At university, the teaching programmes are broken down into units (UE) that are accumulated.
Units are acquired for good and can be capitalised once the student has
obtained the required average mark. The acquisition of teaching units
and degrees is based on the principles of capitalisation and
compensation used in the European credit system. Acquiring teaching
units at university earns students the corresponding number of European
credits (ECTS).
Access to the first year of a master’s course is automatic for all students holding a
licencein
the same discipline. Access to the second year of a master’s course is
decided by the head of the institution further to a proposal by the
person in charge of the discipline.
The
maîtrisequalification, an intermediate degree between the
licence(180 European credits) and
master’s degree(300 European credits), is awarded to the students requesting it after obtaining the first 60 European credits after the
licence.
Students holding a national master’s degree or master’s equivalent qualification can progress to doctoral studies.
The doctorate curriculum lasts for
six semesters(it corresponds with a
baccalauréat
qualification + 8 years of studies). The awarding of the qualification
is conditional upon the presentation of a doctoral thesis.
In addition, the new order of 7 August 2006 relative to doctorate education,
based on a vast nationwide consultation, is in keeping with the
guidelines set out in the "European researcher charter", notably with
regard to the status of the doctorate student. This text opens up the
doctorate curriculum to all scientific partnerships, the utmost concern
being the search for excellence. The attention given to the
implementation of the "thesis charter", an authentic moral contract
between the doctorate student, their doctoral thesis supervisor, the
head of the doctorate school and that of the host laboratory,
constitutes a guarantee of quality insofar as it defines the rights and
duties of each party. The preparation of a doctoral thesis must be
consistent with a personal and professional project, clearly defined in
terms of objectives and resources.
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