Welcome to this space dedicated to PhD students and researchers in the Science and Technology Sector.

I’m pursuing a PhD

TO train in conducting scientific research, working closely with my supervisor(s), often as part of a team in contact with an international scientific community

TO carry out a long-term individual project leading to original findings

TO become an expert and be recognised as such by the scientific community

TO benefit from PhD training opportunities in an environment broader than that of the host team;

TO develop other skills such as scientific communication, project definition and management, working within teams or networks, etc.

More than 1,000 PhD students are active in the Science and Technology Sector. They fall under three PhD Field Committees (French acronym: CDDs): Science and Veterinary Science, Agricultural Science and Bioengineering, Engineering and Technology, Building Arts and Urban Planning.

Eligibility requirements:

In principle, a 120-credit master’s degree confers eligibility to pursue a PhD in the Science and Technology Sector. However, there are specific requirements in the UCLouvain PhD Regulations.

Each CDD has also adopted specific provisions that set out the terms and conditions for pursuing a PhD in its field of study. To this end, a handbook for PhD students has been published.

Identify a supervisor and thesis topic:

To begin a PhD at UCLouvain, you must first find a supervisor who agrees to supervise your thesis.

It is your responsibility to find a thesis supervisor who agrees to support you throughout your PhD course. This person must be a UCLouvain staff member authorised to supervise a PhD thesis. To identify a potential supervisor, visit the web pages of the research institutes, where you will find research topics and member names.

Note: If the research topic warrants it, students may have several supervisors who meet the criteria for supervising a thesis.

For more information, please consult the UCLouvain PhD Regulations.

PhD course:

Admission to the public defence and award of the PhD are conditional upon completion of a PhD course comprising 60 ECTS credits of activities (coursework, seminars, publications, etc.), of which 20 credits are obtained through the mid-term evaluation, private defence and public defence.

This programme is validated by a research training certificate.

A PhD course comprises four types of activities, described in Article 4 of the Science and Technology Sector Special Provisions: 

• scientific training (minimum 15 credits);
• scholarly communication (minimum 15 credits);
• research training (maximum 6 credits);
• other activities.