Doctoral programs

  • Doctoral program in Society, Law and Religion

  • Doctoral program in Canon Law (JCD)

Interested in a PhD?

Our faculty offers the following doctoral programs:

More information about obtaining a PhD at KU Leuven can be found on the university's website.

Start a PhD

Admission to the doctoral program

Do you believe that pursuing a doctoral program is the right path for you? Verify if you meet the diploma requirements necessary to embark on your doctoral research journey within our faculty.

Anyone who wants to pursue a PhD must meet the admission requirements as determined in Article 6 of the doctoral regulations. You must be the holder of a Flemish Master's degree relevant to the doctoral research or an equivalent higher education degree, and also have obtained at least distinction or have distinguished yourself with high-quality scientific publications or design-oriented achievements. In addition, the candidate must also have sufficient command of Dutch and/or English.

For a PhD in Canon Law, you must therefore hold the degree 'Iuris Canonici Licentiatus' (JCL), while for a PhD in Society, Law and Religion the diploma 'Master in Society, Law and Religion' from KU Leuven is required. Anyone who does not meet these conditions may obtain admission by completing a predoctoral program imposed by the doctoral committee.

Registration

Please note: In order to ensure uniform deadlines for all milestones and a smooth process of the doctoral days (PhD Congress), doctoral students at our faculty only start at the beginning of the academic year.

In order to submit an application for a PhD, you must look for a supervisor who is willing to support your research proposal. A supervisor always belongs to the 'Senior Academic Staff' (ZAP). He/She therefore carries the title of professor. An overview of our tenured professors can be found here.

Candidates are advised to make the necessary contacts with promoters as early as February - March.

Once you have found a KU Leuven supervisor, you can follow the procedure below to access registration as a PhD student:

  • In consultation with his/her supervisor, the candidate completes the 'D001 PhD Application' form and hands it to the coordinator of the doctoral program.

    The HR delegate of the faculty starts the online procedure for academic admission to the doctoral program.

  • The candidate will receive an invitation to fill in additional information and upload certain documents.

    * Candidates with an EEA nationality and a Flemish degree will receive an email asking them to complete the doctoral application.

    * Candidates without EEA nationality or without a Flemish degree will receive an email asking them to complete the application procedure of the International Admissions department (IAM).


    The promoter will then receive an invitation to give his or her approval or disapproval in the online registration tool.

    The next step depends on the nationality (EEA/non-EEA) and MA diploma (Flemish/non-Flemish) of the candidate.

  • The academic advice from the supervisor (approval/rejection) is sent to the doctoral administration of the faculty.

    The Doctoral Committee of the faculty sends its advice (negative/positive) to the doctoral administration, which enters this advice in the online application tool.

  • All information and uploaded documents are sent to International Admissions.

    International Admissions provides advice on the quality of the candidate's track record (diplomas, grades). This advice will be sent to the doctoral administration of the faculty.

    The Doctoral Committee of the faculty sends its advice (negative/positive) to the doctoral administration, which enters this advice in the online application tool


    [Note: The assessment by IAM takes several weeks. It is advisable to initiate this procedure at the latest in May - and preferably in April.]

  • If the application is approved by the Doctoral Committee, the candidate will be invited to register as a PhD student at the Registrar’s Office.

    In the meantime, the candidate's administrative file is finalized by the HR delegate

Funding and other questions

Researchers looking for funding opportunities can consult this link.

For more information about the doctoral programs and registration, please contact the coordinator of the doctoral program.