Thesis monitoring committee

Each PhD student is followed by an individual PhD monitoring committee. The thesis director is responsible for convening the committee, at least once a year and at the latest in June. The first committee must be held within the first 8 months after enrolment on the PhD programme.
The report of the monitoring committee is essential for annual PhD re-enrolment (July to September) and therefore for the continuation of doctoral contracts.

Transmission of the committee’s decisions to the Doctoral School
The committee coordinator submits the final report to the PhD student, thesis supervisor, Director of the Doctoral School and the administrator in the Doctoral School responsible for  monitoring committees. This report must contain several sections reflecting the various objectives of the thesis committee. Please use this form (available as a word document) and send it to ed560.stepup[at]u-paris.fr.

Objectives of the system :

The monitoring system provides additional support for the supervision of PhD students within the Doctoral School. It is mandatory.

The committee’s report will conclude on a list of advice and recommendations to the PhD student, PhD Supervisor and Doctoral School. It must notify the Doctoral School as soon as possible about any difficulties encountered.

Composition of the Committee :

At least two academics or researchers (including at least one HDR) with experience in thesis supervision. At least one of them must be from outside the PhD candidate’s field of study and, if possible, one of them must originate from another institute or laboratory.

Organisation and timetable :

• First year of thesis (max. 8 months thesis) From the end of March until May. 
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  The discussion will focus on the definition of the subject as understood by the PhD student, as well as his/her understanding and handling of methods (analytical or computational). The committee will prepare a report and will take care to detail the advice it wishes to give to the PhD student. It will discuss with the PhD student about what additional scientific or general courses he may/should pursue. The Committee will decide on the date of the next meeting (September or March of the following year) depending on the progress reported at the meeting.

• Second year of thesis: (at about 18 months of thesis) March-April. 
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  Oral presentation of the work carried out and results by the PhD student. PhD student is advised to prepare a 3-page synthesis report outlining the progress of the thesis and the difficulties encountered, as well as a program for the year of work that remains before the drafting. The discussion will focus on the student’s progress, his/her ability and motivation to complete the work. The committee will not just discuss scientific issues in detail, but also the quality of written and oral presentations.

• Third year of thesis from January to 15 May. 
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   The PhD student presents a plan of his/her thesis manuscript. The thesis committee meets with the student and their supervisor to settle on a precise date for the thesis defense. If the thesis cannot be defended before the end of November, a request for re-enrolment in the 4th year of the PhD should be submitted to the Doctoral School.

• Fourth year of thesis 
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  The need for fourth year registration is a situation that must remain exceptional. In any event, it will be subject to a discussion between the thesis committee and the director of the concerned component, who will decide whether or not to grant re-enrolment authorisation.
• The need for fifth year registration is rare (for reasons of illness, etc.). It involves a discussion between the thesis committee and the director of the concerned component, who will decide whether or not to grant authorisation for a new enrolment . A meeting of the thesis committee is required at the latest between 1 and 15 September.

• Exceptional meeting : At the request of the PhD student, one of the thesis supervisors, the UMR or the Doctoral School, a meeting of the monitoring committee may be organised.If the request comes from the PhD student, the chair of the committee is responsible for organising the meeting. The UMR research directors and/or the doctoral school (ED ) may be associated
  The committee may decide to have more frequent meetings.

Please note that the monitoring committee is established according to ‘Order of 25 May 2016 (consolidated to 26 August 2022)’ which establishes the national framework for courses and procedures leading to the award of the Doctor of Philosophy degree (in French, ‘Thèse de Doctorat’): Article 13

An individual monitoring committee of the doctoral student ensures the smooth running of the thesis based on the doctoral charter and the training agreement.
The doctoral student’s individual monitoring committee provides support for the latter throughout the duration of the doctorate. It meets obligatorily before registration in the second year and then before each new registration until the end of the doctorate.
The interviews are organized in the form of three distinct steps: presentation of the progress of the work and discussions, interview with the doctoral student without the thesis supervisor(s), interview with the thesis supervisor(s) without the doctoral student.
During the interview with the doctoral student, the committee evaluates the conditions of his training and the progress of his research. During this same interview, he is particularly careful to identify any form of conflict, discrimination, moral or sexual harassment or sexist behavior. It formulates recommendations and sends a report of the interview to the director of the doctoral school, to the doctoral student and to the thesis supervisor.
In the event of difficulty, the doctoral student’s individual monitoring committee alerts the doctoral school, which takes all necessary measures relating to the student’s situation and the progress of his or her doctorate.
As soon as the doctoral school becomes aware of acts of violence, discrimination, moral or sexual harassment or sexist acts, it reports to the institution’s monitoring unit against discrimination and sexual violence.
The methods of composition, organization and functioning of this committee are proposed by the council of the doctoral school. The doctoral school ensures that, as far as possible, the composition of the doctoral student’s individual monitoring committee remains constant throughout his doctorate. The student’s individual monitoring committee includes at least one member who is a specialist in the discipline or in connection with the field of the thesis. As far as possible, the doctoral student’s individual monitoring committee includes a member from outside the institution. It also includes a non-specialist member outside the research field of the thesis work. The members of this committee do not participate in the direction of the work of the doctoral student. The doctoral school ensures that the student is consulted on the composition of his individual monitoring committee, before its meeting.

Translation carried out by the Masters 2 ILTS team