International dual PhDs gain popularity

By Olivier Robichaud. A new trend in doctoral studies is emerging on the Canadian university landscape. A growing number of doctoral students are choosing to study under a thesis supervisor at two universities – one in Canada and one abroad. The joint thesis supervision tends to go by its French name, cotutelle, and in Canada it is most common with students studying at francophone universities in Quebec who are doing a joint degree with an institution in France.
These are among the findings of a recent survey on joint and dual PhD programs in Canada, undertaken by Fred Hall, former vice-president of graduate studies at the University of Calgary, for the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies. Dr. Hall sent the survey to 68 institutions and had 48 responses.
The cotutelle – which literally means “joint guardianship” – is a formal agreement between two universities that allows a student to do part of their academic activities at each. The student must register at both institutions and meet the requirements of their respective doctoral programs. The student has two thesis supervisors but typically only one thesis defence, before a single examining committee appointed by both institutions. Most of the time, the student gets two degrees – a model the students prefer, although often each degree notes that it was issued simultaneously with the other institution. An alternative, the “joint degree” model, offers a single degree signed by both participating institutions.
Université de Montréal is by far the largest adopter of cotutelles with 175 doctoral students pursuing them, according to the CAGS report. Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke are also heavily involved, said Dr. Hall. Read more...