ECTs
- PhD candidates of the Graduate School of Life Sciences have to follow 20 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) of education.
- The 20 ECTS load is for the standard 4 years PhD program. PhD candidates that follow a different track can count 5 ECTS/year.
- The minimum number of PhD years is two, which means that during this two years trajectory 10 ECTS need to be acquired.
- A minimum of 40% should be spent on courses organized by the CTO program and a maximum of 20% on attendance of congresses and symposia. See tables below for examples.
European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) point tables
General information on the graduate school system, PhD programs and useful links can be found on www.umcutrecht.nl/research/student/phd
| 4 years | 3 years | 2 years | ||
| 20 ECTS | 15 ECTS | 10 ECTS | ||
| Courses/activities CTO | 40% | 8 ECTS | 6 ECTS | 4 ECTS |
| Generic courses | 20% | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Symposia/conferences | 20% | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Courses outside program | 20% | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Example 4 years/min. 20 ECTS
| Category | Course | # days | # times/4 yr | Total ECTS |
| CTO | Introduction course | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Clinical Trial Development Course | 5+ | 1 | 3 | |
| Tumor type course | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| PhD retreat | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Outpatient Clinic | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Symposia organized by Cancer Center/CTO | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Journal clubs (JC) | 30 JC = 1 ECTS | |||
| “Refereer” evenings | 10x = 1 ECTS | |||
| Oncology seminars | 30x = 1ECTS | |||
| Total CTO | 12 | |||
| Generic courses | see GS_LS website | 4 | ||
| Other | Basic Oncology course (NvvO) | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Attending International Oncology Symposia (0.3 ECTS/day) | 3 | 2 | 2 max | |
| Courses organized by other PhD programs | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 21 |
Example 2 years/min. 10 ECTS
NB: in this example the total number of ECTS points is more than 10, which means that one can skip some courses. When you are following a 3 years PhD program, you can use this table as well but ensure that your generic courses make a total of 3 ECTS.
| Category | Course | # days | # times/2 yr | Total ECTS |
| CTO | Introduction course | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Clinical Trial Development Course | 5+ | 1 | 3 | |
| Tumor type course | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| PhD retreat | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | |
| Outpatient Clinic | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | |
| Symposia organized by Cancer Center/CTO | 1 | 2 | 0.6 | |
| Journal clubs (JC) | 15 JC = 0.5 ECTS | |||
| “Refereer” evenings | 5 = 0.5 ECTS | |||
| Oncology seminars | 15x = 0.5 ECTS | |||
| Total CTO | 8.1 | |||
| Generic courses | see GS_LS website | 2 | ||
| Other | Basic Oncology course (NvvO) | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Attending International Oncology Symposia (0.3 ECTS/day) | 3 | 1 | 1 max | |
| Courses organized by other PhD programs | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 14.1 |
Upcoming
PhD Retreat, only for CTO PhD students!
13 May 2022
Quotes PhD retreat 2020:
"The students are a remarkable bunch. They are intelligent and competent, grounded, and considerate of each other"
"Useful, interactive and a boost for the ‘research appetite’"
"I did not expected much of it, but I really had a blast with my peers. Great social boost for me"
Clinical Trial and Development Course
29-30-31 Mach 2022
Quotes Clinical Trial and Development Course 2019:
"Good overview with relevant examples of current trials"
"Useful and interesting course. Both regarding trials (METC, design, etc.) and regarding oncology. Enthusiastic and inspiring speakers!"
"Good balance on theoretical and practical aspects of performing trials"
"Interesting and experienced speakers, who knew how to get their message across"