The basic training is followed by an individual curriculum. This advanced training aims at assisting the PhD student to position him/ herself as an autonomous and known colleague among the national and international community of researchers in Economic and Social History and other relevant disciplines. The Posthumus Institute assumes that the PhD students participate in the research school on an individual basis and designs his/her own curriculum with the following elements:

• participation in 2 Masterclasses
• participation in the annual PhD conference: PhD students in their in the 2^nd year will act as referees; PhD students in their 3^rd year present their research results during the conference.
• publication of at least one article in a national or international refereed journal, such as Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis, or presentation of at least one paper during a major international conference, such as the World Economic History Congress, the European Social Science History Conference, the meeting of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) etc. In order to stimulate the publication, the Posthumus Institute will organize a meeting (or series of meetings) at the end of the second year or the beginning of the third, where PhD students will present their manuscripts. Experts or editors of journals will be present to comment. This meeting is obligatory.

PhD students can shape their advanced training differently, but should confer with the Program director beforehand.

The elements mentioned above constitute a minimum level of advanced learning. PhD students can participate in Posthumus activities such as Masterclasses or Advanced Seminars as much as they want. They can also participate in workshops and other activities organized by the research programs of the Posthumus Institute.

The PhD students are required to send the article or paper and additional documentation to the office of the Posthumus Institute. They also should inform the office of their participation in a Masterclass or activity substituting for this requirement. A copy is sufficient if the graduate school or the faculty requires a listing of such activities.

A PhD student qualifies for the Posthumus Research Certificate if he/she has fulfilled the requirements specified above. PhD students are suggested to plan Masterclasses and write an article/paper during their second and third year, so that the certificate can be granted well before the end of their project and they can concentrate upon finishing their thesis.

Masterclasses
The departments of Economic and Social History or the directors of the research programs of the Posthumus Institute organize Masterclasses.

A Masterclass is staged around a well known, usually foreign expert who visits Belgium or the Netherlands. A small group, up to 5 PhD students, will have the opportunity to interact intensively with the ‘master’. The projects of the participants are the point of departure. Participants therefore will write a paper about their research and the problems they experience. The research of the master him/ herself can be raised during the class. Even though each Masterclass can be ‘tailor made’, a lecture or a seminar where visitors present their papers is not a Masterclass.

The expertise of the master defines the content of a Masterclass. The PhD students must assess themselves whether they can profit from a particular Masterclass. The Institute welcomes initiatives of PhD students to organize Masterclasses and will offer financial support.

A Masterclass may be substituted by an Advanced Serminar to meet the requirements for the advanced training.

ECTS 2

ESTER Advanced Seminars
ESTER, the European Graduate School for Training in Economic and social historical Research, occasionally organizes Advanced Seminars around a particular domain of research, intended for advanced PhD students.

PhD students reacting to an international call will be brought together with a number of international experts. These will discuss exhaustively the papers and presentations of the PhD students. The Advanced Seminars will be advertised on the website of the Posthumus Institute. A Masterclass may be substituted by an Advanced Seminar to meet the requirements for the advanced training.

ECTS 4


The PhD conference 
The PhD representatives organize a PhD conference every year, usually in spring time. During this conference third year PhD students will present their project and in particular the results of their research two years after the Research Design Course. The PhD students are asked to submit a paper , which will be distributed to the participants. Each paper will be refereed by both a second year PhD and a senior fellow of the Posthumus Institute or another expert. The second year PhD students act as referees during this conference. The first year PhD students are expected to attend the conference.