Whats a doctorate programme like in the Netherlands?
Doing a PhD in the Netherlands is not really similar to a PhD-program in other (esp. Anglo-Saxon) countries. In the Netherlands, you usually join in a research program and the scope of your research/thesis is often predetermined. Sometimes there are a few courses to follow, but your time is most importantly spent on research and on teaching undergraduates. You are not part of a large group of students, but rather of the teaching community. As a consequence of the system, it is very important who your supervisors are and how well the university is organized. Your supervisors also evaluate you – although there is no evaluation system and there are no predetermined in-between targets to meet . You can do a phd in any university; just look around for vacancies on their website.
