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Dutch Masters - A new meaning!
Dutch universities also offer an excellent working environment to anyone seeking to follow in the footsteps of Linnaeus and study for a PhD. The Netherlands has an informal culture where there is little room for pomp and circumstance. Many foreign visitors are often taken aback by the lack of ceremony on special occasions in the academic year. However, the opposite is true at PhD graduation ceremonies. The ceremony is a public event and anyone may attend. The graduand, often dressed in tails, will be probed for an hour by a panel of eminent professors, wearing their formal academic garb, who are specialists in the subject area dealt with in the thesis. After the questioning, they will retire to discuss the matter and, when they return, they then confer upon the graduand the degree of doctor.
The graduand can never fail at the ceremony because his thesis will have long since been assessed and approved by the faculty. However, the PhD student can be sure that the panel won't make it easy for him during the 'inquisition'. And the graduand will always have a slight waver in his voice when he formally asks the panel of professors to speak now if they have any objections to raise to the thesis.
A PhD student is normally given four years to complete his studies. Anyone wishing to study for a PhD at a Dutch university will have to meet the education requirements. More important, though, is finding a professor who is willing to act as supervisor for the studies. The PhD supervisor provides guidance, will sometimes act as a highly critical sparring partner, and ultimately decides when the thesis is ready to be defended. Taught courses are never taken as part of PhD studies.
These days, most PhD students in the Netherlands prefer to write their thesis in English rather than Dutch, as this enhances the international accessibility of their work. However, it is always possible to write the thesis in another language as long as the faculty has given its approval. If the PhD supervisor supports the use of the chosen language, faculty approval is merely a formality.
How the four years of study and research are divided up is decided by the supervisor and the PhD student. In many disciplines, the matter will be straightforward as you will be in the lab every day. However, where the emphasis is on field study, the possibilities include all sorts of 'sandwich' formulas. For example, you could undertake the field work in your home country and then write the thesis itself at the Dutch university, allowing to you to stay in contact with the supervisor when needed. A similar set-up can be used when studying for a master's degree. For example, a foreign student could bring the subject and all the required information with him when he travels from his home country to the Netherlands.
All of this makes the Netherlands a very interesting place to gain an international education. However, the are more arguments in favour of the Netherlands.
To start with, there's the cost. Prices in the Netherlands take up the middle ground when compared with the rest of Europe. This applies not just to college fees, but equally to the cost of living. Another advantage is the location. At the point where the Rhine meets the North Sea, the Netherlands is an excellent base for exploring the rest of the European continent. Amsterdam and Paris are only four hours apart by high speed train. And London is only five hours away. The large German conurbations of the Ruhr valley are around three to four hours away. With these neighbours so close by, it's no great surprise that the education and research traditions of Germany, France and the UK have left their mark in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is often characterized as a storage facility. Not just for goods, but for ideas too. It's a stimulating environment for anyone with a sense of curiosity.
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