Thesis supervision

The duration of a PhD for applicants who are not in a professional activity at the same time as the thesis is three years. Re-enrolment for a fourth year is contingent upon justification by the thesis director and the head of the research unit, the opinion of the individual monitoring committee and a clear indication of how the year will be funded.

The thesis director, the hosting team and the doctoral school are jointly responsible for the thesis work supervision.

Organizing an individual monitoring committee is compulsory and the thesis director must propose one to reinforce the management of the doctoral candidate within the first three months of thesis. This committee, composed of at least two external members and an ABIES adviser, should first meet within six months after the start of the thesis and then yearly to discuss the progress of the work as well as to integrate the doctoral candidate within a wider framework than that of the hosting team. The committee will encourage the doctoral candidate to engage in scientific exchanges and will offer reflective criticism and advice for the proper running of his/her work.

A report written by the ABIES adviser will be uploaded by the doctoral candidate on his/her ADUM profile. The report is compulsory to re-enrol. The doctoral candidate must reenrol every university year and pay registration fees once he/she gets the favourable opinion of the thesis director and the doctoral school.

Management and supervision during the thesis period are determining factors for the quality of the research work. For this reason, it is recommended that those in charge limit the number of doctoral candidates under their supervision so as to assure a real supervision of all their doctoral candidates. At ABIES, thesis directors are not allowed to supervise more than 5 doctoral candidates representing at most 300% of total thesis direction (co-direction accounts for 50%).

The Thesis Charter is recognized as being the warrantor of the rights and duties of all those involved in the doctoral study.

Read at the bottom of the page: ABIES memo sheet on relational difficulties between doctoral students and their supervisors

A Thesis Charter is set up in all establishments of higher education delivering doctoral degrees. It is electronically signed by the doctoral candidate and the thesis director.

It is a contract establishing each person’s rights and duties and aims at clarifying the responsibilities of all involved.

Every establishment affiliated with ABIES has a Thesis Charter.

All doctoral candidates enrolled at AgroParisTech or Université Paris-Saclay (with AgroParisTech as “referent”) must obtain an authorisation from AgroParisTech before travelling abroad, as well as an “ordre de mission” AgroParisTech, whatever their employer or funding. Indeed, AgroParisTech has a responsibility for its registered students and doctoral candidates’ mobility.

Before any traveling abroad, the doctoral candidate must check the security conditions and the level of vigilance they imply in the region of destination as well as check any additional recommendations of the Ministry of Agriculture and must request the authorisation corresponding to the level of vigilance in the region. The rules about the level of authorisation are detailed and you should ask your thesis director or AgroParisTech Doctoral Studies Department if you have any issue about it.

The authorisation and the “ordre de mission” must be sent to AgroParisTech Doctoral Studies Department using the models available for authorisation forms and for “ordre de mission” forms. The Doctoral Studies Department will forward level 2 and 3 requests to the Direction of International and European affairs department and organise the signature process. The request for the authorisation must be made at least 6 weeks before the departure and must enclose an “ordre de mission” from the employer when the doctoral candidate is not employed by AgroParisTech and a mission letter or any document explaining the context of the travel and signed by the thesis supervisor.

Doctoral candidates enrolled in URCA, EnvA or with Faculté des Sciences of Université Paris-Saclay as référent must contact their doctoral studies department.