I want to do a PhD

The PhD

The doctorate is a postgraduate degree after the baccalauréat. It is prepared within a doctoral school, after obtaining a diploma conferring the grade of master or an equivalent level. This training in and through research leads to the degree of doctor, after defending a thesis. The duration of the thesis is 3 years for full-time doctoral students, with the exceptional possibility of a waiver for re-registration in the 4th year; of 6 years for part-time doctoral students (teaching or other activity). However, annual extensions can be granted from the 7th year onwards.

The College of Doctoral Studies

Doctoral training at Avignon University is managed by the College of Doctoral Studies (CED), which coordinates the doctoral schools and pools some of their training. In liaison with the research units, the CED contributes to the training of future PhDs. It prepares them for their future professional integration and the promotion of their degree.

Doctoral schools

The PhD can be prepared in one of the two Doctoral Schools, ED 536 "Agrosciences & Sciences" and ED 537 "Culture & Heritage", which federate the research units of Avignon University: AU's own Research Units, Joint Research Units associating Avignon University with Public Scientific and Technical Establishments (CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD), Own Research Units and the Experimental Unit of the INRAE PACA Centre (site of Avignon)

The role of doctoral schools is to help doctoral students develop their scientific skills, build their professional project and discover the socio-economic world into which they will have to fit. The doctoral schools guarantee the quality of the diploma awarded and the conditions for supervising and completing the thesis.
In order to complete a doctoral thesis at Avignon University, the following steps are required:

  • have a thesis subject in one of the fields of study of the EDs,
  • have a thesis director who is a permanent member of a research unit attached to a DE,
  • to have a financing of the thesis (except co-tutored doctorate) only for the theses in ED 536.

Doctoral School 536 Agrosciences & Sciences

The Doctoral School 536 " Agrosciences & Sciences " gathers the research units and teams of the Sciences, Technologies, Health domain of the University of Avignon, as well as some of the INRAE PACA Centre's Own or Experimental Units.

ED 536 thus federates research units with diversified disciplinary fields: Biology, Biostatistics, Chemistry, Hydrogeology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Mechanics, Agronomic Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities.

More than two thirds of the teams attached to ED 536 develop their research activities in the field of agrosciences: plant physiology and pathology, plant food science, agri-food and plant extraction process science, nutrition, environment, ecology and socio-economic sciences applied to agrosystems.

Its research potential is based on 14 recognised research units, divided into 4 AU's own research units, 4 UMRs (Joint Research Units, in association with INRAE, CIRAD, CNRS or IRD) and 6 of INRAE's own units, thus bringing together around 200 teacher-researchers and researchers, including around 100 staff qualified to direct research (HdR).

The Agrosciences major of the DE is based on its partnership with INRAE PACA, as well as the Tersys Federative Research Structure (SFR) "Valorisation of Natural Plant Products, Health and Environment", the European competitiveness cluster Innov'Alliance and the CRITT Agroalimentaire PACA.

Research units attached to ED536:

 

Doctoral School 537 Culture & Heritage

The ED Culture and Heritage federates research teams from several disciplines: Culture and Communication, Political Science, Theatre Studies, Law, Geography, History, Linguistics, Comparative Literature. Its research potential is based on 9 research units, including two host teams, 1 INRAE research unit and six joint research units in association with the CNRS, EHESS or IRD, bringing together approximately 50 teacher-researchers and researchers qualified to direct research (HDR).

The ED Culture and Heritage is headed by a director assisted by a board. This board is composed of 20 members:

  • a representative of the Presidency
  • the management of the College of Doctoral Studies (CED)
  • the management of the FR Agor@ntic
  • a representative of the BIATSS staff
  • six representatives of the laboratories belonging to the ED, including its director
  • four doctoral students elected by their peers within the laboratories of the ED
  • three scientific personalities from outside the ED
  • three personalities from outside the ED from the socio-economic environment.

Laboratories attached to the ED Culture and Heritage

Online registration is compulsory and must be done between 1ᵉʳ July and the last week of November via the platform ADUM.
>> ADUM registration procedure

No late registration in the first year of the thesis for the current academic year will be possible from 1ᵉʳ April, due to the closure of the CVEC payment.

The application form in the first year of the thesis is composed of :

  • the application for registration completed online
  • the thesis charter
  • the training contract
  • l'Certificate of funding the funding organisation (except for doctoral students benefiting from an AU Doctoral Contract)
  • the candidate's curriculum vitae
  • description of the candidate selection process in a supporting letter from the thesis director: description in one paragraph of the number of candidates who applied for the thesis topic, the number of candidates who were selected/auditioned and the number of candidates who were ranked

The training contract specifies the following points:

  • Rights and duties of the thesis director and the doctoral student
  • PhD subject and degree discipline
  • Funding conditions for the doctoral student
  • Full or part-time doctorate (if part-time, professional status to be specified)
  • Timetable of the research project
  • Supervision arrangements (director, co-director, co-supervisor)
  • Material conditions for carrying out the project and, if applicable, specific safety conditions
  • Methods of integration into the laboratory
  • Professional project of the doctoral student
  • Individual training course linked to this personal project
  • Objectives for the valorisation of research work

This training agreement may be modified at the time of re-registration by agreement signed by the parties.

Once their pre-registration has been validated on ADUM, students receive an automatic e-mail to finalise their administrative registration (including payment of registration fees).

An institutional address is then assigned to the doctoral student, in the form of prenom.nom@alumni.univ-avignon.fr. This address will serve as a communication link with the doctoral schools throughout the course and beyond.

Validation of registration for a doctoral thesis is pronounced by the head of the institution to which the research unit is attached on the proposal of the director of the ED.

Specific cases:

1) No Master's or Engineering degree

By way of derogation and on the proposal of the ED/CED office, the head of the institution may register students who have completed studies of an equivalent level abroad and who do not hold a Master's degree.
In addition to the enrolment application form, the application for exemption from the Master's course must include the following information:

  • an official request from the applicant specifying the subject, the host laboratory and the funding conditions
  • a letter from the thesis director supporting the application
  • a detailed curriculum vitae of the applicant (including, if applicable, a transcript of records and a list of publications)
  • copies of diplomas (translated into French, if necessary)

2) Co-supervision

The doctoral degree can be obtained as part of a cotutelle partnership between AU and a foreign university. In this case, the doctorate is supervised by an AU director and a co-director from the partner university. Doctoral students wishing to register as cotutelle students must submit the following documents to the ED, along with the registration authorisation file a request for authorisation to register as a co-tutor. The application form for authorisation to register as a joint supervisor of a thesis will be completed on the ADUM platform and validated by the thesis supervisor and the director of the Avignon Université research unit.

During their stay at Avignon Université, doctoral students must provide proof of a minimum monthly income equivalent to the current minimum wage. They may apply to the institution's Aides financières aux cotutelles programme (see "Aides à mobilité" in the section "Je suis actuellement en doctorat").

Once the application has been approved, a cotutelle agreement will be drawn up by the ED.

After a single defence, the doctorate will be awarded a double degree by the two partner universities.

3) Part-time doctorate

Certain doctoral projects can be carried out without doctoral funding (on a part-time basis). The following four conditions must be met:

  • the doctoral student has another regular and qualified professional activity (secondary school teacher, doctor, self-employed professional, etc.);
  • this activity cannot be suspended during the doctoral project;
  • the doctoral student's career plan is consistent with the objective of obtaining a doctorate;
  • the research problem will not suffer from the prolongation of the work (risks in the case of a competitive or rapidly evolving scientific context, which can rapidly render certain results obsolete).

In the case of a full-time activity, an amendment to the training agreement must be formalised between all the parties (doctoral student, doctoral director, doctoral school, employer for the research part and employer for the other activity) on the working time dedicated to the thesis.

Specific case of ED 537
Doctoral students without doctoral funding must ensure that they have the material and financial resources necessary to complete their doctoral project.

L'management team A doctoral thesis consists of a director and/or co-director and/or co-supervisors.

A thesis co-supervisor contributes to the supervision of the thesis without bearing the scientific responsibility, which lies exclusively with the director and/or co-director.

The thesis co-supervisors are chosen by the thesis director in agreement with the doctoral student. Co-supervisors may not be qualified to direct research (HDR). A supervision team may consist of a maximum of 3 persons (including co-supervisors and/or co-supervisors). The share of co-supervision per thesis is limited to 50% (the other half must be assumed by the director and the co-director); the cumulative rate of thesis co-supervision may not exceed 100%.

Involvement in a supervisory team must be indicated on the application for thesis registration made via the ADUM platform.

The doctoral student's resource conditions (doctoral contracts, CIFREs, scholarships from the Ministry of Foreign AffairsEPST grants, research contract funding, Jobs for Young Doctoral Students etc.) during the preparation of the thesis must be explicitly defined at the start of the thesis. Specific funding (doctoral contract, CIFRE contract, MAE, CNRS, ADEME grant, etc.) gives full-time doctoral student status.

ED 536's own system
All doctoral students (except co-tutors) must be funded. Mandatory prerequisite for registration: a minimum net monthly income equivalent to the current SMIC.

Doctoral Advisors mission in a company, administration or community
A doctoral student may be involved, for all or part of the three years of his/her thesis, in a project defined jointly with a company or organisation. His/her contribution to the project implies a regular presence at the partner's place, which must not exceed 32 days per year.

THE EIFFEL STOCK EXCHANGE

The Eiffel scholarship programme is a tool developed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to offer the best foreign students degree courses at master's and doctorate level. This scholarship is not awarded by Avignon Université.

It provides training for future foreign decision-makers in the private and public sectors in priority areas of study.

The Eiffel Scholarship is a scholarship of excellence, and only candidates with a proven track record of excellence can apply.

The highly selective selection of applicants managed by Campus France is carried out by a committee made up of seven panels of experts (one for each field of study). Each institution will receive all the results for the applications it has submitted (accepted, alternate, rejected) by e-mail in the 1ʳᵉ week of April 2026.

APPLICATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY

Applicants for the doctoral programme must be aged 32 or under when the 2025 applications are selected.

For the 2025 campaign, schools are invited to submit applications:

  • For candidates in the 1ʳᵉ year of their thesis and first-time applicants to apply for a scholarship of 36 months, with a view to boosting the attractiveness of research in France, and non cotutelle.

And

  • For all candidates, and in particular those already in the process of completing their thesis as part of a co-directorship or cotutelle, to apply for a 12 to 18 month grant, depending on the year of registration, with the aim of supporting existing or developing cooperations. (12 months maximum for enrolment in 2ᵉ or 3ᵉ year of PhD; 18 months maximum for enrolment in 1ʳᵉ year or 2ᵉ year of PhD).

The 12- or 18-month scholarship periods may be split into several periods. However, the period financed by the scholarship may not be less than 6 months and may not exceed a period of 3 years.

Candidates who have already received an Eiffel scholarship at Master's level are entitled to reapply for a scholarship of 6 to 18 months.

A candidate who has already benefited from an Eiffel scholarship as part of his or her doctorate is not eligible for another Eiffel scholarship.

The application of a student whose has not been selected in a previous selection for this level is not eligibleeven if the application is submitted by a different institution or in a different field of study.

Foreign students already in receipt of a French government grant under a programme other than the Eiffel programme at the time of application are not eligible, even if the grant only covers social security cover.

The deadline for applications to Avignon Université is 28 November 2025.

ELIGIBLE FIELDS OF STUDY 

Science and technology: Biology and health, Ecological transition, Mathematics and digital technology, Engineering and engineering sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences: History, French Language and Civilisation, Law and Political Science, Economics and Management

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUPPLIED

  • A PHOTOCOPY OF THE IDENTITY DOCUMENT containing the following information: surname, first name, date of birth.
  • The candidate's CURRICULUM VITAE, written in French or English, one or two pages long, giving details of the candidate's academic background and any professional experience.
  • DIPLOMAS AND GRADUATIONS: copies of the most recent diplomas obtained, indicating the date, speciality, honours and degrees awarded. any other document attesting to the candidate's excellence and performance.
  • LANGUAGE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA (if applicable).
  • EVIDENCE REPORTS for the last three years referring to an academic career completed both in France and abroad.
  • The candidate's PROFESSIONAL PROJECT, written in French or, failing that, in English, on one or two pages. This presentation may also be backed up by an opinion from external persons to the establishment, for example from a company or a training manager.
  • A presentation of the THESIS PROJECT, written in French or English (5 pages maximum). This document must set out in detail the subject of the thesis, the research objectives and hypotheses - the innovative nature, impact and benefits of the project.
  • A expert opinion with arguments on scientific quality the subject of the thesis.
    • The Expert must be must be a university professor, a research director or a teacher and/or researcher holding a qualification to direct research, in compliance with the rules of professional ethics.
    • The expert must be exterior to the school submitting the application.
    • The expert must be from the same CNU section or from the research area proposed in the thesis project.
    • The expert must not have carried out joint work or publications with the prospective thesis supervisor.

The purpose of this document is to provide the experts on the Eiffel jury with information on the realistic and achievable project of the thesis and to represent the scientific contribution of the thesis.

  • The CV of the expert who wrote the opinion on the scientific quality of the thesis subject (summary CV max. 2 pages, beyond which the document will not be taken into account).
  • The overall FUNDING PLAN for the thesis.
  • The CO-TUTESHIP AGREEMENT or the CERTIFICATE OF CO-DIRECTION signed by the French and foreign parties, including the timetable for alternating stays in the event of split periods, for 12 and 18-month grants. For 36-month applications, where there is no obligation to co-direct or co-supervise, attach a blank page.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

  • Contact the person supervising or co-supervising your thesis (list of labs) who will support your application
  • With their help, obtain expert advice on the scientific quality of the product.
  • >> Complete the application form. 
  • Once your application is complete, we will check it and confirm that it is complete.
  • Avignon Université will submit your application on the dedicated platform reserved for institutions.

To consult the rules for the Eiffel Scholarship, visit the Campus France website by clicking on here

For further information about applying for a doctoral scholarship, please contact Avignon Université at the following address euraxess@univ-avignon.fr

Applications are made via the Adum platform.
The topics will be posted online as they become available. We invite you to consult this page regularly: https://www.adum.fr/as/ed/proposition.pl?site=avignon

Audition procedure for ED 537 doctoral contracts:

15 min presentation by the candidate + 25 min discussion with the jury

It is recommended that candidates use a presentation for the first part of the audition.

For example:
Slide 1: CV
Slides 2 to 4: research experience (M2 internship or other) or, failing that, a short presentation on a scientific subject of the candidate's choice that has aroused his/her particular interest during his/her training
Slide 5: coherence between the candidate's background, professional project and thesis topic

>> Download the ED 537 doctoral contract juries
>> Download the jury for the laboratory's doctoral contracts .JPEG

Audition procedure for ED 536 doctoral contracts :

10 min presentation by the candidate + 20 min discussion with the jury

It is recommended that candidates use a presentation for the first part of the audition.
For example:
Slide 1: CV
Slides 2 to 4: research experience (M2 internship or other) or, failing that, a short presentation on a scientific subject of the candidate's choice that has aroused his/her particular interest during his/her training
Slide 5: coherence between the candidate's background, professional project and thesis topic

> Download the ED 536 doctoral contract juries

The ED pays close attention to the authenticity of documents provided by candidates. Any suspicion of false documents will result in exclusion from the competition.

Audition procedure for FR AGORANTIC and EUR InterMEDIUS doctoral contracts:

15 min presentation by the candidate + 15 min discussion with the jury

A presentation with no more than 5 slides is recommended.

Slide 1: CV
Slides 2 to 4: research experience (M2 internship or other) or, failing that, a short presentation on a scientific subject of the candidate's choice that has aroused his/her particular interest during his/her training
Slide 5: coherence between the candidate's background, professional project and thesis topic

Avignon University offers a specific method of preparing for the doctorate when the candidate has already carried out research work in the course of his/her professional activity. This validation of acquired experience confers the grade of doctor of Avignon University, in the same way as the classic doctoral training. It only takes into account the work and studies written by the candidate at the time of submitting his/her application and does not require any new research a priori.
The procedure consists of three stages: verification of the admissibility of the application, assessment of the dissertation and the dissertation defence. Applications should be sent to the Lifelong Learning Department (SFTLVThe admissibility of the application is assessed :

  • by a VAE advisor appointed by the Director of the SFTLV,
  • by the doctoral school in which registration is requested.

Research-Creation Label

The Research-Creation Label (Label R-C) attests to an essential relationship to creative practice and to the epistemological framework of research developed in connection with writing a thesis. The quality of the theoretical essay and the artistic work is the basis for the value of the thesis, which may be in different disciplinary fields (e.g. comparative literature, performing arts (theatre, cinema, dance), information and communication, anthropology, cultural mediation, museology, aesthetics, digital), although this list is not restrictive. On the other hand, this label can only be attached to a discipline recognised by Avignon University.

Label of the Implanteus University Research School

The EUR Implanteus is a multi-disciplinary training programme involving Avignon University and the INRAE Regional Centre, designed to promote the sustainable production and consumption of safe and healthy fresh and processed fruit and vegetables in the context of the Mediterranean environment. The programme is divided into the following training blocks: plant production / plant matter processing / plant nutrition & health / interdisciplinary methods.

In partnership with ED536 Agrosciences & Sciences, the EUR Implanteus offers PhD students the opportunity to apply for the Label Implanteus.

The advantages of the Implanteus label
- 1000 euros to participate in an international congress abroad
- Authorisation to compete for the EUR Implanteus Thesis Award (see below)

Conditions for applying
The research must fall within the scope of the EUR's multidisciplinary programme.
The doctoral student undertakes to attend :
- EUR seminars (typically 6 per academic year)
- its annual summer school, with at least one oral presentation over the duration of the thesis

How to apply
Applications open: 1ᵉʳ September 2023 to 30 November 2023 inclusive
A letter addressed to the EUR Project Manager (sylvie.fayard@univ-avignon.fr)
- mentioning the title and summary of the thesis project
- including the above-mentioned commitments (seminars, summer school).
The EUR Executive Committee (possibly assisted by external experts) will select the winners for the label.

The application must imperatively take place during the 1ʳᵉ year of the doctorate from 2024/2025. Therefore, labelling applications are authorised for doctoral students already registered for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.

Updated on 9 October 2025