The co-supervision doctorate

In accordance with Article 20 of the Order of 25 June 2016, this international co-supervision makes it possible, after a single defence, to simultaneously obtain the degree of French doctor and the equivalent foreign degree.

The conditions of eligibility for a co-supervision doctorate are as follows: 

• The doctoral candidate must enrol simultaneously in the different higher education institutions to prepare his or her doctorate. 
• It is supervised by at least two thesis directors, one in each of the two institutions. 
• He or she must stay alternately in the different institutions during the doctoral training. The length of the stay must be at least one year in one of the universities. The stay may be split.

A co-supervision agreement negotiated between the institutions sets out the specifications of the co-supervision: including the mobility period, defence rules, payment of registration fees and intellectual property rights.

At Sorbonne University, the candidate must apply to the doctoral school to set such a co-supervision in motion. Then, in each institution, a dedicated department is in charge of drafting the co-supervision agreement. 

The co-supervision agreement must be put in place during the first year of the doctorate. Doctoral candidates who wish to convert their simple doctorate into a co-supervision doctorate will be able to apply for a change but only during the first year of their doctoral training.

Terms and conditions of co-supervision:

• Applicants that wish to complete a co-supervision doctorate in the field of science and engineering
• Applicants that would like to complete a co-supervision doctorate in the arts