Ph.D. question

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by drewdarnell, Jan 23, 2003.

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  1. drewdarnell

    drewdarnell Member

    Ok, I don't know if this is the right forum or not but here it goes anyway.

    The Free University of Amsterdam....anybody have any information about it?

    I know that it is not D.L. but i was just curious....?


    drew
     
  2. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    Excellent university founded in 1880 by the celebrated (at least in some circles) Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper. Within Reformed circles, it's theology faculty is considered to be one of the premier theological faculties in the world.

    By the way, Free University has a relationships with the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, where students enroll in doctoral work at ICS, and ultimately are granted a doctorate from Free University. When last I looked into it, it appeared to be an affordable and flexible program (though by no means DL).

    Cory Seibel
     
  3. drewdarnell

    drewdarnell Member

    How affordable

    Greeting Cory,

    Do you know exactly how affordable it is? I think I saw on the website that you have to do a 3 month residence over there at the beginning of your degree. I am curious how much that would cost.

    For His Glory,

    drew
     
  4. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    A few excerpts from the Free University website:

    "Fees
    The total costs of the structured Ph.D. for foreign students are the same as for the Master’s Program..."
    "...The fees for the Masters Program amount to EUR 1400,-.
    An additional EUR 3000,- is required for accommodation and overhead during the three months’ study in Amsterdam.
    It is reckoned that for foreign students the total cost of the Master’s Program will amount to approximately EUR 6800,- including travel costs and the costs of a second visit to Amsterdam when graduating."

    "Outline of the Program

    The Ph.D. has two variants:
    The first offers a structured program, analogous to the master’s program. It also starts with three months’ study in English in Amsterdam. Here the focus is not on the preparation of papers and reviews, but on the writing of a doctoral dissertation. On Thursdays the doctoral students discuss the concepts for their research projects. On Mondays text readings are scheduled. When the Ph.D. students leave Amsterdam they must have a sound research plan for the next years, including a time schedule, which will cover several years of research. Co-supervision by a professor of the student's home institution and a staff member of the IRTI is preferred. This is because the IRTI seeks to cooperate with institutions all over the world, and especially with their professors who work in its focus area. After finishing their dissertation students come back to Amsterdam for the official graduation.
    It is also possible to continue the study in Amsterdam in a classic tutorial system with individual supervision. This possibility is especially suitable for people living in the Netherlands.
    The second variant is an individual program. This is for students who can not come to Amsterdam for a longer course and can only make short visits to discuss chapters of their dissertation. Contact can also be the other way around, by the supervisor visiting the student. This variant requires a high level of previous training on the part of the student. It is also applicable for students who have followed the IRTI’s master’s program Living Reformed Theology. The graduation will be in Amsterdam. Working in languages other than English is possible, if supervisors can be found who are fluent in them."

    As you can see from this, one of the two approaches to PhD work offered by Free University requires a three-month residency. The other is considerably more flexible, not requiring such an extended stay. However, the website makes it explicitly clear that, whereas the "structured" PhD requires students to have exceptional academic preparation, the research-oriented PhD requires this all the more.

    Hope this is helpful.

    Cory Seibel
     
  5. JLV

    JLV Active Member

    It is a good, public university well known to any Dutch person.
     

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