Academic Competences for PhD Proposal Development 

Additional course information

• Learning objectives

  By the end of this online course, students will be able to:  

  • Understand and apply key principles in writing and presenting a PhD research proposal 
  • Identify and describe the structure, core components, and essential topics typically included in a PhD research proposal 
  • Distinguish between research aims, objectives, questions, and hypotheses, as well as different types of research designs 
  • Demonstrate the ability to initiate a literature review, including locating and selecting relevant literature sources 
  • Differentiate between theoretical and conceptual frameworks and their respective purpose within a research proposal 
  • Develop and deliver a clear, concise, and compelling "elevator pitch" that effectively communicates their research idea 

• Forms of tuition and assessment

  This intensive two-week course has a total workload of 84 hours, including 24 hours of face-to-face lectures and in-class interaction, and 60 hours of self-study. Self-study includes reading course materials, reviewing literature relevant to each PhD student’s research field, refining their PhD proposal based on received feedback, and preparing a pitch presentation of their proposal.  

  Lectures are held almost daily in the morning (2–3 hours, depending on the topic), followed by self-study sessions in the afternoon. The exact schedule will be provided before the course begins. Attendance is mandatory for certified participants, who may miss no more than one lecture to qualify for certification. Auditors are also expected to attend all lectures but have flexibility in self-study, as they are not required to complete assignments or earn study credits.  

  Each participant will work on their own PhD proposal while benefiting from feedback from course lecturers and peers. At the start of the course, students will reflect on and refine their initial research ideas and proposals. Through a series of sessions, they will gain a deeper understanding of their topic’s relevance, its connection to broader academic discussions, and its position within existing literature. This process will help them develop a conceptual framework and identify the most suitable methodologies to address their research questions. 

  The course consists of four assignments that focus on essential components of developing a PhD proposal:  

  • Research Questions and Objectives  
  • Research Justification  
  • Conceptual Framework  
  • Research Methodology Table  

  Each assignment plays a role in preparing for the final pitch presentation of the refined proposal (5 minutes, followed by Q&A), which will be assessed. While assignments are reviewed and commented on, they're not graded. The timely submission of assignments and delivery of the elevator pitch presentation are mandatory for earning ECTS credits in this course. Active class participation, including providing peer feedback, is also expected.  

  The individual pitch presentation counts for 70% of the final mark while attendance and active participation in class count for 30%. 

• Course syllabus

  Course Syllabus - WS 2026

• About the professors

  Denyse J. Snelder has served as the acting head of the VU Centre for International Cooperation since 2024. She holds an MSc (1985) in Landscape Ecology from the University of Amsterdam and a PhD (1993) from the University of Toronto, Canada, where her research focused on the vegetative control of soil erosion in the semi-arid Baringo District of Kenya. Until December 2012, she held a dual role: Senior Specialist in Sustainable Land and Water Management at the Centre for International Cooperation (CIS) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Associate Professor at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) at Leiden University, the Netherlands. As a certified university teacher (BKO), she has taught and coordinated courses at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD levels. Since 2014, Dr. Snelder has been involved in lecturing in several preparatory doctoral programmes designed for international graduate students. (https://vu.nl/en/research/more-about/bridging-pre-doctoralprogrammes).    

  Sabina Di Prima is a Sustainable Food Systems specialist and project manager at the VU Centre for International Cooperation (since 2006). She holds a BSc in Business and Economics from the University of Catania, Italy, where she graduated magna cum laude (2004) with a thesis on natural renewable resource economics. She obtained an MSc in Environment and Resource Management with high merit (2005) from the VU Institute for Environmental Studies. Her master's thesis focused on the demand for charcoal in Tanzania. During her PhD trajectory at the VUAthena Institute, she conducted transdisciplinary research on nutrition sensitive agriculture, addressing issues of food insecurity and malnutrition in low-and middle-income countries, particularly among vulnerable rural communities in Lao PDR and Vietnam. Sabina has extensive experience in teaching and training. She is a certified university teacher (BKO) and has taught and coordinated courses at the Bachelor, Master, and PhD levels. Since 2014, she has coordinated and lectured in several preparatory doctoral programmes for international graduate students (https://vu.nl/en/research/more-about/bridging-pre-doctoralprogrammes).