PhD graduates; experiences and duration PhD track
| Sex | Margins | PhD characteristics | Periods | Experiences PhD track Satisfied with PhD track as a whole (%) | Experiences PhD track Experienced (very) high work pressure (%) | Sufficiently prepared for career In academia (%) | Sufficiently prepared for career Outside academia (%) | Average time required for obtaining PhD (Months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total male and female | Value | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 90.3 | 60.4 | 45.2 | 7.4 | 67.3 |
| Total male and female | Lower bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 88.6 | 57.8 | 42.2 | 6.0 | 65.9 |
| Total male and female | Upper bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 91.7 | 63.0 | 48.3 | 9.0 | 68.8 |
| Male | Value | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 91.1 | 59.6 | 50.4 | 9.5 | 67.1 |
| Male | Lower bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 88.6 | 55.7 | 45.8 | 7.2 | 64.7 |
| Male | Upper bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 93.1 | 63.3 | 54.9 | 12.3 | 69.4 |
| Female | Value | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 89.5 | 61.3 | 40.7 | 5.5 | 67.6 |
| Female | Lower bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 87.1 | 57.6 | 36.8 | 4.0 | 65.9 |
| Female | Upper bound 95% confidence interval | 03 Journalism, social, behavioural sc... | 2019 | 91.5 | 64.8 | 44.8 | 7.6 | 69.3 |
| Source: CBS. | ||||||||
Table explanation
This table shows figures on how PhD graduates experienced their PhD-track and the duration of their PhD-track, by sex and PhD characteristics (time since receiving PhD, discipline and type of PhD).
The figures come from the periodically recurring Careers of Doctorate Holders survey. Data from the 2019 survey are published for the first time on Statline. The survey was also conducted in 2010 and 2014. The target population consists of all individuals who have obtained their PhD at a university affiliated with the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) since the academic year 1990/’91, who were under the age of 70 at the time of the survey, and who were residing in the Netherlands according to the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP) at that time.
Data available from: 2019.
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are definite.
Changes as of December 24, 2025:
None, this is a new table.
When will new figures be published?
New figures from GPE 2025 will be published in the first quarter of 2026.
Description topics
- Experiences PhD track
- Satisfied with PhD track as a whole
- A person who indicated in the questionnaire that they look back (very) satisfied on their PhD trajectory as a whole.
- Experienced (very) high work pressure
- A person who indicated in the questionnaire that they experienced a (very) high workload during their PhD trajectory.
- Sufficiently prepared for career
- In academia
- A person who indicated in the questionnaire that they were sufficiently prepared for a career in academia during their PhD trajectory.
- Outside academia
- A person who indicated in the questionnaire that they were sufficiently prepared for a career outside of academia during their PhD trajectory.
- Average time required for obtaining PhD
- Gross time required to complete a PhD, in months. This refers to the time between the start and end of the PhD program.