Editing Postgraduate education (section)

==France==
The ''écoles doctorales'' ("[[Doctoral school]]s") are educational structures similar in focus to graduate schools, but restricted at PhD level. These schools have the responsibilities of providing students with a structured doctoral training in a disciplinary field. The field of the school is related to the strength of the university: while some have two or three schools (typically "Arts and Humanities" and "Natural and Technological Sciences"), others have more specialized schools (History, Aeronautics, etc.).

A large share of the funding offered to junior researchers is channeled through the ''école doctorale'', mainly in the shape of three-years "Doctoral Fellowships" (''contrats doctoraux''). These fellowships are awarded after submitting a biographical information, undergraduate and graduate transcripts where applicable, letters of recommendation, and research proposal, then an oral examination by an Academical Committee.

In most fields, the ''école doctorales'' will only enroll students which have secured funding for three years, either through a fellowship or provided by their supervisor, laboratory or by the company they are working for (for {{ill|CIFRE|fr|Convention industrielle de formation par la recherche}} contracts). Ph.D. students, regardless of their nationality, then have a proper (usually three-years) employment contract, the aforementioned ''contrat doctoral'' (created in 2009), and are protected by the common labor law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Le Doctorat à la Loupe – Plan de financement du projet doctoral|url=https://guide-doctorat.fr/fiches/DoctoratALaLoupe-04.pdf}}</ref> In 2024, the minimum remuneration is {{Euro|2100}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Le financement doctoral|url=https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/le-financement-doctoral-46472}}</ref> The contract can be extended by six months or a year, but rarely longer. Many Ph.D. students enroll in tutoring programs (''mission d'enseignement'') and receive additional remuneration from the university.

===Specific context===
Prior to 2004, when the European system of LMD Bologna process was founded, the French equivalent of a Post Graduate degree was called a "Maitrise."
For historical reasons dating back to the [[French Revolution of 1789]], France has a dual education system, with [[Grandes Écoles]] on one side, and [[universities]] on the other hand, with the ''Grandes Écoles'' {{citation needed span|text=being considered as much more prestigious|date=March 2021}}. Some Grandes écoles deliver the French [[diplôme d'ingénieur]], which is ranked as a master's degree.

France ranks a [[professional doctorate]] [[Medical education in France|in health sciences]] (i.e. physician, surgeon, pharmacist, dentist, veterinarian diplomas) as equivalent to a master's degree in any other discipline,<ref>{{cite web|title=Niveau de diplôme (degrees ranking)|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/definition/c1785|access-date=2017-09-15|archive-date=2017-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008074210/https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/definition/c1785|url-status=live}}</ref> to account for the difficulty gap between getting a medical degree and getting non health related doctoral degrees, the latter requiring original research.

===Admission===
There are 87 [[public universities]] in France, and also some private universities, and they are based upon the European education ladder including bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D.s. Students gain each degree though the successful completion of a predetermined number of years in education, gaining credits via the [[European Credit Transfer System]] (ECTS).
There are over 300 doctoral programs that collaborate with 1200 research laboratories and centers. Each degree has a certain set of national diplomas that are all of equal value, irrespective of where they were issued. There are also other diplomas that are exclusive to France and are very hard to attain.

Admission to a doctoral program requires a master's degree, both research-oriented and disciplinary focused. High marks are required (typically a ''très bien'' honour, equating a ''cum laude''), but the acceptance is linked to a decision of the School Academical Board.