PhD candidates

Category

• Career Perspectives Series
• PhD Health and Wellbeing
• Library Courses and Services for PhDs
• Language and Writing Courses
• Center for in Information Technology (CIT) and Research Data Management .
• Faculty-Specific Courses for PhDs

Courses are divided into phase of PhD, however this serves as a general guideline only based on the learning outcomes a PhD student will gain from each course. PhD students are free to take courses and workshops at any time during their PhD programme in agreement with supervisors and their Faculty Graduate School.

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Career Perspectives Series*

(All = general, OA = Outside Academia Perspectives, IA = Inside Academia Perspectives).

Early Phase (first year of PhD)

General

• PhD Introductory Event (All)
• The Empowered PhD: How to get beyond being a good student (All)
• Introduction to Careers Inside Academia (IA)
• Introduction to Careers Outside Academia (OA)
• Networking for people who hate it (All)
• Learn to fail (and stay happy about it!) (All)
• Scrumming and other project management techniques (All)
• Start to supervise (All)
• Story Mapping for PhD student (All)

Mid Phase

General

• Developing your Leadership in Academia (All)
• My Future Career (All)
• Start to Teach (All)
• Storytelling (All)
• Media Training (All)
• Assertiveness now and at your new job (All)
• Teamwork: create and maintain an effective team (All)
• The landscape of Post-PhD Career Tracks (All)
• Toolbox for Career opportunities after your PhD (All)

Inside Academia track

• Academic Writing: Reduce Anxiety (IA)
• Grant Writing 1: Beginners Guide to Grant Writing (IA)
• Grant Writing 2: From Chaos to Focus - How to develop your own Research Plan (IA)
• Academic CV Building (IA)

Outside Academia track

• Entrepreneurship Course (OA) (new link to be added soon)
  or
  Introduction to Entrepreneurship (OA)
• Recruitment - How does it work? (OA)
• Working in the Humanitarian Sector (OA)
• Patent Attorney - what does it take to become one? (OA)
• Careers in Consultancy (OA)
• Working perspectives at a University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool) (OA)

End Phase (last year of PhD)

Inside Academia Track

• Grant Writing 3: Rubicon (and other) Grant Writing Training (IA)

Outside Academia Track

• CV Building and Writing (OA)
• Motivation Letter Writing (OA)
• Interview Skills (OA)
• Negotiation Skills (OA)

* The Career Perspectives Series (CPS) was developed in the framework of the PhD Scholarship Programme and is open to all PhD candidates at the University of Groningen and UMCG. The programme provides training for PhDs in the area of soft-skills development and how to translate these skills to successful careers outside or inside academia. PhD Scholarship Students are given registration priority and can benefit from low registration fees for certain courses.

Download our CPS flyer here.

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PhD Health and Wellbeing

If you feel you could use some support during your studies, such as managing stress or work-life balance, you can always contact your PhD coordinator, someone at your Graduate School, or talk to your supervisor. If you need specific help, you can contact the university who will offer confidential support depending on your situation.

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University Library - Publishing your Research and Research Impact

The University Library offers courses and workshops on publishing, open access, and improving your visibility as a researcher (for example, using ORCID). All PhD candidates can participate in these courses.

Links will take you to the Library Website.

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Language and Writing Courses

The Language Centre offers Dutch and English language courses, as well as courses on academic writing and communication skills. All PhD candidates can participate in courses at the Language Centre.
*Please note: if you are a PhD Scholarship Student with an S number, please register for courses at the Language Centre using your S number to receive an extra discount.*

Some links will take you to the Language Centre website.

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Center for Information Technology (CIT) and Research Data Management

The Center for Information Technology offers courses on research data management.
(CIT = Center for Information Technology, RDO = Research Data Office)

Domain Research of CIT regularly offers training on topics such as data management and scientific programming. On top of that you can  Ask-an-expert and we can provide each PhD with 16 hours of free research support each year; to help you through a difficult part of your research or simply to give you a second opinion on your planned statistical methodology or conclusions.

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Faculty-specific Courses

Research-Based Training

The Faculty Graduate Schools offer research-based training programmes for PhD candidates within their Faculties. PhD candidates can participate in courses offered at other Faculties if there is space available and if you demonstrate added value to your research. For more information on course availability and registering for a course in another faculty, please contact the Graduate School in which the course is offered.

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Master's Courses

PhD candidates can participate in all Faculty-based Master's courses at the University of Groningen. A PhD candidate must have sufficient background information and/or demonstrate added value to your research in order to participate in a course. You may be required to pay a course fee. Make sure that your supervisors support your course participation before you reach out to the specific course coordinator.

All Master's courses are listed in the UG course catalog system Ocasys. Please visit the Ocasys website to find available Master's courses: