At Amsterdam UMC, there’s no single “typical” path to a PhD. Some candidates dive into doctoral research right after their master’s degree. Others balance their PhD alongside a completely different career. And some even begin their research journey after retirement.This variety is matched by the different ways PhD projects are funded. In the Netherlands, PhD candidates are grouped into four main types, based on their contract and funding (see decision tree here). This classification helps us track how candidates are supported, supervised, and integrated, and it also allows for meaningful comparisons between universities across the country.
In the PDF file below, you’ll find a clear overview of these differences.