Graduate School
Admission
On this page you will find information on the admission procedure to the Graduate School of the Faculty Governance and Global Affairs. Additional information can be found on the staff website.
Requirements for admission to the PhD programme are stated in the PhD Regulations and can be found below.
Types of PhD's
If you wish to conduct PhD research at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, there are four possibilities:
- Employed PhD candidate, a paid PhD position constitutes a four-year full time (or five year 0.8 FTE part time) research position, with full funding sufficient for general subsistence and require candidates to spend about 15% of their time on teaching. The initial contract is for one year. A the end of that period a progress review is carried out (Go-no go moment see below) to decide whether the contract will be extended for a maximum of three more years (full-time PhD programme). Application to a paid position occurs in response to a vacancy advertised by the University.
- Contract (‘scholarships’) PhD candidate. A person who does not have an employment contract with the university, but who has the primary aim of obtaining a PhD and receives resources to that end from a scholarship funding body.
- PhD candidate with external financing. The PhD candidate in some way receives funding for the PhD research, or is permitted to obtain a PhD ‘on the boss’s time’.
- External PhD candidate (own funding) A person who is not allocated any time or money by an external party to obtain a PhD, but who does intend to obtain a PhD. These candidates may use their own funds, or family members may make funds available.
Facilities to which a PhD candidate is entitled depend on the type of PhD candidates. Especially externally financed and external PhD candidates are not entitled to facilities nor to financial support from the University. PhD candidates without an employment contract are not allowed to teach in the regular curriculum. Please see the Leiden University PhD guidelines on a more specific explication of the types of PhD candidates and facilities per type of PhD candidate.
When applying for a externally funded position the Graduate school Governance and Global Affairs requires a full and accurate ‘agreement form external PhD candidates’ (see side bar) signed by all involved including proof of funding. This form serves to record the agreements regarding guidance during and costs for the PhD trajectory.
Procedure
Once you meet the general requirements for admission set out in the Leiden University PhD Regulations you can apply to the Graduate School of Governance and Global Affairs by following the steps below.
1. Apply for a PhD position or find a supervisor willing to supervise you. Please download a template for a research proposal you could use to inform the supervisor about your research idea.
2. In case of an externally funded position, fill in the ‘agreement form external PhD candidates’ (see side bar) together with your supervisor and in agreement with other supervisor(s) involved and the institute board.
- To have the form signed by the institutes board please mail it to :
If the form is complete and signed by all, the supervisor should send the form to graduateschool@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.
3. Please fill in the PhD application and upload all the documents requested (see below) by logging on to the PhD Applicant Login. For further information and login details, contact graduateschool@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.
- The willingness of the supervisor to supervise you during your PhD research must be uploaded, this may be a simple (email) message from the supervisor to you.
- Evidence of English language competencies can be uploaded but it is not mandatory. Your supervisor will assess this.
- A recommendation letter is not required.
You are advised to submit your complete application at least two months before the start of your PhD project. If you will need a visa and/or residence permit, please submit your application at least three months before the starting date of your project. The supervisor has to confirm that s/he is willing to accept you as a candidate (promovendus) and an agreement form external PhD candidates should be available to the Graduate school before any further steps can be taken.
The formal decision on admission rests with the Dean of the Graduate School. Upon admission, the PhD candidate (and supervisor) will receive a formal letter of acceptance from the Dean. For more information about the admission procedure, please contact the Graduate School.
PhD research at two universities
In some cases, PhD candidates are permitted to follow a PhD track that involves conducting research and receiving supervision at two institutions: Leiden University and another university. You can read more about the forms of agreement here.
Combining a job with a PhD?
This is possible at the Leiden University Dual PhD Centre. The Centre focuses on external PhD candidates who devote part of their working time to scientific research on a theme from their professional practice. The Centre helps dual PhD candidates develop a research plan, provides training and ensures that their research fits within a scientific discipline and graduate school, and that it ties in with the research of a potential supervisor. A unique opportunity for the PhD candidate, the employer and for science.
International applicants
International PhD applicants might need a visa, residence permit and/or work permit. Leiden University Service Centre International Staff (SCIS) can give you all the necessary information.
You can also consult the information on visa and residence permits online, or have a look at the website of Euraxess.nl.
FGGA Graduate School Go-No Go Guidelines
The 'Go-No Go' moment will take place at the end of the candidate’s first year [For externally financed and external PhD candidates, the decision will be made no earlier than one year and no later than two years after their start date]. This procedure is designed to guarantee the production of quality PhD theses in the Faculty, ensure common standards and clarify expectations for PhD students and supervisors about the progress achieved.
The requirement for the successful completion of the Go-No-Go procedure is the submission of a satisfactory PhD prospectus containing the main research questions, theories, and methods used in the thesis, as well as realistic work schedule for the PhD research. The purpose of the Go-No-Go procedure is to ensure that both the candidate and the supervisors are clear on the progress of the thesis, and are confident about its chances of completion.
PhD prospectus
The PhD candidate submits a document that may contain all or most of the following elements, in agreement with the supervisor:
- Introduction. Research topic, research question, scientific and real-world significance of the question
- Literature review. Overview of existing research, identification of research gaps justifying the research question.
- Theory. This can be combined with the literature review or presented as a separate section. It can include a theoretical framework if appropriate.
- Hypothesis, variables and the central argument that is being tested or advanced in this thesis. If the work is deductive it is anticipated that this section will be included.
- Methods and Research Design. This section should outline the broad methodological approach used in the thesis (e.g. qualitative/quantitative/ethnographic/interpretative) and justification of the main methodological choices (data sources; rationale for case selection) used in the thesis.
- Structure overview. This section presents an outline of the chapters of the thesis with a one-paragraph overview of the content of each chapter. If the dissertation consists of a collection of articles, an outline of the planned articles should be included.
- A work schedule proposing a timeline of the projected research work. e.g. (“months 1-3: theory development; months 4-6 pilot study; months 12-15 fieldwork in Ghana, etc.).
- Bibliography. This should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the current literature.
Procedure
The PhD candidate will submit the prospectus to their supervisor on an agreed date according to the guidelines above. Within a month after submission, the supervisor and co-supervisors review the document and mutually agree if the candidate is allowed to continue their PhD.
It is recommended that a suitable third external reviewer is appointed by the supervisory team to review the Go-No Go document. This is not compulsory but would be useful to obtain an objective external opinion on the progress of the candidate and their suitability for the PhD program.
Except in the presence of exceptional circumstances, if the candidate receives a No-Go then they will be asked to cease their PhD trajectory within the faculty. They will not be eligible to approach other supervisors within FGGA for supervision.
If the candidate receives a Go then they can continue with their PhD at FGGA.