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Registration in  must be done within 14 days after the start of your project. This should be at least three years before the intended graduation. More information on MyPhD and the registration can be found on the UU pages. Note that, before submission, the registration must be approved by your supervisors and other involved parties.​

The Training and Supervision Agreement (TSA) sets out the rights and obligations of you and your supervisors in your PhD programme. This includes courses to follow (see education and development for more information) and a plan for daily supervision and regular progress meetings. Discuss these topics with your supervisors and make sure to ask for approval if costs are involved in activities such as courses. You should make the TSA and upload it in MyPhD within three months after the start of your programme. Your supervisors will then formally approve the TSA in MyPhD, where it will be stored. The format for the TSA can be found here.​

As a PhD candidate, you have a Progress Review at least once a year: a meeting with your manager (usually your supervisor) to discuss your progress and the supervision. For UU employees, this is the (A&D). Your manager is responsible for the planning and conduct of the meeting, but you can also take the initiative for this meeting yourself. A second person is present at the Progress Review meetings, according and following the conditions of the four-eye principle of the Faculty of Geosciences.

Use this meeting to formalise agreements, for example, expected output, supervision, working/research internship abroad, planned attendance of conferences (see tips and tricks) and discipline-specific or general courses (see education and development). Hence, training is another important topic during the interview, in addition to the assessment. Discuss with your supervisor beforehand which topics will be addressed. 

Before the meeting, you write a progress report. Use the form if you are a UU-employee, and the Progress review form GSG for non-employees otherwise. Send it to your manager at least one week prior to the meeting. Your manager records the assessment and the agreements made in the meeting in a report. You confirm this written, confidential report. Your manager uploads the report in your digital personnel file.

Six months after you start, you will have your first Progress Review, during which your progress and performance so far are reviewed. You will also get a review in the ninth month, the so-called “go-/no go” interview. A negative review in both progress reviews may lead to dismissal from the PhD programme.

PhD candidates employed by the Faculty of Geosciences usually are involved in teaching. Teaching tasks may take at most 10% of your total employment time. Specific tasks may differ per department, but the teaching duties of PhD candidates are first allocated to necessary tasks in regular courses, followed by any potential assignment of bachelor's and master's theses supervision. As a guideline, when you are involved in research for bachelor's or master's theses and are responsible for supervising and assessing students, this falls under your teaching tasks. If your own research is central and other staff members are responsible for supervising and assessing students, it is considered a research task. Teaching in your final year is possible only on a voluntary basis.

. Exceptions are possible in special cases. You should enroll in education training (preferably) before you start with your education tasks. You can read more about this topic on the Education and Development site, under “Mandatory courses”.

Everyone involved in academic teaching and research at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� shares in the responsibility to maintain research integrity. Promising that you will always perform your duties according to the principles of research integrity will be part of the doctoral thesis defence ceremony. 

Good supervision is crucial for a successful PhD trajectory. You, as a PhD candidate, and your supervisors each have a role and responsibility in the supervision process. It is good to make these explicit and to express expectations to each other. To support this, the UU has developed a vision on PhD supervision - an overview of "guiding principles" for PhD candidates and supervisors. The GSG has adopted the UU vision without modifications (GSG vision).

You can use this guide to help formulate your own expectations for supervision.

The requirements for the thesis are described in the Doctoral Degree Regulations of Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��. The thesis should state your contribution for each chapter written with co-authors.

To be allowed to defend your PhD thesis and obtain your PhD, you will have to follow/arrange many official procedures, starting with the formal approval of your thesis by your supervisor(s) at least four months before your intended date of defence, and, upon the supervisors’ approval, asking the Beadle’s Office to assign a provisional date for the doctoral thesis defence ceremony. The UU pages on practical matters provide more information on the PhD thesis approval and the necessary regulations and forms to complete your PhD programme (including information about the ceremony and a time schedule). 

plays an important role in this phase. For example, you upload the pdf of your manuscript in MyPhD, for formal approval of your supervisors. Also a number of subsequent formal steps are facilitated through MyPhD. The UU pages on the required actions to complete a PhD programme provides you with a detailed description.

The faculty and university provide information for all employees through:

• general information for , with pointers to many topics, for example, IT, health and illness, expense declaration, annual assessment and development interviews. 
• the university , where you can find university related information such as procedures, news, facilities, expense claims, IT.

See support and counsellors for more information on how to get help if you need  it.

PhD representation councils and organisations provide useful information on the PhD track and other PhD-related matters. Also see tips and tricks for more information. 

Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� has a number of  that apply to the employees of Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��. They include the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) for Dutch Universities. If you have any questions about the terms of employment, you can contact the Faculty Human Resources department. See for the contact details.