Regular study programme timetable

The PhD programme begins in September and runs until the end of June during the first year of a candidate’s PhD trajectory. The programme is compulsory both for employee and for external PhD candidates. Meetings are almost exclusively on Thursdays between 11:00 and 15:00 hrs (at most).

Aim of the PhD programme

The primary aim of the PhD programme is to provide PhD candidates with academic literacy in broadly used or innovative methods of legal research. A broad methodological training is a necessary condition for a critical understanding of current literature and opens the door to collaborative and interdisciplinary work. For PhD candidates who are interested in developing active methodological skills in any of these subjects or in areas not covered by the compulsory part of the programme, we offer a broad array of elective courses both inhouse and at partner institutions.

A second important aim of the programme is to create an academic community among the PhD candidates, which is essential for networking, feedback, inspiration, support and (academically responsible) fun.

Coursework

The mandatory coursework is concentrated in the first semester (September to January), while the second semester is devoted to 2 types of meetings during which the candidates get a chance to present their work: the PhD Labs (short presentations of early-stage ideas and research plans) and PhD Workshops (comprehensive presentation of a working paper or draft book chapter). Attendance to the Amsterdam Law School Faculty Workshops is also part of the mandatory programme.

The PhD programme also includes sessions on ethics, research design, and publication strategies and a host of elective trainings on various academic skills.

To the course description of the PhD Programme in Legal Studies

Please note: we strongly recommend that PhD candidates take the study programme in the first, and in any case no later than the second year of the doctoral programme, so that they may reap the full rewards of the acquired knowledge throughout the remainder of the programme.