Earning a Ph.D. at AgroParisTech
November 07 2022To enroll in a doctoral program, students must be the holder of a master’s or an equivalent degree. In the latter case, aspiring Ph.D. students must possess a background that shows they are able to conduct a research project.
Students who have earned equivalent degrees abroad or received accreditation for work experience may be granted an exemption from this degree requirement. Authorization to register for a Ph.D. program and exemptions from degree requirements are granted by the director of the school following a proposal by the director of the doctoral school, after consulting with the thesis advisor and the director of the research unit.
Minimum requirements for enrolling in a doctoral program:
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Support from a thesis advisor and the research unit;
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Well-defined thesis subject;
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Sufficient funding for the duration of the thesis.
A process for selecting candidates prior to enrollment is generally necessary. Doctoral schools, such as ABIES, require a preliminary interview with their management team prior to enrollment.
All doctoral candidates must enroll in an institution that will issue their Ph.D. (AgroParisTech, for example) AND in a doctoral school, which is responsible for organizing their Ph.D. studies.
AgroParisTech works with three doctoral schools:
Enrollment and re-enrollment procedures for these three doctoral schools are online only.
Enrollment takes place via the “ADUM” (Accès Doctorat Unique Mutualisé – single pooled doctoral access) platform, which is exclusively devoted to Ph.D. applicants: https://www.adum.fr).
ABIES, GAIA, and SIReNa Ph.D. students will find the information they need on the respective websites of their doctoral schools.
The Decree of May 25, 2016, establishes a general framework for doctoral programs: all candidates must enroll in a school that issues their Ph.D. (AgroParisTech, for example) and in a doctoral school, which is responsible for organizing their Ph.D. studies.
Because it offers enrollment and course offerings for Ph.D. students across France, AgroParisTech works with three different doctoral schools:
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ABIES (Agriculture, Food, Biology, Environment, Health) Doctoral School, coordinated by Paris-Saclay University, jointly accredited with AgroParisTech, Paris-Est Sup University, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (ENVA veterinary school), and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne.
Ninety percent of the doctoral candidates enrolled there are studying at AgroParisTech;
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GAIA (Biodiversity, Agriculture, Food, Environment, Soil, Water) Doctoral School, coordinated by Montpellier University;
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SIReNa (Natural Resource Science and Engineering) Doctoral School, coordinated by the University of Lorraine.
List of doctoral school contacts
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ABIES
Alexandre Péry (Director), Pierre Larraufie (Assistant Director), Christine Duvaux-Ponter (Assistant Director), and Ivan Sache (Assistant Director) and Caroline Rémond (Assistant at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne).
AgroParisTech - Campus Agro Paris-Saclay
Email: abies@agroparistech.fr
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SIReNa
Jean-Claude GEGOUT,
AgroParisTech, Nancy Campus (contact person)
Tel.: +33 (0)3 83 39 68 84
Email: jean-claude.gegout@agroparistech.fr
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GAIA
Pierre Yves Vion,
AgroParisTech, Montpellier Campus (contact person)
Tel.: +33 (0) 4 67 54 87 50
Email: pierre-yves.vion@agroparistech.fr
What is international joint thesis supervision (cotutelle)?
French and international students may enroll in doctoral programs in two different countries; if they are splitting their research between both countries, they may receive a degree from both countries (for example, earning an AgroParisTech degree and a Ph.D. from a university in a European or other country). However, cotutelle is not possible between two French institutions, instead falling into the category of “co-supervision” (codirection).
What are the requirements for international joint supervision (cotutelle)?
Ph.D. students must enroll in two higher education institutions in their first year of doctoral studies (one in France and one abroad). However, they only pay tuition in one of them.
In the first year of enrollment, a special agreement is signed between the two institutions. It sets out the doctoral candidate’s contact information, their thesis advisor in each country, their schedule for time spent in each country (applicants must divide their in-person time between the countries equally, with at least 12 months spent in France), the country in which tuition will be paid, the details of the course of study, and the conditions under which the thesis defense will take place (including the country, language, and specific rules in the country where it will be held. There is only one thesis defense, which takes place in only one country. Following the thesis defense, either a single degree is awarded with seals from both colleges, or each institution awards its own degree.
Ph.D. Funding from the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI)
Every year, the three postgraduate colleges for which AgroParisTech is jointly accredited award doctoral fellowships funded by Ph.D. funding from the French Ministry of Higher Education. All students are eligible to be selected for the fellowships, regardless of their nationality, provided they have been awarded a degree equivalent to a master’s in France or abroad.
Proposed thesis subjects for the fellowships are communicated in each postgraduate college, generally beginning in March. Aspiring Ph.D. students must quickly get in touch with their thesis advisor, who can then propose the subject and submit the application in accordance with conditions that can differ from one doctoral school to the next. Applicants are then auditioned in late June or early July by the panel responsible for awarding Ph.D. grants. There is often a preselection of candidates based on their university academic records.
Doctoral fellowships are fixed-term contracts between the national government and a Ph.D. student, the aim of which is to allow them to fully devote themselves to their thesis project. These contracts offer funding for theses over a three-year period. The gross monthly amount received by doctoral fellowship winners is in the order of €1 975 (2022 figures).
More information on this type of funding can be found on the Ministry’s website. In addition, other work can be included in these doctoral fellowships. More specifically, teaching duties can be included in the fellowships, enabling Ph.D. students to acquire teaching experience and prepare for a career in academia. Ph.D. students may teach up to 64 hours of practical classes. This makes it possible to earn an additional €400 in gross monthly pay. Doctoral candidates may also undertake science outreach, expert assessment, or communication projects in the form of adjunct service hours or complementary duties.
CIFRE Agreements
Conventions Industrielles de Formation par la recherche (CIFRE, Industrial Agreements for Training Through Research) are a type of funding for Ph.D. research paid by companies as part of a partnership with a research unit. Salaries are paid directly by the company, which receives a grant from the French Agence Nationale pour la Recherche et la Technologie (ANRT, National Agency for Research and Technology) in return.Applications may be submitted at any time.
More information can be found on ANRT’s website.
Other Funding
Funding may be offered by research institutions, companies (independently from CIFRE agreements), local and regional governments, European and national projects, etc.).
General information on Ph.D. funding is available from the French National Association of Doctorate Holders (ANDES – Association Nationale des Docteurs). https://andes.asso.fr/