This procedure is relevant for contract and external PhD candidates only.

For contract and external PhD candidates, admission to the Graduate School requires not only a supervisor but also additional approval steps, as outlined below.

Step one

As a prospective PhD candidate, it is your own responsibility to find a supervisor who is willing to support your research project. Without a confirmed supervisor, you cannot be admitted to the Graduate School.

Supervisors decide at their own discretion whether or not to take on an external PhD candidate. At FGGA, this decision must also be confirmed by the relevant institute board, which reviews whether the proposed project fits within the institute’s research context and capacity. Only with both the supervisor’s agreement and institute approval can an external PhD candidate proceed to apply for admission to the Graduate School.

Within the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, research is carried out across a wide range of topics within three institutes. Potential supervisors can be identified by exploring the research areas of academic staff on the websites of the Faculty’s institutes:

• Institute of Public Administration
• Institute of Security and Global Affairs
• Leiden University College

Step two

Prospective PhD candidates should make initial contact with a potential supervisor by sending a short e-mail including their CV and a brief outline of their research interests or ideas. At this stage, a fully developed research proposal is not required.

If the supervisor is open to further discussion, you may be asked to develop your ideas into a more detailed proposal. For inspiration, you can consult the research proposal template provided by the Graduate School. The use of this template is optional and intended as a guideline only.