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Program Content

Please find below an example of how the Program would fit to the PhD student needs in each phase of his/her research project:

Example CentER PPP Program

	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Years 4-8
PhD research	√	√	√	√
Research methodology (1 course; compulsory)	√
Subject-specific courses (1 course per semester; optional)		√
Practical skills (1 course compulsory/other courses optional)	√	√
Supervision	√	√	√	√
Facilities	√	√	√	√

It is an intensive part-time program with an estimated workload of 12 to 16 hours a week on average. We estimate that the duration from application to thesis defense will typically be six years for professional PhD students, unless the candidate has already been awarded a Research Masters degree or the degree of MPhil, in which case the program is likely to be five years in length.

PhD students are expected to acquire additional knowledge and/or skills in support of their research by means of general and subject-specific courses. All courses are taught in English.

Research methodology

General knowledge of research methodology (theory and skills) is needed to be able to perform high-quality academic research. Therefore, in the first year of the program it is required to follow at least one basic course and pass its exam with a positive result. Examples of such basic courses are Empirical Research in Economics or Empirical Research in Business, which are existing courses in the Research Master curriculum of the Graduate School, whereas alternative methodology courses may apply in Operations Research and Information Management. For reasons of interactivity it is recommended that PhD students attend the research methodological courses at the university.

PhD students who have already been awarded a Research Masters' degree or an MPhil may be considered for an exemption from part of the Research methodology courses by the Program's Research Board.

Subject-specific courses

PhD students may also, at their own choosing, pursue a limited number (of two, in principle) of subject-specific courses within one of the:

• Business tracks:
  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Information Management
  • Marketing
  • Operations Research
  • Organization & Strategy
• Economics tracks:
  • Econometrics
  • Macroeconomics
  • Microeconomics

These courses should be relevant to the PhD research and would preferably be part of the second year of the program.

In addition to these courses, PhD students can participate in workshops, in-house seminars and symposia, which are organized on a regularly basis by CentER.

Practical skills

The following practical skills training and support are offered:

• Academic writing (compulsory)
• Academic publishing
• How to handle academic literature (collect, read, judge, and process, including APA guidelines)
• Use of library, documentation centers and databases (including paper-based and electronic access to primary and secondary sources)
• Time management
• Acquisition of computer skills that are directly relevant for the research project (e.g. Matlab and Stata courses)

Please note that most courses and training modules are offered once a year.

Full details of the program for an individual PhD student will be set out in the individual Study and Supervision Plan. This plan includes such matters as the courses to be completed and the way the supervision will take place. At the end of each year, the supervisor will have an evaluation interview with the PhD student.

Please note the program does not create the obligation for Tilburg University to grant a doctorate to the PhD student, neither it creates the right for him/her to obtaining a doctorate.