Doctoral training modules

The purpose of these is to foster a better understanding of doctoral research such that it is accessible to people from all walks of life and all disciplines.

Attendance at the Doctoral Schools' training modules is obligatory. PhD students can choose from a number of different options and are required to follow the equivalent of a minimum of 100 hours of training over their 3 years of doctoral research. This must be validated by the Doctoral School. Failure to have their training validated will result in their not being allowed to defend their thesis.

Training modules must be validated before viva voce examinations are held, by each of the Doctoral Schools. The doctoral school training module representatives are as follows:

• ED 305 ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT: Pr Didier Aussel
• ED 544 INTER-MED: Pr Yves Picod

• PHD STUDENT ORIENTATION WEEK

"PhD student orientation week": this module is compulsory for all first-year PhD students enrolled with the Energy Environment Doctoral School and optional for all other doctoral schools. The mornings are spent on doctoral training and the tools that PhD students need in order to finish their thesis (defining research and innovation, presenting the public research system and job functions, project management, defining the expertise that a doctor possesses, etc.). The afternoons are spent enjoying sports, nature or cultural activities, and the evenings involved themed conferences. The effect that spending this week together is to transform the PhD students into a PhD community. They can then work together on joint activities during the three years they spend writing their theses.

Once they have completed this orientation week, they are officially registered for their first year of PhD studies and the 30 hours of their annual doctoral training module are validated.

• TRAINING IN ENGLISH FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES

Bénédicte Meillon, lecturer in English at the UPVD

The purpose of this programme is to teach the specific features of "scientific" English, i.e., English for research, publications and academia.

The aim initially – at level 1 – is to acquire the vocabulary and turns of phrases needed to function in an international community of researchers and academics. In addition to vocabulary, the training module also tackles the linguistic aspects and style of publications and presentations in English, as well as lessons and lectures in an English-speaking environment. It also serves as a forum within which to discuss issues to do with each person's particular discipline, as well as cultural differences.

It provides an opportunity to review points of grammar and pronunciation that are specifically related to English for academic publications and research. A varied range of authentic articles and documents are then studied in order to underpin the theoretical part of the programme. This provides concrete examples of the various issues tackled.

Level 2, which is more geared towards actually using the language, is for PhD students who have completed level 1. Each person’s own particular research area will be used as a basis for drafting and presenting abstracts, articles and posters, with opportunities for both spoken and written practice. PhD students who follow this course must be willing to carry out a certain amount of preparatory work to serve as the basis for each of the two days that make up this course.

Each level represents 12 hours of training, undertaken in groups of 10-12 students.

For level 1, the courses will run over three weeks for each group - four hours on Wednesdays afternoons. PhD students are put into different groups, depending on their levels of English.

For level 2, the courses will run over two weeks - six hours on Mondays or Tuesdays. These groups will be put together based on students’ areas of study and research.

• INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COURSES FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

• MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCES FOR PHD STUDENTS

This event is organised by PhD students with support from the administrative and communication departments, and from the two doctoral schools: ENERGY ENVIRONMENT and INTER-MED.

• QUALIFICATION WORKSHOP

For all students - irrespective of how far into their PhDs they are – who are potentially interested in careers as academics / researchers.

• CROSS-BORDER PhD SEMINARS

The “Doctoriales®” are residential seminars designed to help students prepare for life once they have finished their PhDs, and to help them gain access to the public or private sector job market. This new “cross-border Doctoriales®” concept encourages diversity among candidates and speakers, ensuring that they are drawn from multidisciplinary backgrounds so that discussions, innovations and projects are rich, widening the field of potential jobs at European level.The Doctoriales® seminars are also an opportunity to activate and formalise the network of Franco-Spanish relationships that already exist within the framework of the Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion.

Once students have attended this doctoriales seminar week, 30 hours of their annual doctoral training are validated.

• INPI (national institute of industrial property) COURSE

Speaker: Michaël TOUCHE