Doctoral education in France: an experience-based perspective

1
Doctoral education in Francean
experience-based perspective

• Doctoral Education-Enhancing the Experience and
  Impact
• R.A. Thietart
• ESSEC Business School
• EIASM Academic Council
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• October 6th, 2008

2
Doctoral educationin France the stereotypes

• Two stereotypes
• - the traditional University model
• the more recent Business School model

3
The present situation

• Large majority of doctoral students are trained
  at the University
• Good will and effort
• Limited resources
• National market and ambition
• Reproduction rather than dissemination
• But determination to go towards a more American
  style PhD program

4
The present situation

• A few students are trained in BS adopting the
  American style PhD programs
• Heterogeneous
• Sometimes specialized
• Only a few, but growing, full fledge programs

5
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• A few observations

6
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• Both models (European and American) have value
• The gentle and forgiving European model stresses
  the intellectual development
• The high pressured and efficient American model
  teaches how to make research

7
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• National vs. international markets
• The European model is well adapted to national
  constraints and traditions
• The American model appeals to a wider
  international audience

8
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• Too many programs are introvert
• Confrontation with other scholars is a must
• International openness

9
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• Limited apprenticeship towards academic life
• Publishing
• Teaching
• Contributing

10
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• From a painstaking to an intense and rewarding
  experience with
• High scientific standard
• Ethics

11
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• Resources are limited
• Faculty time
• Facility
• Scholarships
• Travel expenses

12
How can we enhance the experience and impact?

• 6 challenges

13
1st challenge

• To keep the intellectual ambition while providing
  the necessary strong methodological base
• Lively, exciting and stimulating academic
  environment
• Students involvement in the academic life
• Rigorous mastering of scientific methods and
  tools

14
2nd challenge

• To fit the national tradition while appealing to
  a wider international market
• Work to change the institutional constraints to
  make them more open to different doctoral
  education models
• Increase the weight of English (100) in doctoral
  education

15
3rd challenge

• To provide opportunity to students to spend
  several months in a Foreign institution
• Go from the craft to the industrial
• Build a network among selected European and
  overseas institutions

16
4th challenge

• Improve interfaces between doctoral education and
  academic life
• Meet the editors and the victims
• First hand supervised teaching experience
• Participation to major conferences as active
  contributors
• Students involvement in selected activities of
  the faculty

17
5th challenge

• Keep the pressure with empathy
• The compassionate dissertation advisor
• Fairness for all
• Clear, simple but demanding rules
• Positive attitude, always

18
6th challenge

• Without resources all what was said is wishful
  thinking
• Students !!!!
• Prospective employers !
• Academic Institutions?
• National governments and EU?
• Cost sharing with in house profitable programs
• Joint programs between institutions (national,
  European)

19
As a conclusion

• Several trivial points but hard to implement
• Europe has a lot to contribute based on its
  tradition. We need also to borrow what the
  American model has the best to offer
• Talents are there, but resources are the real
  problem

20
(No Transcript)