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Graduate School
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences

We train talented, young people in order to become independent researchers and teachers. Our research is interdisciplinary, encompassing questions of Europeanisation, globalisation, scientific and technological development, political change and cultural innovation. We are interested in how today’s societies cope with and reflect these challenges in various ways, from artistic expressions and practices of remembrance to specific forms of governance and political integration to strategies for managing knowledge, technologies and risks.

Fast facts

  • Interdisciplinary research encompassing questions of Europeanisation, globalisation, scientific and technological development, political change and cultural innovation
  • Focus on how today's societies deal with and reflect these questions

The Graduate School focuses on the acquisition of research skills, intensive supervision, and collaboration with other PhD candidates and senior staff inside and outside the Faculty. As such, PhD candidates have the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills. Most PhD candidates carry out teaching within the context of bachelor’s and master’s programmes.

PhD training & education

Our PhD Programme focuses primarily on offering you education, training and supervision to enable you to become an excellent researcher. You will also have the opportunity to develop a broad range of academic skills. Training and education consists of the following elements:

  • an orientation course introduces you to the university, the faculty, the teaching system, the staff and of course your fellow PhD candidates
  • a training programme offered by one of the national graduate schools enables you to acquire research skills and specific knowledge in your field of research (see below)
  • an additional training programme focuses on general research skills, e.g. academic writing, insight into academic life, English and publishing
  • intensive supervision
  • discussion with and feedback from other PhD candidates and senior staff both inside and outside the faculty by presenting your work in seminars, workshops and conferences
  • participation in the faculty’s seminar series.

The Graduate School focuses on the acquisition of research skills, intensive supervision, and collaboration with other PhD candidates and senior staff inside and outside the Faculty. As such, PhD candidates have the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills. Most PhD candidates carry out teaching within the context of bachelor’s and master’s programmes. The GS is also linked to the two FASoS research masters:

Affiliated graduate schools

PhD candidates also participate in a training programme offered by one of the national graduate schools. These national schools each focus on a specific theme and bring together all PhD candidates and senior researchers working in that theme. FASoS is the lead institution (penvoerder) of one national research school: the Graduate School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC). We are currently either a formal member of or send some of our PhD candidates to the following NRSs:

NIG: Netherlands Institute of Government (for political and administrative sciences);
Huizinga Institute: Research Institute and Graduate School of Cultural History;
OSL: Onderzoeksschool Literatuurwetenschap (Research School for Literary Studies);
Posthumus Institute: Research School for Economic and Social History;
NICA: Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis;
CERES: Research School for Resource Studies for Development;
NOG: Netherlands Research School of Gender Studies;
The Research School for Media Studies (RMeS);
Onderzoeksschool Politieke Geschiedenis (Research School for Political History).

​Contact

Sabine Kuipers
  research-fasos[at]maastrichtuniversity[dot]nl
 +31 43 388 2055