We welcome PhD candidates who aspire to have a career at ERMeCHS. PhD candidates are admitted through one of the two following procedures:
Applying for a PhD vacancy
Most PhD candidates are employed to work on a research project following an open recruitment procedure. PhD vacancies are announced on the PhD vacancies website and on Academic Transfer.
Submitting your own research proposal
Besides joining ERMeCHS as an employed PhD candidate, you can also enter a doctoral programme as a scholarship or external (self-funded) PhD candidate.
- Scholarship PhD candidate: scholarship PhD candidates are not employed by Erasmus University Rotterdam but are externally financed by other (research) organisations.
- External (self-funded) PhD candidates receive no funding or salary for their PhD research. They perform their research in their own time and receive supervision from supervisors at ERMeCHS. EUR’s focus is on external PhD candidates who can create impact with their research project, and whose knowledge, professional experience and ideas will strengthen the EUR’s research portfolio. Therefore, external PhD candidates are likely to be active professionals who wish to pursue a PhD to further their career and related opportunities. The candidate is often supported by his/her employer, who can contribute to the PhD trajectory in various ways (e.g., financial support, sabbatical leave, access to company data and/or assets.). Self-funded PhD candidates carry out a PhD research project without payment for their activities and in return receive supervision, education and support from the faculty on the basis of a hospitality agreement (GVO). Be aware: ERMeCHS accepts only a limited number of external (self-funded) PhD candidates each year.
Minimum educational requirement:
For all PhD candidates the minimum legal, educational requirement needs to be met. In order to enter a doctoral non-Dutch PhD programme at the EUR, national candidates need a master’s degree. International candidates must prove that their academic degree is equivalent to this Dutch bachelor plus master university examination.
Additional admission requirements for scholarship and self-funded PhD:
- certified copy of Academic Degree(s)/Diploma(s) MA degree;
- certified copy of Academic Transcript(s);
- a motivation letter;
- a research proposal expanding on the topic you would like to explore. The topic should be related ERMeCHS research theme or fit in one of the ongoing research themes;
- a time plan;
- the proposed supervisor you have in mind;
- a budget plan, providing details about what kind of funding you have obtained or plan to apply for;
- a CV, including an overview of planned or forthcoming publications if applicable, and a recent paper or publication demonstrating your potential as a researcher;
- a valid language test score
- two recommendation letters supporting your application. One of them should be related to your most recent professional experience or your master program.
Note: If the language of these documents is not in English, Dutch, German or French, a certified translation to English must be attached together with the original documents.
ERMeCHS requires all non-native speakers of English to show proof of their proficiency in English. All candidates must be able to read textbooks, understand lectures, take part in seminars and undertake written work in English. Applicants with a nationality other than American, Australian, British, Canadian, Irish or New Zealand - as proven by the identity papers submitted - are required to submit an English test score meeting the entry requirements. To be admitted, you must satisfy the following requirements:
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum overall score of 100 is compulsory, and all sub-scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 20. (www.ets.org/toefl)
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with a minimum score of 7.5 is compulsory, and all sub- scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 6.0. (www.ielts.org)
The language test results should not be older than two years. Exemption to this rule may apply if you have:
- a master’s degree from a Dutch university,
- a bachelor’s or a master’s degree from an English-speaking country.
If you are interested in becoming a scholarship or a self-funded PhD candidate at ERMeCHS, please reach out to phd@eshcc.eur.nl to discuss the process and (im)possibilities.
Please be aware that we won’t be able to move forward with your application if you fail to meet any of the requirements or if your application is incomplete. Given the limited available spots in our programme, only highly qualified candidates will be taken into consideration.
If the ERMeCHS Board is positive about the application, the candidate may continue the application procedure by providing original transcripts and proof of funding, a copy of their passport’s data and photo page and other necessary documentation. Further details will be provided individually.