In
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, a doctoral school () is an educational structure similar in focus to a
graduate school
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
but restricted to
PhD level. The concept was created in 2000. Doctoral schools have the responsibility of providing students with structured doctoral training in a disciplinary field. Each university will have different doctoral schools, relative to their main fields of research. A doctoral school can be shared between two or more universities. Some universities have also regrouped their Doctoral schools into a Doctoral college.
Admission to a doctoral program requires a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. , both research-oriented and disciplinary focused. High marks are required (typically a " honour", similar to a
cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
), but the acceptance is linked to a decision of the School Academical Board.
A large share of the funding offered to junior researchers is channeled through the école doctorale, mainly in the shape of three-year "doctoral fellowships" (). These fellowships are awarded after submitting a biographical information, undergraduate and graduate transcripts where applicable, letters of recommendation, and research proposal, then an oral examination by an Academical Committee.
References
*{{in lang, frâ
French Doctoral schools
.
Educational institutions in France