page_title: Delft University of Technology
section_title: Doctoral-level studies
hierarchical_section_title: Delft University of Technology / Education / Doctoral-level studies
caption_attribution_description: English: TU Delft PhD Defense committee
context_page_description: Delft University of Technology also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technological university. It is located in Delft, Netherlands. It is consistently ranked as the best university in the Netherlands. As of 2020, it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among the top 15 engineering and technology universities in the world.
  With eight faculties and numerous research institutes, it has more than 19,000 students, and employs more than 2,900 scientists and 2,100 support and management staff.
  The university was established on 8 January 1842 by William II of the Netherlands as a Royal Academy, with the primary purpose of training civil servants for work in the Dutch East Indies. The school expanded its research and education curriculum over time, becoming a polytechnic school in 1864 and an institute of technology in 1905. It changed its name to Delft University of Technology in 1986.
  Dutch Nobel laureates Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, and Simon van der Meer have been associated with TU Delft. TU Delft is a member of several university federations, including the IDEA League, CESAER, UNITECH International, and 4TU.
context_section_description: Doctoral studies at TU Delft are divided into two phases. The first phase, lasting one year, serves as a trial period during which the doctoral candidate must prove capability for performing research on a doctoral level. The candidate must pass the evaluation performed at the end of the year by his/her promoter in order to continue doing research the following three years. The research the candidate performs must be finalized by submitting a doctoral thesis. The thesis is evaluated by a doctoral committee composed of TU Delft professors and external opponents. Once the thesis has been revised and comments have been taken into account, the candidate gives a formal doctoral defense.
  In contrast to US graduate school, other duties such as following lectures and giving TAs form only a small portion of the programme.
caption: Typical photo following a doctoral defense at Delft University of Technology. The promovendus (center) is accompanied by two paranymphs. The pedel is on the left, holding the staff. The red tube holds the doctoral diploma. The promovendus, as well as the paranymphs must wear white ties, while all professors in the defense committee wear togas.
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