Admission requirements

All applicants that wish to fill a PhD position at Erasmus MC must fulfil the following academic requirements:

Master degree
EUR requires PhD candidates to have a bachelor's degree and a master degree.doc

• Provisional admission is possible on the grounds of other Dutch diplomas or non-Dutch diplomas (see Section 2 of the PhD defence rules). Candidates with an HBO degree, on or before 31 August 2002 (with at least 168 credits), can be admitted to take their PhD.
  

English Language requirement 
In 2006 EUR implemented an English language requirement. According to the EUR doctoral regulations, the minimum score for the English language test must be: IELTS overall score of 7.0 (comparable to TOEFL PBT: 600; TOEFL CBT: 250; TOEFL IBT: 95) or Cambridge C2 level. Only test scores from two years from the starting date of the PhD project are valid. 

Exemption from the English language requirement is given on presentation of one of the following: 

1. Master's degree obtained in the Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg 
2. Diploma International Baccalaureate 
3. Diploma European Baccalaureate 
4. Evidence of at least 2.5 years of English-taught secondary education in an English-speaking country. PhD candidates with one of the following nationalities, or PhD candidates who have completed at least two and a half years of secondary education in one of these countries, are exempt from an English language test: United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand

Next the above mentioned exemptions, exemption can be given on the basis of a motivation letter of the first promotor if the promotor considers the English level sufficient enough. The motivation letter should clearly state why the PhD candidate should be exempted with proof of the English level, for example already published papers with first authorship. The signed motivation letter (in Word or PDF) can be send to phdpolicy@erasmusmc.nl. The vice-dean decides whether exemption will be given. 

The test scores for IELTS and TOEFL are valid for two years from the starting date of the PhD project. The Cambridge test does not have an expiration date.