The defense

New! As for the past two years, the academic year 2021/2022 is extended until March 31st for the defence.

General principle

The PhD supervisor evaluates when the thesis manuscript has the required quality to be submited to two reviewers. This criterion is decisive. Please read the following page (here) before considering any further action according to the "arrêté du 25 mai 2016".

  1. The steps must be initiated at least 10 weeks before the defense and will be done exclusively via the ADUM platform.
  2. Check on ADUM that you have validated the mandatory training hours
  3. When received, if the reviewers reports are positive, the process of PhD defense managed by the university is launched.
  4. If the University authorises the defense, the PhD defense documents will be available in ADUM.
  5. They must be returned promptly after the defense.
  6. Finally, any modifications of the manuscript requested by the jury must be made.

These steps give rise to the reverse scheduling below. Web addresses of forms are provided for UCA. For PSL use your ADUM account.

At least 10 weeks before the probable date of the defense: appointment of rapporteurs and jury

The doctoral student fills in the designation of the reviewers and the jury on his/her personal space ADUM in the tab " soutenances ". Once the defense request is finalized, it will be automatically sent to the thesis supervisor, then to the ED Director and to the University for validation.
Once the ED has validated the reviewers and the jury, the date of the defense and the composition of the jury cannot be modified. It is therefore important that the information entered at this stage is complete and accurate because it will automatically be transferred to the decree signed by the President who authorizes the defense. Also, the title of the thesis must correspond word for word to the title of the manuscript.

The reviewers

We remind here that the "arrêté du 25 mai 2016" promotes the parity inPhD and HDR juries. Without making it a constraint that could delay the defense due to the low number of women in our fields, the council of the EDSTIC strongly supports this initiative and wishes to remind PhD supervisors that they are strongly encouraged to propose female colleagues as reviewers.

They must be "HDR" or more precisely:

  • Professors or considered as such by the National Council of Universities or of equivalent rank if they do not depend on the Ministry of National Education
  • or staff of higher education institutions, public research organizations and research foundations, with the HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) diploma
  • Or, exceptionally, other holders of a doctorate, chosen on the basis of their scientific competence by the head of the University, on the proposal of the director of the doctoral school and after obtaining the aprobation of the scientific council of the University. In such a case, send by e-mail to the ED STIC, a complete CV of the proposed reviewer, with publications.
  • or, exceptionally, other personalities, holders of a doctorate, chosen for their scientific competence by the head of the institution, on the proposal of the director of the doctoral school and after advice of the Academic Council (CAC): for this last paragraph, and so that the commission of the ED STIC can decide on the profile of the rapporteur, please fill in the derogatory request, attach the requested documents and send the whole to the secretariat of the ED for the passage in CAC. Attention! The passage in CAC requires a longer processing time (add one month minimum). In this case, it is advisable to declare the jury at the latest 10 weeks + 1 month before the defense.
  • In order to preserve scientific integrity, EDSTIC asks that the reviewers have no common publications with the candidate.

Particular case: request to write a thesis and/or defense in english

For a request to write a thesis and/or defense in English, see the forms available on ADUM. 

The jury

We remind here that the "arrêté du 25 mai  2016" promotes the parity inPhD and HDR juries. Without making it a constraint that could delay the defense, due to the low number of women in our fields, the council of the EDSTIC strongly supports this initiative and wishes to remind PhD supervisors that they are strongly encouraged to propose female colleagues as jury's members.

  • The jury must contain at least 4 members and at most 8 members (plus the invited members) and even if the thesis supervisor is not necessarily a jury member, it is the general practice and (s)he counts among the local members
  • At least half of the jury members must be chosen outside the doctoral school and outside the University delivering the diploma
  • At least half of the jury members must belong to "rangs A" researchers (research directors, Professors,...)
  • Beware, information given on this form are those of the official documents signed by the President of the University. No changes are possible after this form has been sent. Also, the title of the thesis can not be different on the manuscript.
Notes: 
  • A note on the composition of defense juries (in French) has been written by Université Côte d'Azur.
  • A professor emeritus can be part of a thesis jury but doesn't count ans a "rang A" and cannot be the president of the jury.
  • An invited member is not officially part of a jury and therefore does not appear in any official document of the defense.
  • Special cases: videoconference (all or part) and/or confidentiality

Particular case: request that the defense takes part in video conference  (all or part) and/or request for confidentiality

  • For a defense (all or part) in videoconference, please fill in the requested fields on ADUM, which will generate the proxies to be filled in by each member who will attend the defense in videoconference.
  • If the thesis is subject to a confidentiality request and/or the defense is held in camera, please fill in the fields requested on ADUM and the ad hoc forms.
  • European Doctorate is a "label" awarded by the University in addition to the Doctorate. The following 4 conditions are required: Document to obtain the European Label European Label.
    • At least two reviewers are professors belonging to two higher education institutions from two Member States of the European Community, other than the one which delivers the PhD.
    • At least one member of the jury must belong to a higher education institution in a Member State of the European Community other than the one which delivers the PhD.
    • A part of the defense must be given in a European Community language other than French.
    • The PhD must have been prepared, in part, during a stay of at least one 3 months in another Member State of the European Community (writen proof needed).
    • Document of obtaining the European Label to be pre-filled.

At least 8 weeks before the defense date: deposit of the manuscript on ADUM
  • The doctoral student deposits the manuscript of his/her thesis on ADUM, which will automatically be sent to the designated reviewers as well as to the University Library, which verifies the conformity of the electronic deposit.
  • The reviewers then have 5 weeks to prepare their report and deposit it on ADUM, at the latest 14 days before the date of the defense, under penalty of cancellation of the defense. The doctoral student has access to the reviewers’ reports in his/her personal ADUM workspace.

Few days before defense

If the reviewer reports are positive, the ED STIC forward the order of defense to the Presidency of the University together with a copy of the reports and a copy of the reviewers and jury forms.

The doctoral candidate will find in his·her workspace on ADUM

  • The order of defense signed by the Presidency of the University,
  • The reports of the reviewers, (un exemplaire de chacun des rapports est envoyé par mail à tous les membres du jury),
  • The "procès-verbal" of the defense,
  • The form for the decision of the jury on the reproduction of the manuscript,
  • The report on the defense to be filled by the president of the jury,
  • In case of video-conference: the proxies to be signed before the defense by each member in video.

Defense and deliberation

The president of the jury shall be elected by the members of the jury before the oral presentation. (S)he must belong to rang A or equivalent. Please refer to the agreement in case of co-tutelle.

After the oral presentation,

  • The jury members sign the "procès-verbal" of the defense, except for the supervisors.
  • They participate to the text and sign the report must be written in French on the defense. Supervisors also sign this document. When the report states the decision of acceptance, it must be written that the decision has been taken by all jury members except for the supervisors. (No collage admitted for this document).
  • The president of the jury completes and signs the decision of the jury for the reproduction of the manuscript. see avis du jury - instruction for use

At the end of the deliberations (where, by default, invited members are not invited), the president of the jury gives back to the ED STIC secretariat:

  • the "procès-verbal" of the defense,
  • the report on the defense,
  • the decision of the jury for the reproduction of the manuscript: Write the name of the president of the jury.

 

And after...

  • If the jury asks for modifications, the student has a period of 3 months to make these modifications and send the new manuscript to the library of the University.
  • After one week (at least),  a certificate of diploma can be obtained upon request at ED STIC.
  • Ask the final diploma also at the records office ‘Scolarité Sciences’, at least 3 months after the defense.