Thesis supervisors in political science and public administration (BSc and MSc)

The department of Political Science and Public offers bachelor programmes in Political Science and in Public Administration and Organization Science, as well as master programmes in Political Science, in Public Administration, and in Law and Politics of International Security. As thesis supervisor you will work in our department with a team of colleagues in the same role.

Your duties

Supervising and assessing Bachelor theses (April-July) and/or Master theses (January-August).

In the role of thesis supervisor, you will offer a thesis project on a common theme and research method, and then guide a group of 8 to 12 students in their research for and writing of an individual bachelor thesis and/or a master thesis. You will have regular meetings with the group and with individual students, giving them advice and feedback on their drafts. At the end of the semester (end of June, beginning of July), you will grade the theses using a prepared format. Also, you will be 2nd assessor for an equal number of theses.

• A completed (or nearly completed) PhD degree in Political Science, Public Administration, or a closely related discipline
• Excellent research and writing skills
• The ability to work in a team as well as independently
• The ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment

Experience in teaching and thesis supervision is appreciated but not strictly required for the position.

The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel, and depending on experience, range from a minimum of €2.790 gross per month (scale 10) up to a maximum of €5127 gross per month (salary scale 11) based on a full-time employment. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system Docent 3 and 4 (UFO).
The appointment is from April up to including July for the supervision of Bachelor thesis and form January up to including August for the supervision of Master thesis.  

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• considerable employer’s contribution to the ABP pension scheme
• homework- and commuting allowance
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package 

Given the composition of the staff of the Department, we especially welcome applications by members of underrepresented groups.

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences examines the major social problems of our time from multiple perspectives. From bullying at school to dealing with transnational immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to creating a self-reliant society. Only at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you will find all the academic disciplines needed to understand these 'wicked problems': alongside the traditional disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and politics, we also research and teach the new social sciences such as communication science and management & organization science. We do not settle for easy answers in our teaching and research. Our researchers and students are critical thinkers and doers who work together to devise surprising solutions to the problems of today.

Working at the Faculty of Social Sciences means working with colleagues from a range of academic disciplines in an inspiring and personal work and study environment with excellent research facilities. We employ more than 500 staff members, and we are home to around 2,500 students.
 
About the department, institute, project
The Department of Political Science and Public Administration is committed to high quality academic education and research. Our educational programmes include political science (bachelor and master), public administration & organization science (bachelor), public administration (master), law and politics of international security (master, with the Law Faculty) and an international programme Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE bachelor, with the Faculty of Humanities and the School for Business and Economics). Our research focuses on public governance issues and is organized in two programmes: "Multi-layered governance in Europe and beyond" and "New modes of public governance".