The PhD program
Doctoral training includes 90 hours of disciplinary, professional and specialty courses to be followed during the three years of the thesis.
Doctoral schools
The doctoral program is managed by two Doctoral Schools: Sciences et Ingéniérie S.I. et Mathématiques, Informatique, Matériaux, Mécanique, Energétique MIMME.
They welcome more than 200 doctoral students.
Graduate School program
Les voyages forment la jeunesse (Montaigne) Connais-toi toi-même et tu connaîtras l’Univers et les humains (Pythagore)
The TACTIC Graduate School, in partnership with the SIMME and SISMI Doctoral Schools, offers and finances the “Personal and professional mobility” module intended for doctoral students carrying out a thesis in the fields of ceramics or ICT. This module takes place over the 3 years of the thesis and its completion validates a third of the doctoral training (30 hours out of 90 hours) with 15 hours of professional training and 15 hours of specialized training. The doctoral student is supported throughout this module, in particular by the Doctoral Schools and the Graduate School.
Two areas of work to develop mobility and increase adaptability:
Beyond just scientific and technical knowledge, completing a thesis requires specific skills to stay motivated over time, manage tensions, put yourself forward, accept difficulties, control your stress, accept the views of others , speaking in public, etc. In addition, the world of scientific research is characterized by increasing internationalization and increasingly frequent professional mobility, particularly abroad. The ability to be mobile, both from an intellectual and geographical point of view, is therefore essential to the optimal conduct of the thesis project and the future career of the doctoral student.
The objective of the Graduate School program “Personal and professional mobility” module is to help students “mature” by helping them develop all their potential behaviorally and relationally, in addition to their scientific training. It is built around two complementary axes:
- Assistance in building an international scientific mobility project
The thesis student has three years to imagine and carry out a stay in a foreign research laboratory of their choice. The construction of this project is done in agreement with its supervisory team but remains at the initiative of the doctoral student, depending on their research and professional integration objectives. The doctoral student may, for example, wish to specialize in a technique or method developed within a foreign laboratory identified during a bibliographic search, or even lay the groundwork for a future postdoctoral contract.
- Specific support in the form of coaching to strengthen personal capacities and social skills.
Provided by a certified professional, the coaching mission aims to help doctoral students to know themselves better and to position themselves in relation to the requirements of the world of research and to find within themselves the necessary resources to overcome the difficulties they face in the conduct of their doctoral project. It also aims to reinforce their confidence and self-control with a view to personal and professional mobility. This will ultimately improve their employability and facilitate the development of their career.
The expected benefits of specific support intended to strengthen personal capacities and social skills? Some numbers to understand:
In the labor market :
Numerous studies attest to the role played by transversal skills, also called soft skills, in professional trajectories and career progression[1]. The level of remuneration of graduates, for example, increases with self-esteem, risk-taking, communication and perseverance.
During the thesis:
Half of doctoral students rate their stress level as high or very high. Most of them view this situation positively, as a challenge.[2]
However :
Beyond the legal and regulatory aspects linked to non-re-registration for a doctorate and the termination of the doctoral contract, abandonment always constitutes a personal failure which can have serious consequences on the professional career of the doctoral student. “…making the choice to abandon a doctorate is a decision that can be extremely destructive for the individual and costly for the institution. »[3][4]
Material and financial insecurity, tensions or conflicts with supervisors or the research team, integration difficulties, feeling of isolation, reduced morale, loss of confidence, difficulty maintaining motivation over time, etc. So many situations which can lead doctoral students to give up pursuing their thesis.[5]
Academic difficulties and financial problems are the main causes of dropouts. But personal difficulties and the resulting stress (pressure, exhaustion, demotivation, anxiety, etc.) are significant factors which can hinder the doctoral project, or even prevent it from being completed.[6]
According to an article published in Scientific Report, the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety among doctoral students are much higher than those observed in the general population[7]. This same work highlights a “paradox”: despite their difficulties, only a quarter of doctoral students ask for help during this period.
Either they think they don’t need it, that it’s a waste of time, or even a sign of lesser competence; either they do not feel justified in doing so; or that the devices to listen to and accompany them are not provided.
1. Albandea, J-F. Giret, L’effet des soft-skills sur la rémunération des diplômés, Net.doc, n°149, Céreq, 2016. ; Julien BERTHAUD, Le rôle des compétences transversales dans les trajectoires des diplômés du supérieur, BREF N°408, Bulletin de Recherches Emploi Formation du Céreq, 2021 ; Nathalie BEAUPÈRE, Marianne BLANCHARD, Philippe LEMISTRE, Boris MÉNARD, Compétences spécialisées vs transversales, un faux débat ?, BREF N°410, Bulletin de Recherches Emploi Formation du Céreq, 2021.
2. Gérard, L., Nagels, M., Niveau de stress perçu par les doctorants et stratégies de coping dysfonctionnelles, Recherches en éducation, (29), 134-148, 2017.
3. AERES, Synthèse des rapports d’évaluation des écoles doctorales de la vague D, mars 2010.
4. Gérard, L., Nagels, op. cit.
5. Lovitts B. E., Leaving the ivory tower: the causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study, New York, Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.
7. Hernandez J., Quand le doctorat met la santé mentale à rude épreuve, Futura-sciences.com, 16/09/2021.