The European Doctoral Label adds recognition of a European dimension to the doctoral diploma and promotes the development of the doctoral training internationally.
The label must be applied for before the thesis defense and is reserved for students from the European Union countries, extended to other free trade states (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein). This is a qualification that should not be confused with the procedure for conducting a thesis in joint supervision, but to which it can be added.
The “European Doctorate” consists of an attestation added to the classical PhD degree issued by the UTLN College of Doctoral Studies and signed by its president.
The “European Doctorate” is awarded when the student has met the four criteria set by the Confederation of Rectors of the European Union (now the European University Association, EUA):
- The thesis must have been prepared in part during a stay of at least three months in a European Union country other than France
- The authorization of defense shall be granted only in the light of reports drawn up by at least two professors or equivalent belonging to two higher education institutions in two member states of the European Union other than that in which the thesis defense takes place
- A member of the jury must belong to a higher education institution from a member state of the European Union other than that in which the thesis defense takes place
- Part of the oral defense must be carried out in a language of the European Union other than the language of the country where the thesis defense takes place.