Research Tilburg School of Theology

Prospective PhD researchers Tilburg School of Catholic Theology

There are several ways to obtain a PhD degree at Tilburg University:

PhD researchers(employed by Tilburg University)

PhD researchers in  this category are temporary employees of Tilburg University, usually for a period of three or four years. The Dutch term for this category is 'promovendus'.

1. Availability of PhD positions

Tilburg School of Catholic Theology regularly offers vacancies for PhD tracks. These PhD tracks are a three or four years offer, with the option of a part-time appointment of 80%.

2. Announcements

The profile of a PhD position is determined in general terms by the Vice Dean for Research, having regard to the preferred lines of research in the concerning program and leaving enough scope for candidates to write proposals. The announcement is submitted to the Management Team for approval. The position is announced internally, nationally and internationally through the appropriate channels (such as relevant job advertising websites and mailing lists).

3. Applications

Graduate School policy is to stimulate candidates to propose high-level projects. Thus, advertising for the position is broad and open; no content of a project is specified; the research programs and the lines of research expounded there are the guiding framework.

4. Assessment criteria

Assessment takes place on the basis of the following assessment criteria:

a. Academic quality

  • importance of the proposed research
  • originality of the research question and/or method
  • clarity of the problem or issue
  •  appropriateness of the approach/methodology
  • feasibility of the research proposal, as apparent from:
    • quality of the proposed researcher who is to carry it out (if applicable)
    • quality of the relevant research group, supervisors
    • infrastructure
    • work plan
    • international orientation
    • multidisciplinary cooperation

b. Embedding in a program

  • The extent to which the proposal fits into the research program and the central research lines pursued in it.
  • Project descriptions are assessed by experts in terms of their being feasible or not (A (feasible), B (possibly feasible after adjustments), C (not feasible)). In addition, these experts present a motivated prioritization to the Faculty Research Platform, which also looks into further funding possibilities.

5. Selection and allotment

The Vice Dean for Research appoints experts for the selection of projects and candidates. Both internal and external senior researchers can be approached to fulfill this task. The Vice Dean for Research presents his/her findings (also based on interviews with the applicants) together with those of the experts to the Dean, who formally decides about the selection of the candidate and the advice to appoint him or her.

External PhD researchers (not employed by Tilburg University)

PhD researchers in this category are not employed by Tilburg University. The link with Tilburg University is primarily through the supervisor(s).

The Graduate School is committed to improving the involvement of external PhD candidates in the School of Catholic Theology by allowing them to take part in research meetings or meetings of PhD candidates and by offering them certain facilities.

1. PhD track

External PhD researchers (i.e. PhD researchers without an employment contract of Tilburg University) in principle follow the same PhD track as PhD researcher-employees. Regardless of their legal employment status with respect to the university, all PhD students are entitled to:

  • a project description
  • a training and supervision plan
  • a set of facilities

For PhD researchers without an employment contract, university employees’ rights and duties do not apply. As a consequence, PhD researcher non-employees cannot be assigned teaching tasks.

2. Application procedure

Please send in the following documents:

  • Project description
  • Certified copies of your university diplomas, including the transcripts
  • Proof of sufficient financial means

3. Assessment criteria

Assessment takes place on the basis of the following assessment criteria:

a. Quality of the research proposal

  • Scientific importance/impact
  • Originality of the research question and/or method
  • Clarity of the problem or issue
  • Appropriateness of the approach/methodology
  • Feasibility of the research proposal, as apparent from:
    • quality of the proposed researcher who is to carry it out
    • quality of the relevant research group, supervisor(s)
    • infrastructure
    • work plan
    • English proficiency of the candidate (see below for the requirements)

b. Embedding in a research program

The extent to which the research proposal fits into the research program and the central research lines pursued in it.

The assessment takes place according to the Procedure for the Assessment of PhD Research Proposals at TST.

4. If the application is successful

  • If desired, the Human Resource staff may help you with immigration issues.
  • Your intended supervisor(s) will contact you regarding the facilities you need to be able to carry out your research and will contact the School's Management Team to inquire if the School can meet with these requirements.
  • You will be asked to apply for formal appointment of your supervisors via Hora Finita.
PhD researchers with a grant

This category consists of international PhD researchers who are not employed by Tilburg University, but who have a grant which allows them to carry out their research.

  • The Graduate School is committed to improving the involvement of PhD researchers with a grant in the faculty by allowing them to take part in the School's training program and by offering them certain facilities.
  • The application procedure for PhD researchers with a grant is the same as the procedure for external PhD researchers.
English Proficiency Requirements

In order to start a PhD research at Tilburg School of Catholic Theology non-Dutch candidates need to be proficient in English. Therefore a certified language test is required. Accepted tests are:

  • IELTS: International English Language Testing System
  • TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
  • CPE: Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency of English
  • CAE: Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English

The minimum criteria that are required for IELTS or TOEFL are:

  • IELTS: a score of > 7.0, all section scores should at least be 6.5 plus a writing score of at least 7.0
  • TOEFL: a score of > 100, all section scores should at least be 23 plus a writing score of at least 25

Candidates are exempt from proving proficiency in English if they:

  • are a native speaker and have completed secondary education in one of the following countries: USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia;
  • have already completed a bachelor’s as well as a master’s program in one of the following countries: USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia;
  • have already completed and English taught bachelor’s and master’s program in the Netherlands for which they had to prove proficiency in English.

If the above mentioned requirements for exemption are not met, proof of English proficiency is still required, even if English was the medium of instruction during previous education.