, 30 January 2025, 11.45 (aula)
• Stefano Merlo, 5 March 2025, 11.45 (auditorium)
• Tess Lankhuizen, 14 March 2025, 13.45 (aula)

Between 16 December and 6 January, the Graduate School will be on winter break. No admissions, registrations, Go No Go decisions, or PhD thesis portfolios will be processed during this time. If you have urgent questions, please contact the GSSS in due time before the break.