university of amsterdam sociology phd

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Navigating a complex world

‘When you work with the same elderly people with autism for a long time, you can get them more actively involved in the research’

Webcam platforms as employers: challenges or opportunities for sex workers?

Giving positive feedback doesn’t always pay off

(In)Equality

A Sustainable World

Elections and Democracy

Citizens, Society and Artificial Intelligence (CiSAI)

Education and Parenting

Urbanisation and Mobility

Mental health

How we are organised

Collaborating with the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Courses for phd candidates.

[More general information for PhD candidates can be found on Intranet ]

PhD candidates follow specific courses and training to deepen and broaden their knowledge and expertise, and to acquire the academic and career orientation skills necessary to become independent scientists or to prepare for a career outside academia. PhD candidates are expected to take the initiative, to look for solutions and to be proactive. At the start of the PhD track, the PhD candidate and the supervisor draw up a development plan [intranet] together and decide which courses are appropriate and relevant. This plan is updated annually.

Unless described differently, the courses and training listed below are intended for PhD candidates from the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, but PhD candidates from other graduate schools can also attend (in that case please contact the PhD Office via [email protected] ).

Furthermore, courses in the research Master’s programmes of the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences are open to FSBS PhD candidates as well (if the courses are not fully booked). Information on availability can be requested at the Student Information Point .

The Graduate School of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers several courses, some of which are organized in collaboration with local research programs, with national research networks or research schools or a combination of these.

If a course provider requests a course fee, PhD candidates can apply for a reimbursement from the PhD Office on beforehand, via [email protected] (with the exception of discipline-specific courses). The PhD-office will assess whether the course is eligible for reimbursement.

Missing anything?

If there are specific courses that you think are missing in this list, please let us know via [email protected] .

Domain specific skills

• Domain specific courses

Research skills

• Rethinking and redesigning your research proposal (Dutch)
• Methods & Statistics
• Introduction to R and data
• Grafische vormgeving (in Dutch)

Research integrity

• Responsible Conduct of Research (mandatory)
• Learn how to write your Research Data Management plan
• Quick start to Research Data Management
• Handling personal data in research

Personal Effectiveness

• Research planning and Timemanagement
• Online programmes Caring Universities
• Smoothening your writing process
• PhD's: Tackle stress met mindfulness - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Energiemanagement - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• PhD's: Manage your supervisor - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Beïnvloedings- en conflictstijlen - Development Guide [Intranet UU]

Communication

• Writing in English for Publication
• Breaking Science
• Dutch language courses for international employees [Intranet UU]
• Online blogtraining voor onderzoekers: So We Think UU Can Blog - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• PhD's: Interculturele communicatie - Development Guide [Intranet UU]

Societal impact / public engagement

We are working on a training on impact/ public engagement, in the meantime information can be found here:

• Societal Impact Social Sciences [Intranet UU]
• Training and development [Intranet UU]
• Public Engagement at Utrecht University [Intranet UU]

Professional and employability skills

• Future crafting - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Research Funding Academy - Research - Utrecht University
• Career Services voor PhD
• Workshop: Your future academic career
• Selling your Science
• Ready to Start – Online course on starting a science based start-up/company - download pdf 'Ready to Start'
• Thesis supervision training [Intranet UU]
• Deelcertificaat training onderwijs geven [Intranet UU]
• Teaching in tutorials and seminars
• Start to Teach [Intranet UU]
• Supervising student research
• Introduction to Intercultural Awareness [Intranet UU]

Summerschool (and Winterschool)

NOTE : the faculty/Graduate School will reimburse up to a max of three summer and winter school courses per calendar year; if you wish to take more than three courses, you may do so with your own budget.

• Homepage Utrecht Summer School

Funding opportunities / experience abroad

• Support & Counseling RSO/ funding [Intranet UU]

UU Development guide

UU offers a broad range of training for staff, including PhD candidates. See the Development Guide .

Assessment & Development

Make sure you get an Assessment & Development interview (B&O gesprek) each year [Intranet UU]

PhD traject

Useful links.

• University PhD programme website
• Reimbursement of doctoral thesis printing costs (intranet UU)

Utrecht University Heidelberglaan 8 3584 CS Utrecht The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)30 253 35 50

Becoming a self-funded PhD candidate

Fees and requirements.

Starting a PhD at the Faculty of Humanities as a self-funded candidate is a two-step procedure, starting at the research school. First, candidates need to be admitted by a research school: see the application procedure below. Then, they are contacted by the Faculty in order to start the admission procedure to the UvA doctoral programme. All PhD candidates need to be admitted to the UvA doctoral programme by the Doctorate Board and need to meet the requirements set by the Doctorate Board in the Doctorate Regulations . One of these requirements is that the candidate should have obtained a Master’s degree.

The Faculty of Humanities does not regard PhD candidates as students. Once accepted, self-funded candidates automatically receive a full tuition waiver. 

There are no set requirements at the Faculty of Humanities for the level of English a candidate has to have; therefore, we do not have any requirements to provide an IELTS, TOEFL etc. score. However, a very good command of English is highly recommended and a candidate’s level of English will be assessed by the supervisors and research school based on the submitted research proposal.

Application

In order to join the Faculty of Humanities as a self-funded PhD candidate you need to take the following steps:

• Read the Research Programmes of the research schools on the website and decide which school you want to join, depending on how your project fits with or contributes to the programme of this school.
• Choose a potential supervisor from the members of the research school and contact them by sending an email and a first short draft of your proposal.
• Once you have found one supervisor willing to supervise you and your project, together you should look for a second (and possibly third) supervisor. Again, please note that at least one supervisor should have the  ius promovendi;  all full professors and some associate professors hold the  ius promovendi . 
• Rewrite the proposal according to the advice provided by the supervisors: see the guidelines for the full proposal below. 
• Ask your supervisors to write a short statement confirming their commitment to the project, with an argumentation on how the project contributes to the programme of the research school (max. 250 words).
• Send the proposal, including a CV, your address, copies of your BA and MA diplomas and grades, a copy of your passport, and your supervisor's statements by email to the coordinator of the school.
• The research school will inform you whether your application has been accepted, needs to be resubmitted with revisions, or has been rejected.
• Upon acceptance, you will be admitted to the research school as a new PhD candidate for a probationary period of max. 18 months. After 12-18 months, your progress will be evaluated by your supervisors and the director of the school on the basis of a so-called pilot study; only if you pass the pilot study, your affiliation as a PhD candidate will be renewed.

Research proposal for self-funded PhD candidates 

In the Netherlands, scholars are expected to prepare specific proposals, in which central questions, aims, theoretical premises, concepts, the corpus to be studied and proposed methods are described in some detail. General outlines are considered too undeveloped and therefore turned down almost immediately. This requirement is based on the idea that candidates have completed a (research) MA and that the PhD is the core activity and goal of the student. 

Proposal guidelines

Please strictly follow the format below to prepare your full proposal.

1. Supervisors

For each project there need to be two supervisors, one of whom should have the ius promovendi 

• Supervisor 1:
• Supervisor 2:

2. Name PhD candidate

3. Curriculum Vitae PhD candidate

• Full address details
• Relevant professional information
• Publications, other relevant academic output (presentations, reviews)
• Grants, honours, etc.
• Relevant language skills

4. Title of research proposal

5. Summary (max. 250 words)

Please provide a brief summary of the project.

6. Project proposal (max. 2,500 words)

Please outline the following in your proposal.

• Object(s) of research and main aims/objectives of the project
• Research questions or hypotheses
• Theoretical approach and methodology (min. 400 words). Please provide detailed information regarding your data/sources: how will these be obtained/selected and analysed?
• Scientific importance of the proposed project (min. 400 words). Please provide a ‘state of the art’ of the field and explain how the project will advance the understanding of the object(s) of research and the scientific field(s) with which you engage.
• Importance of the proposed project for the Research School
• A work plan or planning for the project. Please specify a starting date and prospective completion date, as well as completion dates for important output (chapters, articles, data collection, etc).
• A bibliography of important scholarly work your refer to (nb: the bibliography does not count towards the word limit)

7. Motivation for doing PhD research (max. 300 words)

Please provide your motivation for doing scientific research and any relevant experience you have for carrying out the proposed project. 

8. Recommendation by the supervisors   (max. 250 words)

Both supervisors are requested to write a short statement confirming their commitment to the project and the candidate.

9. Research budget

Self-funded PhD candidates are entitled to a research budget of €4,500 for costs related to presenting papers at conferences and doing fieldwork, including travel and accommodation costs, and for the production of the final manuscript (printing, editing). Please provide a short breakdown of how you are planning to use this research budget.

10. Data management

Will data be collected or generated that are suitable for reuse? Yes/No

If yes, a data management plan must be made and presented here; see https://rdm.uva.nl/en/introduction/rdm-introduction.html for more information.

11. Research ethics

Will human test subjects and/or interviewees be involved in the research? Yes/No

If yes, please provide details here; and please make sure to seek the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Faculty for your project after your admission: see https://aihr.uva.nl/about-aihr/ethics-committee/ethics-committee.html for more information.

12. Previous research experience

Are you currently working towards a PhD degree elsewhere or have you worked towards a PhD degree at another institution? Yes/No

If yes, please provide details: at which institution do or did you work towards a PhD degree, for how long, and are you or have you formally been admitted to a doctoral programme?

13. Funding

Will you receive any sort of funding (e.g. a scholarship, grant, fellowship, ...) to work towards a PhD degree at the Faculty of Humanities? Yes/No

If yes, please provide details; particularly what kind of funding (private or public) you will receive and from whom, how much (per month or year), for how long, and whether any particular conditions have been set for you to receive the funding (e.g. yearly reports, the completion of the dissertation within a particular amount of years, etc.). 

Please send the above information, together with a copy of your passport and a copy of your BA and MA degrees and grades (transcript) to the coordinator of the research school of your choice by e-mail.

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Open call for five fully funded PhD projects at the AISSR

18 December 2023

Our goal is to assemble a diverse and exceptional cohort of candidates. We aim to recruit candidates with a broad range of epistemologies, disciplines, and backgrounds. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to join the AISSR’s PhD program and embark on their individual research projects under the supervision of AISSR faculty members.

Applications will be assessed according to three criteria:

(1) Quality, significance, and feasibility. We are in search of proposals that hold the potential to deliver groundbreaking insights. Applicants should provide a clear and comprehensive plan for how these insights will be generated.

(2) Fit with the AISSR. The proposals should align well with existing research and expertise within the institute to promote synergy and ensure high-quality supervision.

(3) Diversity, broadly defined. We are looking for candidates with distinct profiles and expertise, perspectives, and backgrounds and the potential to help shape the future of the social sciences.

An interdisciplinary committee, comprising representatives from all four departments within the AISSR, will evaluate the applications.

Who are we looking for ?

You are an ambitious and talented researcher with a passion for the craft of social science research. You are excited about your research project and have a clear, feasible plan on how to conduct this research. You are committed to contributing to the academic community in different ways, from helping with the organization of activities to participating in interdisciplinary debates. You have excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

If this vacancy appeals to you, but you are uncertain whether you might be the person we are looking for, please do consider applying. We strongly encourage applications from all qualified candidates and specifically from people from backgrounds underrepresented at the AISSR.

Eligibility

Applicants must have a master's degree or equivalent within the social sciences by September 1st 2024.

What can we offer you?

We offer a temporary employment contract of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of four years. The initial employment is for one year and the preferred starting date is September 1, 2024. Following a positive assessment, this term will be extended by a maximum of three years, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. You will attend courses offered by the AISSR and the Graduate School of Social Sciences as part of the PhD program. In addition to doing research, publicizing your findings, and participating in academic events, you will be involved in teaching (roughly 10% of your time).

For this position the University Job Classification profile “Promovendus” applies. Your salary will be €2,770 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3,539 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week and in keeping with the  Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities . We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

17 March 2024, 23:59 (CET).

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• Department of Sociology and Criminology >

Sociology and Criminology at UB

The Department of Sociology and Criminology  offers a vibrant, stimulating intellectual home for our undergraduate students, graduate students and expert faculty.

Undergraduate Students

Our undergraduate students encounter a wide range of fascinating courses that enhance critical thinking and understanding of our rapidly changing social world. Majors with interests in the social aspects of health, law or globalization may choose one of four specializations: Health and Society; Crime, Law and Justice; Applied Social Science Research; and Global Sociology. These fields prepare students with career goals in health-related, legal or internationally-oriented professions. A new BA/MA program in Applied Social Research has also been designed to provide research skills for students seeking research-based careers in the private or public sectors.

Graduate Students

Whether pursuing a master's or doctoral degree, our graduate students become independent researchers, receiving well-rounded and advanced training in sociological theory, research methods (qualitative and quantitative), and substantive areas including family and the life course; law and social policy; social inequalities; and urban sociology. Many graduate students practice and develop their teaching skills through teaching assistantships and lectureships. Additionally, graduate students are mentored closely by faculty, benefit from regular pro-seminars and visiting speakers, and take advantage of peer support within a tight-knit cohort.

"All of my classes were engaging and challenging and the faculty created a welcoming learning environment." – Anna Shoemaker, BA '09 

• 6/5/24 Majors and Minors
• 11/9/23 PhD, MA, Combined BA/MA
• 6/5/24 What are Sociology and Criminology?
• 12/2/21 Careers in Sociology and Criminology
• 8/14/20 Study Abroad with Sociology and Criminology
• 4/1/19 How to Apply

Meet Our Faculty

• Washington State University
• Go to wsu twitter
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• Go to wsu linkedin

Computer engineering graduate student invited to Heidelberg Laureate Forum

Graduate student Dina Hussein has been selected to participate in the Heidelberg Laureate Forum where she will have the chance to meet the world’s top researchers in computer science and math.

The week-long event is a networking conference in which 200 math and computer science student researchers from around the world spend a week interacting with recipients of the top prizes in those fields, such as the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal and the Nevanlinna Prize. The event will be held in Heidelberg, Germany in September.

“I feel incredibly honored and excited to have been asked to participate in the Heidelberg Laureate Forum,” said Hussein, a PhD student in WSU’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with laureates who have made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics and computer science.”

Hussein said she is particularly excited about getting the opportunity to discuss her research with experts in the field, receiving feedback, and learning from their experiences.

“The first question I would like to ask the laureates would be, ‘What advice would you give to young researchers like me who are just starting their journey in research,’” she said.

A graduate student at WSU since 2021, Hussein is studying computer engineering. Her research is in machine learning algorithms for wearable device applications.  She has received several awards at WSU, including being named an outstanding graduate research assistant in 2024 and an outstanding teaching assistant in 2022. She took second place this year in Voiland College’s three-minute thesis competition. She also received an award at the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Embedded Systems (SIGBED) student research competition in 2023. After completing her PhD, she hopes to conduct research in academia or in a research lab.

“Dina is an outstanding student in the School of EECS with wide breadth and depth of publications in design automation, embedded systems, and AI venues. She is also working on problems with social impact,” said Ganapati Bhat, Raymond and Beverly Lorenz Distinguished Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Hussein’s advisor. “Her contributions have been well recognized, including through the School of EECS, the 3-minute thesis competition, and ACM student research contributions.”

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Sociology and Criminology

Lexi bibbs: rooted in iowa and studying crime in a new ph. d. program.

Lexi Bibbs says that she is very local, born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In school growing up, she was active in mock trial, show choir, musical theatre, regular theatre, dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. “It was a lot,” she says. While it is hard for her to find time to perform as an adult in college, “I still sing in the car,” she laughs.

Criminology was not her first career plan. Aptitude tests in school all suggested the same two careers for her: actress or coroner. She went to science camp and considered studying medicine. Trying to understand violent crime intrigued her as she watched “Criminal Minds” on TV.

Lexi studied psychology and criminology at the University of Northern Iowa but wanted to do something investigative. She wanted to study violent crime. She took the LSAT and qualified for law school but that didn’t feel right, and she took time off to become a 911 emergency dispatcher for Cedar Rapids. She enjoyed the job, but the environment wasn’t good for her, alone in a dark room hearing people at their worst and never knowing what happened to them. She missed being around people and took a job in the Cedar Rapids Library but still missed school. Her family often joked that she would be in school for life. She says that while many people can never imagine going back to school, “I can never imagine leaving it.”

Graduate programs in psychology weren’t the right fit. She wanted to understand psychology but specifically to investigate criminal behavior. Then she chanced upon the new Criminology PhD program right down the road in Iowa City. “It was everything I wanted in one place,” she says. The program covers research in crime, law, and social control, and having sociology in the department helps too.

The emergency dispatcher job gave her the idea for a current research project on resilience. One young man called in to calmly describe how he stabbed his father after an argument. Another person called for help finding the access panel to their attic. People respond so differently to the events in their lives. Why do some people recover from childhood trauma that ruins the lives of others from similar backgrounds? A combination of underlying tendencies and a triggering event could explain it.

Lexi says that she loves everything about the new criminology program and the professors she has come to know. Meg Rogers became more like a friend as they worked together teaching undergraduate classes. James Wo challenged her to conduct independent research and write her first real research paper. Alison Bianchi motivated her to develop a research grant proposal. “It has been terrifying and great,” she says. 

Lexi Bibbs has discovered that becoming a professor is the best way to never leave school.

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.