Joint doctorate
Earning your doctorate at two universities simultaneously
A joint doctorate means completing your PhD at two (or in exceptional cases: more) universities at the same time. You will carry out your doctoral research under the joint responsibility and supervision of the partner universities. Your PhD thesis will be assessed by a doctoral committee jointly appointed by both institutions. This leads to a jointly conferred degree: the joint doctorate.
Collaboration agreement
Arrangements concerning the joint doctorate must be formalised in a collaboration agreement between the universities involved (referred to as a partnership agreement or equivalent document).
Arrange your joint doctorate at the start of your PhD track
A request for a joint doctorate can only be submitted by the dean of your faculty. You will therefore need approval and support from the faculty where your PhD is based.
- Within one year of starting your doctoral research, the dean of your faculty must submit a formal request to the Doctorate Board. Contact your research institute or faculty as soon as possible. Not sure who to contact? You can get in touch with one of the joint doctorate advisers at the Doctorate Board Secretariat via: jointdoctorates-bb@uva.nl.
- The collaboration agreement must be signed within one year of the date of the dean’s formal request. If this is no longer possible, the option of pursuing a joint doctorate with the University of Amsterdam as a partner will lapse.
More information
If you have questions about the joint doctorate, contact your faculty or research institute, or reach out to the Doctorate Board Secretariat via: jointdoctorates-bb@uva.nl
Further details can be found in the Doctorate Regulations (PDF, 37 p.p.) and the Operational Regulations for Joint Doctorates (PDF, 5 p.p.).