European Label

  1. Presentation

This label was established in 1992 by the Liaison Committee of the Conferences of Rectors and Presidents of Universities of the Member States of the European Union (now the European Association of Universities (EUA) in 2001). This system is distinct from the international thesis cotutelle, to which it may be superimposed.

    2. Conditions of attribution

The European PhD label is a complement to the doctoral degree and adds recognition of a European dimension. It shall be issued when the following conditions are met:

  •     The doctorate must have been prepared in part during a stay of at least one quarter in a European state*, other than the one where the defence takes place;
  •     Permission to defend a thesis is granted on the basis of reports written by at least two professors or similar persons belonging to higher education institutions in two European states, other than that of the country where the defence takes place;
  •     At least one member of the jury must belong to a higher education institution in a European state other than that in which the doctorate is being defended;
  •     Part of the thesis defence must be made in a European national language other than the national language (s) of the country where the defence is made;

* By European state, we mean one of the member countries of the European Union extended to the other states of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland)

    3. Practical arrangements

The candidate who wishes to obtain the label "European Doctorate" must, in agreement with his thesis director, take into account the conditions for obtaining this label within the framework of his thesis. At the end of his thesis, he must comply with the procedure for defending doctoral theses of Aix Marseille University, which must be initiated no later than 9 weeks before the date scheduled for the defense.

The thesis jury will assess whether the conditions for awarding the European doctoral label are met.

The "European Doctorate" label will not appear on the PhD diploma but will be the subject of a certificate of award of the "European Doctorate" label signed by the President of the University.

Procedure:

      1. The candidate doctoral student must, at the time of submitting his application for authorisation to defend his case at school, attach the application file for the "European Doctorate" label. This file, which is to be downloaded on the "Adum" platform, consists of the following documents:

  • The application form completed and signed by all parties.
  • The mobility certificate indicating the period of stay, signed by the director of the European host laboratory (available in French and English)
  • The report of the mobility period written by the doctoral student (one page).

       2. Schooling checks the completeness of the file (any incomplete file will be refused)

       3. The complete application form for the European Doctorate is sent by the school department to the jury on the day of the examination. In addition to the Minutes of thesis defence, the members of the jury sign a supplementary minutes of deliberation on the award of the "European Doctorate" label.

       4. In view of the PVs received in return, the school department enters the results in APOGEE for the doctorate diploma but also for the European label (check mark "European label" in the "results" block of the module "organisation and results of defenses"). At the same time as it issues the certificate of successful completion of the doctoral degree, the school system issues the certificate of successful completion of the "European doctorate" label. Information on the achievements of the European label as well as those of the doctoral degree will be forwarded to the Department of Diplomas of the DEVE School Division for drawing up the final document.

       5. Schooling will return to doctoral schools every semester on the awarding of European labels for their doctoral students.