The Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences highly values the doctoral experience. While research coaching is still provided by a personal supervisor, the Antwerp Doctoral School provides assistance to all parties involved in doctoral research.

The Antwerp Doctoral School have a three-fold mission:

• to increase the international and social value of the doctorate from the perspective of potential researchers as well as from a labour-market point of view
• to enhance the support provided to doctoral students in the course of their doctorate research
• to strengthen a quality culture in (doctoral) research

As already indicated, the doctoral study programme at the University of Antwerp is open in character. This means that there is no strict programme that has to be followed by every PhD student. In consultation with his or her supervisor the student selects programmes and activities (lectures etc.) within and outside the University of Antwerp.

The open format of the doctoral study programme also involves the following:

• The demand determines the activities which will be organized within the university. There are no fixed curricula. A course or activity will only be organized if PhD students show interest in them. The students themselves may also put forward to their doctoral committee activities or programmes that could be organized.
• Each course or activity will be evaluated afterwards. The activity will only be repeated when it has received a positive evaluation.
• Instruction has to be efficient, functional, and based on permanent evaluation. Consequently, traditional exams become redundant.
• Participation in interuniversity and international programmes is encouraged, i.e. through funding from the doctoral study programme.
• The activities of the doctoral study programme UA are also open to PhD students from other universities.