PhD student

Supervision

The PhD student conducts his/her research under the responsibility of two thesis supervisors: one at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the other one in a foreign institution. The two supervisors are fully and jointly committed to exercise their functions as tutors.

Location

The doctoral student stays alternately at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and in the partner university. The length of stay in each institution depends on the scientific requirements and the conditions for preparing the thesis, but it should not be less than one semester.

Duration

The usual duration of a joint PhD is three years, although a derogation of one year may be granted by the head of the institution on the basis of a legitimate request from the student, after consultation with the thesis supervisor and the doctoral school.

Enrolment fees

The PhD student is enrolled both at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and at the partner university, but is exempt from the payment of tuition fees at one of these two institutions.

PhD viva

The joint PhD leads to a single defence recognised by both parties. At the end of this defence, the doctoral student receives both the doctoral degree from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the one from the partner institution.

Language

The language in which the thesis is written and defended is defined by the agreement concluded between the two institutions. When this language is not French, the thesis is completed by an abstract in French.

After applying for a joint PhD at both Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a foreign university, you must establish a joint PhD agreement between these two institutions.

What to include in the joint PhD agreement

Although Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University provides a joint PhD agreement template (Word - 67 KB), it is not strictly mandatory as your contract is the result of an agreement between the two partner institutions.

If you wish to prepare a joint PhD between Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and an Italian university, you must use the agreement template of the Université Franco-Italienne (UFI) (Word - 50 KB - French/Italian).

If you wish to prepare a joint PhD between Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a Swiss or Quebec university, you must ask the latter to draw up your agreement according to the template already established with French universities.

The agreement can be bilingual (each article being successively written in both languages) or in two versions (one in French and another one in a foreign language).

Signature of the joint PhD agreement

The joint PhD agreement must be signed in three copies by yourself and by three people from each of the partner institutions (the thesis supervisor, the director of the doctoral school and the president of the university).

At Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, the agreement must be submitted to the thesis department of your discipline in order to be forwarded to the research department and then to the president of the university for signature.

There is no deadline for signing the joint PhD agreement, but it is normally signed during the first year of enrolment in a PhD programme. This stage usually takes a very long time, given the number of signatories and the distance between them.

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Programme (PhD level)

• Eligibility:
  • Be accepted as part of a joint PhD at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University in one of the following academic fields: Economics, Management, Law, Political science, Sciences (Mathematics, Communication sciences, Environmental science),
  • Be a foreign citizen (priority is given to citizens from developing and industrialised countries),
  • Be less than 35 years old
• Amount and duration: €1400 per month (+ round-trip ticket) / 10 months maximum
• Application procedure: get in touch with your doctoral school
• More information: campusfrance.org/en/eiffel-scholarship-implementation

Other grants

In order to find out about other funding opportunities, we encourage you to check calls for applications on the websites of French embassies abroad, the Instituts français and the Alliances françaises. You can also check the grant search engine available on the Campus France website.

You must first submit your research project to one of the professors at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University with an HDR (accreditation to supervise research). The list of these professors is available from the websites of the university's doctoral schools (ED):

• Archaeology (ED 112)
• Art history (ED 441)
• Economics (ED 465)
• Fine arts (ED 279)
• Geography (ED 434)
• History (ED 113)
• Law (ED 565)
• Management (ED 559)
• Philosophy (ED 280)
• Political science (ED119) 

If a professor agrees to supervise your research stay at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, he or she will issue you with a letter of invitation.

If your home institution and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University have signed a student exchange agreement in your academic field and at your level of studies, you can take part in study mobility. 

Once you have been preselected by your home university, you will receive a link from the International Relations Department of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne to access the application form, which you will have to fill in and submit before 30^th May (if you wish to arrive in September for the first semester or the entire academic year) or before 30^th October (if you wish to arrive in January for the second semester).

Before your departure, you must sign a learning agreement that lists the classes that you will take at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (among those open to exchange students) and/or activities (offered by doctoral schools) in which you wish to take part during your mobility at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

You must then fill in the online application form with the following documents:

• Learning agreement in French (Word - 56 KB) or in English (Word - 56 KB) completed and signed by yourself and by the academic teacher or research director of your home institution. Your learning agreement will be signed by your academic advisor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne once you arrive in France. 
• Letter of invitation from the professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University who agrees to supervise your research stay.
• Language certificate of minimum level B2 (DELF/DALF, TCF or a letter written by a French teacher from your home university). If you choose classes taught in English, you must also provide a letter written by an English teacher from your home university or an equivalent language certificate of English (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.).
• Copy of transcript of grades obtained in higher education, with a translation in French (see grade conversion table (PDF - 102 KB - French)).
• Copy of the passport or identity card.
• If you are an exchange student outside the Erasmus+ programme, you will also need to provide a CV, a cover letter and a letter of recommendation.

Once your application is accepted by Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, you will receive your admission certificate by the end of June, and you will be able to enrol as an exchange student to be exempt from the payment of tuition fees at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. During your stay in France, you will remain enrolled in your home institution and continue to pay tuition fees there.

You also have the possibility to carry out an internship at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. For more information on the procedure, please consult your home institution and the relevant doctoral school in Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

If your home university participates in the Erasmus+ programme, you can set up an Erasmus+ agreement for traineeship which could enable you to obtain an Erasmus+ "traineeship" grant from your home university.

Otherwise, you must draw up a hosting (or internship) agreement setting out your working conditions at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, in particular the duration of your stay and the terms and conditions for your research supervision. This agreement must be signed by your host laboratory at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, your home university and yourself. For more information, get in touch with your doctoral school.

If your application is accepted, you will have to enrol at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne as an unregistered student. This will allow you to obtain your student card and access to the university libraries.

You come from a partner institution

• You are a PhD student at Columbia University (New York): check out the Alliance program grants
• If you are coming under an Erasmus+ student exchange agreement, you can apply for an Erasmus+ "study" grant or an Erasmus+ "traineeship" grant. In both cases, we encourage you to contact your home institution to find out how the grants are awarded.

You do not come from a partner institution

If your home university participates in the Erasmus+ programme, you can establish an internship agreement and obtain an Erasmus+ "traineeship" grant from it.

Other grants

We encourage you to check calls for applications on the websites of French embassies abroad, the Instituts français and the Alliances françaises. You can also check the grant search engine available on the Campus France website.

You need to check that the thesis topic you plan to cover has not already been defended or is not in preparation, using the two following websites:

• www.sudoc.abes.fr
• www.theses.fr

Submit your research project to one of the professors at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University with an HDR (accreditation to supervise research). The list of these professors is available from the websites of the university's doctoral schools (ED):

• Archaeology (ED 112)
• Art history (ED 441)
• Economics (ED 465)
• Fine arts (ED 279)
• Geography (ED 434)
• History (ED 113)
• Law (ED 565)
• Management (ED 559)
• Philosophy (ED 280)
• Political science (ED119) 

Once a professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University who is authorised to supervise research has given his/her agreement to supervise your thesis, send your application to the doctoral school to which he/she belongs. This file must be sent between mid-June and the end of October, and must include the following documents:

• Form completed online at ecandidat.univ-paris1.fr, duly dated and signed
• Copy of your master's degree or equivalent (the ENIC-NARIC France can provide a statement of comparability between your degree and the French master's degree)
• Thesis project in two versions: long version (2 to 3 pages) and abstract (300 words maximum)
• Written agreement of the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne professor who has agreed to supervise your thesis (this professor must be accredited to supervise research).

Your application will be reviewed in early November by the thesis commission of the doctoral school you have applied to. If you are accepted, you will have to sign the thesis charter upon your first enrolment.

We encourage you to check calls for applications on the websites of French embassies abroad, the Instituts français and the Alliances françaises. You can also check the grant search engine available on the Campus France website.