University doctorate
Studying for a doctorate leads to careers in academia, in research or with high levels of responsibility, especially at international level. The doctorate is in itself a first contract of employment in research, and validates a Bac +8 level of education. Today, obtaining dedicated funding for the thesis (a doctoral contract) has become an important, if not essential, condition for enrolment in a doctoral program. Funding is varied. It can be public - from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and other ministries, local authorities - or private or semi-private, as in the case of CIFRE (Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche) theses. Institutions and research contracts are also increasingly funding doctorates.
Students at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA who wish to pursue a doctorate must pay particular attention to the academic discipline in which their thesis will be based. The choice of discipline depends on the disciplinary affiliation of the thesis director. The majority of doctorates from Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA are in political science, but there are also doctorates in law, economics, management, history or sociology, and even other disciplines. Interdisciplinary doctoral theses are also possible, if co-directed or co-tutored. The table below gives an indicative overview of the disciplinary orientations of Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA master's programs.
Doctoral schools
Doctoral students are enrolled in at least one doctoral school (ED). Once a year, each ED selects a number of candidates to receive a doctoral contract, and welcomes doctoral students who have obtained another source of funding.
Within the UGA, four doctoral schools are mainly responsible for doctoral students from Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA. The ED SHPT - Sciences de l'Homme, du Politique et du Territoire (Human, Political and Territorial Sciences) - is responsible for theses in political science, sociology and history. Some disciplines organize their own pre-selection of candidates through an audition, then the pre-selected candidates compete in a single audition before an interdisciplinary jury at the ED. To be eligible for a contract, candidates must pass both the disciplinary pre-selection and the single audition before the ED. In addition, to apply for a contract, you must have defended your final dissertation before July, and have the support of your thesis director. Information on the pre-selection auditions can be obtained from the prospective thesis directors. The auditions take place between May and early July and are open to all candidates meeting the above conditions. It is not necessary to have studied in Grenoble.
Three other EDs - the Legal Sciences ED, the Economics ED and the Management Sciences ED - also allow our candidates to compete in hearings before the respective ED boards.
The EDSHPT covers a very broad spectrum of themes and brings together over 250 doctoral students. Its scientific perimeter is well described by its thesis specialties:
Sociology, Industrial Sociology, Educational Sciences, Social and Experimental Psychology, Clinical and Pathological Psychology, Occupational Psychology and Ergonomics, History, History of Art, Epistemology, Epistemology, History of Science and Technology, Political Science, Urban Planning, Territorial Science, Geography, Architecture.
The EDSJ is one of fourteen doctoral schools within the Collège doctoral de l'Université Grenoble Alpes. It awards the Université Grenoble Alpes doctorate diploma, and boasts 130 doctoral students, around 50 supervisors and 9 specialties: Public Administration, European Law, International Law, Criminal Law, Private Law, Human Rights, History of Law, International Security and Defense.
EDSE is one of the 14 doctoral schools of the Université Grenoble Alpes. It has an average of 60 doctoral students working in recognized research laboratories on the following topics: industrial economics, economic policy, international economics, experimental economics, consumption, energy, innovation, labor, sustainable development, money: Industrial economics, economic policy, international economics, experimental economics, consumption, energy, innovation, labor, sustainable development, money.
The EDSG coordinates the training and research curriculum for doctoral students (from initial registration to thesis defense) in the field of management sciences. It also prepares doctoral students for their professional integration at the end of their doctoral studies.
Research training
Competition for thesis funding is fierce. For several years now, Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA has been providing specific training for students wishing to pursue a doctorate. The "Label Méthodologies de la Recherche" offers purely methodological training across all masters programs and disciplines. It is therefore open to all Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA students enrolled in one of its masters programs, whatever their discipline (political science, economics, law, history, sociology and management science). As part of this program, Master's students develop their research projects and are informed of funding opportunities. It also prepares Master's students to enroll in doctoral studies and apply for thesis funding.
You can find a description of how it works here :
Financing opportunities
Note that the training offered at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA is not necessarily aimed at obtaining a doctorate in Grenoble, but anywhere in France, Europe or elsewhere. Many Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA students have obtained doctoral funding in Germany, Belgium, Canada, Italy or other European countries. In France, they have obtained CIFRE or ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) funding, not necessarily in Grenoble. In the end, only a minority of students are funded in Grenoble, although in recent years, calls for IDEX projects, funding from broader research projects (ERC, Institut MIAI, PEPR, etc.) or from private institutions have enabled more theses to be funded. Generally speaking, doctoral contracts are obtained either through calls for proposals from candidates (by EDs, European universities and major research institutes), or through calls for proposals from thesis directors (calls for IDEX, regional or European projects), or through selection by project sponsors (ANR, ERC or other project funding). We therefore advise candidates to have a thesis director in mind, even if changes may occur at a later date. This allows us to keep a close eye on you, and to provide you with valuable scientific and strategic advice.
Disciplinary sensitivity by master's degree
| Political Science | Public law | Economy | Management sciences | History | Sociology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | ||||||
| CPI | ||||||
| DEES | ||||||
| DPC | ||||||
| EIA | ||||||
| EJ | ||||||
| MGE (formerly IFMOP) | ||||||
| MCT | ||||||
| MMO | ||||||
| PPOI | ||||||
| PPS | ||||||
| Progis | ||||||
| TSD | ||||||
| VTS |
Further information
In France, the doctorate is a research training program leading to the degree of Doctor. It takes three years to complete, or more depending on the discipline.
A doctorate is a real professional experience, opening the door to other fields such as management and communication. It opens the door to careers in public and private research, as well as in all sectors that require analytical and synthesizing skills, rigor, autonomy, creativity, perseverance and the ability to tackle complex issues.
Preparing a doctorate is a demanding task, involving many different players and committing the doctoral student to high-level scientific research.
Université Grenoble Alpes offers theses in all fields, throughout the Alpine region. Its 3,700 doctoral students are preparing their PhDs in 120 research laboratories located in Grenoble, Valence, Annecy, Chambéry and Le Bourget-du-Lac. The region's presence of major research organizations, laboratories of excellence and major industries means that students and researchers benefit from an environment of exceptional scientific quality, open to business and the international community.
Doctoral students at Université Grenoble Alpes can enroll in 14 doctoral schools, which offer research training in all disciplines, both fundamental and applied. These schools are the main point of contact for doctoral students:
École doctorale Chimie et Sciences du vivant - CSV
École doctorale de Physique
École doctorale Electronique, Electrotechnique, Automatique, Traitement du Signal - EEATS
École doctorale Ingénierie - Matériaux, Mécanique, Environnement, Energétique, Procédés, Production - IMEP2
École doctorale Ingénierie pour la santé la Cognition et l'Environnement - EDISCE
Ecole doctorale Langues, littératures et sciences humaines - ED LLSH
École doctorale Mathématiques, Sciences et technologies de l'information, Informatique - MSTII
Ecole doctorale Philosophie : Histoire, Créations, Représentations
Graduate school of Management Sciences
Graduate school of Human, Political and Territorial Sciences - SHPT
Graduate school of Economics - SE
Graduate school of Sciences and Engineering of Environmental and Organizational Systems - SISEO
Graduate school of Legal Sciences - SJ
Graduate school of Earth, Universe, Environment - TUE
Registration for 1st year of thesis
To register for the 1st year of your thesis, you must have
- defined your thesis subject: your application for a subject proposed by a doctoral school or host laboratory has been accepted, or the subject you proposed has been accepted.
- obtained the agreement of a thesis director and a host laboratory
- find funding (compulsory or not, depending on the discipline)
You must also hold :
- or a French diploma conferring the grade of Master, following completion of a training program demonstrating aptitude for research.
- or a foreign diploma of equivalent level (obtained at the end of a training course establishing aptitude for research). In this case, you will need to request an exemption from the Master's requirement when you apply.