In
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, a doctoral school () is an educational structure similar in focus to a
graduate school
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
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), 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
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French Doctoral schools
.
Educational institutions in France