When engineers go for a PhD

Evelyne Jardin, translation by Cynthia Schoch

According to L’Usine nouvelle magazine, there’s no doubt about it: “the race for PhDs is on!”

How many engineers taste the pleasures of doing a PhD? According to a grandes écoles survey (CGE), 2,600 theses of the 10,000 defended in 2006 were done by engineering degree holders. This figure represents a 20% increase between 2004 and 2006.

Which engineering schools bank the most on doctoral training? The three frontrunners are Grenoble’s INP with 900 PhDs and postdocs registered, followed by Ecole Polytechnique (600) and INSA in Lyon (562). Interested in finding out how your school ranks? The article in L’Usine nouvelle lists the top 20.

Sources: “Cinq questions clés pour les cursus,” L’Usine nouvelle n°3047, 15/3/2007 and “la course aux docteurs est lancée,” L’Usine nouvelle n°3056, 17/5/2007.