Doctoral schools

The Decree of November 7, 2013 defines the landscape of higher education and the academic organization of studies: the doctorate is a 3rd university cycle, doctoral training is supervised by teams associated with thematic doctoral schools approved by ARES on the advice of the University Thematic Chamber.

There are currently 22 Doctoral Schools (EDs) per field of study, on proposal from the F.R.S.-FNRS.

Since 2005, the Commission of Doctoral Schools of the F.R.S.-FNRS has accredited, based on the opinion of the EDs, around fifty thematic doctoral schools (EDTs) in order to better correspond to the organization of research and to guarantee the quality of doctoral training. These EDTs come under one or more EDs. Only one of them requested its dissolution, the EDT in Geography, whose doctoral students found sufficient training within other EDTs in the field.

Over the years, the EDs Commission was able to note, when examining activity reports, a professionalization, standardization and internationalization of the work carried out by doctoral schools, as well as the fact that the EDTs had the right scale. She was pleased to see that most schools have included doctoral students on their scientific councils.

The F.R.S.-FNRS grants a total budget of approximately €180,000 each year to support the activities of EDs and EDTs; the distribution between Schools is partly linked to the number of doctors trained over the last 5 years.