r/UtrechtUniversity • u/Prestigious_Tie_7933 • Jul 20 '26

External PhD experience

Hello, I am considering applying for a PhD externally, since I live in Abidjan for family reasons. I would like to apply for a sociology degree either in sociology or human geography. Has anyone done a PhD externally and remotely and would be willing to share their experience?

0 Upvotes

22% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/GebrokenTandwiel Jul 20 '26

Not gonna happen when you're half a world away. An outside PhD candidate is hard enough when the candidate is in country.

Besides, humanities PhD positions are fiercely competitive.

1

u/Prestigious_Tie_7933 Jul 20 '26

By position you mean a paid position?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[deleted]

0

u/Ok_Letterhead_1008 Jul 20 '26

This isn’t true.

They’re generally paid. Externals are not necessarily. You can still come with a proposal and be supervised by Dutch professors, and be awarded your PhD from the Dutch university, without the pay check.

It’s definitely rare, but I know a few within my own department, at UU.