Doctoral College of Université Grenoble Alpes

The Doctoral College of Université Grenoble Alpes

Maison du doctorat Jean Kuntzmann
The Doctoral College welcomes 2,900 doctoral students, 40% of whom are international within its 13 Doctoral Schools. Spearheading Université Grenoble Alpes, a world-class research university (Top 150 in the Shanghai ranking), the Doctoral College relies on a scientific, innovative and dynamic ecosystem, with the presence in particular of research organizations (CEA, CNRS, Inria, Inserm, INRAE, IRD), the implementation of major European instruments (ESRF, ILL, EMBL, IRAM, EMFL) and its proximity to CERN, as well as those of major companies (ST, Schneider Electric, Air Liquide, Soitec, BD, Roche, POMA, Vicat, Trixell, ARaymond, PETZL, Sofradir, Radial, ATOS, Cap Gemini, HPE…).

Located in the heart of the mountains, the Doctoral College has a PhD House which brings together in the same place a range of services from registration to defense, including a convivial space for doctoral students, combining quality of life, interdisciplinarity and a spirit of openness to the world.

The Doctoral College in brief

Key Figures

  • 2 900 PhD Students, 40% of whom are international
  • + 300 Joint PhDs (cotutelle)
  • 13 Doctoral Schools, with more 90 scientific specialities
  • + 100 Research Units
  • Between 600 and 700 PhD Defenses per year
  • + 100 HDR defended per year
  • + 98% employment after 36 months
  • Successes: 4 national and international winners out of 10 editions of MT180, ¼ of iPhD Laureates
  • UGA : Top 150 in the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU)
  • UGA no. 1 European university for patent files

  • Missions of the Doctoral College

  • Implementing the doctoral policy of the Université Grenoble Alpes
  • Federate the 13 Doctoral Schools
  • Registering and graduating PhD students
  • Training PhD students (120h)
  • Ensuring quality of life for doctoral students
  • Supporting doctoral students in their career path and professional development
  • Registering and graduating HDRs
  • Supporting supervisors
  • Promote and value the degree and skills of the doctorate
  • Developing a PhD Alumni Network

Key Dates

  • June 2009: Creation of the Doctoral College at the time of the constitution of the PRES Université de Grenoble
  • Back to school 2009: Registration of all PhD students at the Université de Grenoble
  • January 2010: Awarding of the first PhDs from the Université de Grenoble
  • January 2011: Single page, electronic submission of theses, integration of the DFTIP (Department of Transversal Training and Professional Insertion)
  • September 2011: Implementation of the PhD Training Labels
  • November 2012: Awarding of the first thesis prizes from the Université de Grenoble
  • December 2014: Creation of the ComUE "Université Grenoble Alpes" (UJF, UPMF, Stendhal, Grenoble INP, CNRS, Inria, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Sciences Po Grenoble, ENSAG and CEA)
  • January 2016: Merger of UJF, UPMF, Stendhal into "Université Grenoble Alpes", the ComUE is renamed "Communauté Université Grenoble Alpes".
  • January 2020: ComUE and UGA merge into a new establishment that integrates Grenoble INP, Sciences Po Grenoble and ENSAG. This new institution retains the name "Université Grenoble Alpes". The Doctoral College is a cross-disciplinary component of the Université Grenoble Alpes.
  • September 2020: integration of the Collège and Doctoral Schools into the Maison du doctorat

Extract from the statutes of the "Etablissement Public Expérimental (EPE)" de l'Université Grenoble Alpes for the Doctoral College

The Doctoral College is a transversal structure of the EPE. It is in charge of doctoral policy, organizes doctoral studies and implements the conditions for the award of the doctorate and the Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR), as well as the professional integration and follow-up of doctoral students.
As part of the implementation of the site's scientific policy, the EPE doctoral college organizes doctoral training in the site's doctoral schools.
In support of the training activity, the doctoral college ensures the follow-up of the registrations until the delivery of the PhD diploma and the habilitation to direct research and takes care of all the related administrative acts.