Co-supervision of PhD Thesis Studies

International co-supervision of a doctoral (PhD) thesis implies that the work is followed and jointly by two co-supervisors in two different countries, thereby requiring a double matriculation by the students concerned.

Main conditions

The thesis preparatory work will be spread over both host establishments, with alternate periods in each country (totalling at least one year each).
A prior and individual agreement will be signed between the two host establishments for each student in which the matriculation clauses will be set out clearly (registration fees, social security, accommodation, allotted length of research studies (not exceeding 3 academic years) and the pedagogical conditions – identification of the two thesis co-supervisors, modalities for the choice of thesis assessors and members of the jury for the formal presentation, country and language for the latter, conditions for award of a double PhD diploma.
The finalized thesis will be drafted in one of the national languages of the two countries, complete with an executive summary in the other language(s).
The formal presentation will only be organized once, before a mixed jury. The presentation, if deemed satisfactory by the jury, will lead to the award of the university rank of doctor for the French University and of the equivalent diploma (often the Anglo-Saxon PhD) in the host country.

Doctoral (PhD) application procedure

Candidates will be required to register a doctoral studies application file, duly signed and completed by an officer of the École Doctorale (in the case of UTC-Compiegne).
Candidates will carry out whatever equivalent steps are required for registration of a doctoral (PhD) application with the appropriate office of the other host establishment (university).
The Director chosen for PhD studies at UTC will inform UTC's Ecole Doctorale as to the identity of the correspondent in the foreign establishment in order that the two academic authorities agree to the terms of the co-supervision (PhD) agreement (in compliance with any and all specific requirement of each country for university awards, etc. This agreement will be legally equivalent either in the French or English languages.
The agreement of the PhD studies authorities of both host establishments must be obtained prior to signing copies thereof.

Registration at the École doctorale (UTC)

Once the agreement in principle outlined above has been secured between the two host establishments, the candidates can register with UTC's Ecole Doctorale.

The students must be matriculated simultaneously at both establishments, for the full duration of the thesis work. Academic fees (if applicable) will be due once per year, and at least once during the thesis studies at UTC.

The doctoral student must be able to attest to having a personal financial cover at least on a par with a doctoral contract, during his/her periods of stay in France. They may claim validity of their ECTS credit points in both host countries.

For a first registration, the Ecole Doctorale will register the applicants under an international co-supervision protocol throughout the first year of doctoral studies.

Please take note that thesis co-supervision in not applicable to theses co-supervised by academics of two French universities.