Before the doctorate: what you need to know

What is a doctorate?

The doctorate is the highest university degree, recognised throughout the world (referred to as a PhD or DPhil in English-speaking countries). It is also the only degree that requires graduates, in addition to acquiring existing knowledge, to advance that knowledge through original research work.

It is awarded after the defence of a thesis before a panel of examiners, followed by an oath of scientific integrity. The thesis must make an original contribution to its field and set the work in its international scientific context.

Two main systems around the world

In Europe, the LMD system (Bachelor's-Master's-Doctorate) involves a thesis lasting 3 to 4 years after the Master's; in North America in particular, the Bachelor's-PhD system involves a thesis lasting 5 to 6 years after the Bachelor's.

The doctorate in France

Doctoral training — training 'in and through research' — lasts from 3 to 6 years, depending on whether it is undertaken full-time or part-time (particularly for working professionals). It brings an international dimension, constitutes genuine professional research experience and opens up career prospects in all sectors, both public and private.

To enrol for a doctorate, candidates must hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) and demonstrate their aptitude for research. First enrolment may follow directly on from a Master's (initial training) or take place after a period of professional experience.

Some key figures

  • 113 higher education institutions accredited to award doctorates in France
  • 292 doctoral schools, half of which are jointly accredited by at least two institutions
  • 43 doctoral colleges organising doctoral policy on a given site
  • 140,000 academic researchers supervising doctoral candidates
  • 69,600 doctoral candidates in 2025, of whom 16,500 are in their first year
  • 3,500 research units hosting their work

Doctoral training: the essentials

How is doctoral training organised?

In France, doctoral training is organised by recognised doctoral schools, within accredited institutions authorised to award doctorates following an independent national evaluation.

It is organised into doctoral schools (disciplinary, thematic or multidisciplinary), which are themselves grouped within doctoral colleges or other structures such as university research schools (EUR). Each stage, from admission to the thesis defence, combines research, supplementary training and personalised supervision, leading to a recognised qualification and the acquisition of high-level skills that enable graduates to work in any field of activity, in both the public and private sectors.

Who is involved in a doctorate?

Four parties are always involved:

  • The doctoral candidate: carries out the original research work and trains in and through research.
  • The thesis supervisor: provides personalised scientific supervision throughout the doctorate.
  • The laboratory: the place and team the candidate works with, providing the scientific and material environment.
  • The doctoral school: organises admission, training, monitoring and the thesis defence.

Depending on the topic and the candidate's profile, other parties may also be involved: the employer, one or more funding bodies, a foreign university (international joint supervision or mobility), partners from the socio-economic world, other researchers collaborating on the project in France or abroad, or participants in the research project (for example, as subjects of experiments).

Pathways tailored to each profile

  • Initial training: for a doctoral project undertaken directly after a Master's or another course leading to a Master's-level qualification, or possibly after a gap year.
  • International joint doctoral supervision (cotutella): for a doctoral project carried out in collaboration between two laboratories and two institutions, in two different countries.
  • Continuing education: for preparing a doctorate alongside a professional activity, or after several years of professional experience.
  • RPL (VAE in French) (Recognition of Prior Learning and Experience): for people who already have significant research experience without holding a doctorate, for example, researchers working in corporate R&D centres who do not hold a doctorate.

The main stages of the journey

  1. Defining your PhD project
  2. Your project is defined, what's next?
  3. PhD enrolment and yearly re-enrolment
  4. Individual training pathway
  5. Yearly individual monitoring committee (CSI)
  6. The PhD defence and the Doctoral oath
  7. PhD theses, legal deposit, language, confidentiality and dissemination etc.

What happens after the doctorate?

Once defended, the thesis undergoes legal deposit and may be made available on the national portal (Opens a new window) theses.fr.

PhD holders go on to follow a wide range of career paths, and can showcase their skills in any sector of activity, public or private — some employers are indeed actively committed to promoting the doctorate, doctoral candidates and PhD holders (employers' label).

You will find a series of portraits and testimonials of PhD holders, illustrating the range of possibilities for PhD holders' career paths.

Doctoral research: framework, partnerships and funding

Diversity at every level

Thesis topics arise from a variety of sources. They may be proposed by thesis supervisors, in response to scientific and disciplinary challenges. They may also stem from issues raised by socio-economic partners, or arise from doctoral candidates' own projects — inspired by societal questions, professional practice or personal background. Whatever their origin, doctoral research topics always result from the meeting of different parties' questions.

Partnerships are numerous and highly varied in nature: scientific collaborations with other laboratories, in France and abroad, but also with corporate R&D centres (pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy, etc.), foundations, local authorities or government departments (cultural heritage, urban planning, the energy transition, etc.).

Research locations are just as varied. Doctoral candidates naturally carry out their work within their laboratory, but also at other sites in France or abroad, or even out at sea for oceanography. Depending on the discipline, their research may take them into the field (geology, social sciences, etc.), into archive collections, or to major international scientific facilities such as observatories or CERN.

This diversity of topics is naturally reflected in a wide variety of funding sources, partnerships and ways of conducting a thesis.

What framework governs research work in the laboratory?

To provide a secure framework for these pathways in all their forms, France has put in place a dedicated legal framework, with several types of doctoral agreements and contracts.

How is a doctorate funded?

80% of doctoral candidates who started their thesis in 2023 are funded. Among them:

  • 89% have a doctoral contract funded by a university, another higher education and research institution, a research organisation, a national or international research programme, or other sources
  • 11% have a scholarship for foreign doctoral candidates,
  • 10% have a Cifre agreement,

15% are preparing their doctorate through continuing education, alongside a professional activity, with no dedicated funding.

The public-law doctoral contract is paid at a minimum of €2,300 gross per month in 2026 (+30% since 2020, under the research programming law for the years 2021 to 2030).

Find out more: an overview of PhD fundings

Several public schemes also encourage doctoral research partnerships:

Doctorate Funding

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