Authorization to defend a thesis is granted, as a last resort, by the EDP management. In order for the authorization to be granted, the PhD student must, above all, justify the validation of all the training courses required to obtain a doctoral diploma.

This procedure takes place in five (05) steps.

Stage 1

The head of the URMI-SEA office on request of the thesis director submits the application file to the Polytechnic Doctoral School (EDP). This file must include:

• A report on the thesis written by the thesis Director.
• The request for authorization to defend the thesis with a proposal of three (03) rapporteurs classified by order of preference. (The referees must not be co-authors of publications with the doctoral student).
• One copy in PDF format of the thesis and three (03) copies in paper format containing the publications resulting from the thesis.
• A copy of the publications with proof of indexing of the journals in which they are published.

Stage 2

The PhD Training Department carries out the anti-plagiarism test and ensures that the authorship of the work is not contested. The PhD Training Department verifies the indexation of the journals in which the publications have been made (the publication of at least one scientific article published or accepted by a journal of recognized scientific level in the SCOPUS catalogue)

Stage 3

The Director of the EDP refers the matter to the Scientific Council (SC) of the EDP, which is empowered to validate the list of referees submitted or to modify the list. The rapporteurs have 30 days to submit their reports to the Scientific Council. After this period, another rapporteur should be appointed on the proposal of the Scientific Council of the EDP, who must submit his report under the same conditions.

Stage 4

After the favorable opinions of at least two rapporteurs, the Scientific Council sends a summary report and an authorization to defend the thesis to the Director of the EDP. The thesis director proposes the composition of the jury to the Director of the UMRI-SEA for validation, who sends it to the EDP management for approval, with a proposed date for the defence;

The number of jury members is between five (05) and seven (07), including at least two members from outside the EDP. In the case of a strict minimum of five members, the jury must include a president, the thesis director, two rapporteurs and an examiner. The last three may not, under any circumstances, be co-authors of articles with the PhD student or the thesis director on the subject of the thesis.

The defence jury must be composed exclusively of high-profile professors or of a level deemed equivalent. It may, however, include research engineers whose experience and competence in the field of the thesis is recognized. It is chaired by a full professor or a research director appointed from among the members of the jury by the Director of the EDP, on the advice of the candidate’s thesis director or co-directors.

The authorisation to defend the thesis is granted by the Director of ENSEA upon request by the Director of the EDP. This request must be accompanied by four (4) reports (2 reports from the rapporteurs, the thesis director’s supervision report, the Scientific Council’s summary report), a copy of the thesis, a jury proposal and the date of the defence. This date must be within a minimum of 15 days from the date of transmission of the application to the Director of ENSEA.

Stage 5

After authorisation by the Director of ENSEA, the Head of PhD Training Department signs the cover letter and sends a copy of the thesis to each member of the jury, together with the date of the defence. This date must take into account a minimum period of 20 days granted to each member of the jury for the examination of the thesis.

The decision authorizing the PhD student to defend his/her thesis is signed by the Director of ENSEA, on the advice of the Director of the EDP, in accordance with the provisions of CAMES relating to the designation of pre-rapporteurs and jury members. At the time when the UMRI-SEA office Director transmits to the PhD Training Department the names of the pre-rapporteurs of the thesis, the student must deposit a copy of his/her thesis on digital media at the EDP thesis Department and at ENSEA library. A notice of deposit is sent to the PhD Training Department. The deposited thesis cannot be communicated until the defence has taken place.

The pre-rapporteurs’ reports authorising or not the defence must reach the Doctoral School at the latest three weeks before the date scheduled for the defence.