Finding a position
To enroll for the PhD program, there are two possible routes.
(1) Apply for a paid position
When a larger research project has been granted national or international funding, paid positions often become available for a postdoc or PhD candidate to carry out the research. Whenever we have such a position, you can find it at http://www.vacaturesindelft.nl
(2) Open application
If you opt for an open application, then your proposal must fit within the portfolio of one of the departments.
You can come to Delft and work on your project full-time as a PhD candidate with academic hospitality.
The alternative is to keep your current job and/or stay where you live and work on your project part-time as an external PhD candidate.
For both options you need to find a grant or scholarship.
As of 1 January 2025, the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has updated their PhD policy:
- We no longer accept new PhD candidates with scholarships and/or grants that do not cover the daily living costs as well as the tuition and bench fee.
- We no longer accept new PhD candidates who want to self-fund their PhD research.
Requirements
The Graduate School of Architecture and the Built Environment expects you to meet the following requirements:
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According to Dutch law and the TU Delft Doctorate Regulations a PhD candidate should be in possession of a Master’s degree. We welcome Masters of Science (M.Sc.) in Architecture, Urbanism, Building Technology, Real Estate, Built Environment, Geomatics or another field that supports the research objectives of our domain.
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Graduate School A+BE does not offer PhD scholarships. However, it is possible to pursue a PhD with other sources of funding, such as your company or a scholarship. Your own government may offer scholarships or you can try to find one at Grantfinder. To avoid confusion, make the following selection in their database:
Purpose: research
I have a: master's degree
If you plan to attain your PhD at the faculty of A+BE with external funding, we expect your grant or scholarship to cover living costs in the Netherlands as well as our tuition fee (€11.000) and bench fee (€10.000).
Living costs are estimated at a minimum of € 1.800 per month (or: 48 * € 1.800 = € 86.400 for the entire course of your PhD-trajectory).
This means that you will need a scholarship of at least € 107.400.
Doctoral Grant for Teachers in The Netherlands
Teachers in primary, secondary, further professional, higher professional and special education in The Netherlands can receive a grant for a PhD study. The aim is to directly apply the knowledge and research experience acquired for the benefit of educational practice. You can apply for a PhD grant for any research subject. Calls are twice a year with deadlines in the beginning of both March and September. Check NWO for more information in Dutch and English. -
With effect from 1 September 2021 the English language requirement applies to all prospective candidates wanting to pursue a PhD or PDEng programme at TU Delft.
The minimum requirement is a TOEFL score of 100 and IELTS of 7.0 (with scores of at least 6.5 for all sections) applies to all candidates wanting to pursue a PhD or PDEng programme at TU Delft.
Native speakers will be exempted from the English test requirement, as well as, in principle, non-native applicants who have obtained an English-taught Master’s degree. If during the selection process it turns out that the English proficiency of the candidate with an English-taught Master’s degree does not meet the requirements, they may also be asked to do a test. This test can only be taken at TU Delft and not online. -
You must provide a curriculum vita using the Europass-format.