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RSS SubscribeThursday 31st August 2006
French government opens doctoral education to private institutes
by CORDIS
The French government has introduced a set of measures overhauling the country’s doctoral training system.
According a decree published on 24 August, private research and higher education institutes will now be able, like public universities, to award doctorates. Accreditation will be depend upon an in-depth evaluation of the institute’s scientific credentials, which will be undertaken by the Ministry of Education and Research. This will be the first time that private institutes have been allowed to accept PhD students. Before, private institutions had to be associated with a publicly-run university or higher education institute in order to award doctorates.
The decree also foresees improving the working conditions of PhD students by, for example, limiting the number of students assigned to a thesis supervisor.
Commenting on the decree, Gilles de Robien, French Minister of Education and Research, said that the reform would provide better training and facilitate students’ entry into the job market.
The new measures would also help to create scientific excellence and increase France’s scientific masse. This is particularly important in light of Europe’s goal, and in particular France’s goal, of becoming a knowledge economy in the coming years, he added.
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