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The decree has been released in the August 24, 2006 issue of the "Journal Officiel". It defines in every details doctoral schools' missions, running and responsibilities.
The first article is very clear and it makes a law out of what used to be an obvious fact that still had to be reminded and defended: doctoral training "constitutes a professional experience of research, marked, after defending a thesis, with the giving of the rank of doctor".
The text also strengthen doctoral schools' missions and responsibilities:
-They recruit new students through a transparent selection process, based on "explicit and public" criteria.
-They allocate PhD grants
-They ensure the quality of the research teams' supervision over PhD students and that the "Charter of PhD thesis" is respected. Each institution's scientific board will set a maximum number of PhD students per supervisor, after the advice of doctoral schools' board.
-They propose useful training to their students in regard of their research project but also of their career plan and their need of a wide scientific awareness.
-They define a policy in order to help their new doctors find a job, in relationship with institutions or associations working in this field. This should include skills review.
-They promote international co-supervision of PhDs.
-They develop operations of cooperation with the world of companies in order to improve the recognition of the doctorate, to induce the development innovation policies and to help PhDs find a job. These operations can be planned "in the framework of agreements signed by the administration and by federations of employers". Should this precision be understood as an answer to the Syntec Federation which recently proposed a professionalization contract for PhDs ?
The execution of this action plan will of course be assessed (by the Agence d'évaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur) "on the basis of public criteria, applicable to every doctoral school". "Both scientific results and the quality of doctoral training" will be assessed taking into account all of the doctoral schools missions.
Fabrice Martin,
August 31, 2006
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Further information
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