to defend a thesis in french language

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How to Write a Stellar Mémoire (French Master’s Thesis)

Pursuing graduate studies in France entails mastering all sorts of assignments, but perhaps none as daunting as the notorious mémoire , or master’s thesis. Writing and defending a master’s thesis is the cornerstone of many, though not all, French graduate degrees, making it a rite of passage for degree-seeking students in France. As part of my French master’s degree in Droit Public parcours Intégration Européenne et Gouvernance Globale , I was required to take on the infamous mémoire alongside my regular coursework during the final year of my studies.

Since I’m an international student at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , I had to contend not only with the base-level difficulties of putting together a master’s thesis, but also with the reality of writing fully in my second language and following the unforgiving methodology and writing norms of French law school to a tee. Needless to say, my year-long research project entailed late nights spent reading, countless trips to the library, typing until my fingers were sore, and shedding a few more tears than I’d like to admit!

My master’s thesis experience wasn’t all bad, of course. I genuinely enjoyed learning everything I could about my topic, discussing my progress with my classmates, refining my French-language skills , and presenting a piece of work that reflected my academic rigor. To my delight, at the end of my defense, the jury awarded me an 18/20 for my mémoire , entitled Associer les inégalités sociales et le changement climatique : Une étude comparative des contextes et approches aux États-Unis et dans l’Union européenne . The jury highlighted the following assets of my work:

Qualité de recherche (Research quality)
Qualité rédactionnelle (Writing quality)
Qualité de français (French-language quality)
Problématique innovante (Innovative research question)
Posture épistémologique intéressant (Interesting epistemological posture)
Bon cadrage théorique (Good theoretical framework)
Limitations justifiées (Justified limitations)
Structure impeccable (Impeccable structure)

Managing to receive the highest honors on my mémoire as an American studying law in France was no easy feat. Throughout the lengthy process of crafting my master’s thesis and defense, I discovered what worked well for me and what held me back – that’s why, in this post, I’m sharing my expert tips to help you write an outstanding French master’s thesis.

Honor Your Interests

Completing a mémoire takes months of daily research, reading, and writing, so you can imagine how painful the whole operation can become if your topic doesn’t inspire you! For a certain amount of time, your master’s thesis content will likely be all you can think about as you attempt to find and consume every piece of relevant literature ever written about it. To avoid misery and increase your motivation, you need to reflect upon the subjects within your degree field that excite you, the themes you’d be delighted to learn more about, and the concepts you truly want to call yourself an expert in come the day of your defense.

My research topic combined my enthusiasm for the themes of public policy and governance, social justice issues, environmental protection, the United States, and the European Union.

Favor Innovation

The goal of producing a master’s thesis is not to reiterate the conclusions that other researchers have already drawn, but to pull from existing knowledge in order to demonstrate something new. To elevate your mémoire and impress your jury, innovation is indispensable. Creating a research question that hasn’t already been exhaustively answered will also prevent you from simply regurgitating what you read and will allow you to write a master’s thesis that relies on the important work of those before you, but is, ultimately, entirely your own.

In my case, the concept of linking social inequality and climate change is relatively new on the whole. Moreover, my comparison of the United States’ and the European Union’s approaches for dealing with this phenomenon is something that hadn’t been done before.

Survey Your Sources

Because a finished mémoire is the culmination of in-depth research and analysis, you’ll need to choose a topic that you can thoroughly explore. For example, if your desired subject is too cutting-edge, you may struggle to find sufficient existing material upon which to build your master’s thesis. If essential documents that you need to read are confidential, located far away, or otherwise inaccessible, you won’t be able to use them for your work. It is therefore essential to consider whether adequate sources are available before you set your heart on a specific theme.

When finalizing my topic, I ensured that the sources I would need to study were either located online, at my university , or in libraries near me.

Create a Timeline

You know that you should start working on your master’s thesis at the beginning of the school year , and that you need to have it finished by the end, but what happens between those two events is much less clear! With the help of a trusted professor or independently, you should make a realistic schedule with self-imposed deadlines to help you conceptualize the amount of work that needs to be done by each date. Your timeline should include targets for things like finalizing your research question, gathering sources for your bibliography, writing the various sections of the manuscript, submitting your mémoire for review, and preparing for your defense.

Using a holistic timeline helped me to know when I was on track, when I could take breaks, and when I needed to speed things along. It also enabled me to beat procrastination, as delaying tasks for too long would have thrown me completely off schedule.

Chat About Your Research

While a master’s thesis is definitely an individual project, you shouldn’t keep your thoughts and questions to yourself! Your professors, classmates, friends, and family are all valuable resources as you go through the mémoire process. Speaking with your professors (who have already successfully completed challenging research projects) and with your classmates (who are currently working on their own mémoires ) about things like methodological difficulties and research hardships can lead to helpful problem solving and sincere moral support. Moreover, explaining your research to friends and family (who are likely unfamiliar with your subject) will help you gauge how well you understand it yourself and how clearly you’re able to express your ideas.

I personally checked in regularly with my classmates who always offered useful words of advice and encouragement. I also talked with my significant other, Jalen , frequently to get his feedback on my work.

Choose the Right Advisor

Selecting a directeur·rice de mémoire , or master’s thesis advisor, isn’t a decision to make lightly. To find the perfect fit, you need to be familiar with your potential advisors and know your own preferences very well. For example, asking a professor whose specialty has nothing to do with your research question is likely to be as uninteresting for them as it is unhelpful to you. Furthermore, if you’re a student who likes frequent and detailed feedback, choosing a professor with a tightly-packed schedule might not be the best idea. Take the time to weigh your options carefully before asking a professor to become your advisor.

I made sure to pick an advisor who was familiar with the broad strokes of my topic and had a hands-off attitude so that I could work autonomously and at my own pace.

Write Meticulously

The quality of the content of your master’s thesis is crucial, but so is the quality of your writing. The most brilliant of ideas will still fall flat if your text is riddled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Attempting to avoid all language blunders is especially vital when you’re writing in your second language – and even more so in a country like France where such mistakes are not looked upon kindly. If your manuscript is hard to understand, readers won’t be able to appreciate your analysis. Additionally, it’s tough for readers to take a piece of work seriously if they’re constantly distracted by careless errors. Try to compose every sentence with care in order to avoid these pitfalls.

When writing my mémoire , I never hesitated to look up a word, phrase, or grammar rule when I was even the tiniest bit uncertain. I also double-checked for errors that I commonly make, like accidentally including a serial comma when I’m writing in French.

Perfect Your Formatting

You shouldn’t organize your master’s thesis like you would a novel, an essay, or a report. Depending on your field of study and your degree program’s requirements, you’ll likely have specific norms to apply and rules to follow for structuring your mémoire . Your acknowledgements, dedication, abstract, abbreviations, table of contents, references, and appendices can’t be placed just anywhere! You should also ensure that your work is pleasing to the eye, with an appropriate cover page, sensible headings, proper font sizes and line spacing, logical page breaks, and accurate citations. These details are what make the difference between a good master’s thesis and a great one.

In French law school, for example, writing to a detailed, hierarchical outline, known as a plan , is often an absolute must. As such, the final version of my master’s thesis manuscript consists of an introduction, two chapters with three sections and eight sub-sections each, and a conclusion.

Prepare Your Defense

When you’re finally done writing your master’s thesis, it can be tempting to put it completely out of your mind. But once you conquer this first step, you still have one more challenge to tackle: your soutenance , or master’s thesis defense. To pass your defense, you need to do more than just prepare to present your research and findings to the jury. A quality presentation will also include explaining the reason you chose your topic, the sources you used, the problems you faced , the limitations of your work, any updates on your subject since you finished writing, and future research possibilities. Don’t forget to reread your mémoire with a critical eye to anticipate the jury’s critiques in advance. Going the extra mile to prepare your defense to the best of your ability is a recipe for triumph.

I prepared for my defense one week in advance, and it consisted of a 20-minute presentation, a 25-minute question and answer session, and a 10-minute jury deliberation.

Take Your Work Seriously

It’s no secret that some degree programs are more rigorous than others, just as it’s true that some students take their studies more seriously than others. However, if you decide that writing a solid master’s thesis demonstrating your academic talents and integrity isn’t worth your time because you know that your program will accept work of lower calibre, you’ve effectively proven your degree to be a second-rate credential and yourself to be a substandard student. Would you rather throw together a mediocre mémoire that you’ll stuff away the moment it’s over, or compose a meaningful piece of work representing the best of your capacities that you’ll be excited to share with others for years to come? Taking your work seriously won’t steer you wrong, especially when it comes to an assignment as noteworthy as a master’s thesis.

I know that my decision to do my absolute best played a large role in the jury’s attribution of my final grade, and I’m proud of myself for having done so.

Everyone’s master’s thesis journey is unique, but implementing these tips will put you on a path to success. Is writing a French mémoire in your future? Have you ever carried out a significant research project? Do you want to know more about my experience? Let me know in a comment!

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You are assigned to a laboratory affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Science

The manuscript.

Language of the manuscript

As the thesis leads to the award of a French national degree, it should generally be written and defended in French. However, it may be the case that, for scientific reasons, the subject matter requires the use of a language other than French. By decision of the Scientific Council of 4 March 2013, this is now decided by the directors of doctoral schools, who are competent to judge matters of scientific priority. As recommended by the Ministry, a lengthy written summary of the thesis in French will be required.

Writing the manuscript

To help you write your manuscript, Sorbonne University provides you with a guide for writing and presenting theses, as well as two style sheets, one of which concerns international co-supervision theses.

Guide to writing and presenting theses
Classic style sheet
Style sheets: theses in international co-supervision

Communication courses are organised for the preparation of your manuscript but also for the defence. Find these courses in the training catalogue for doctoral candidates at Sorbonne University.

Appointment of rapporteurs and the thesis jury

The President of Sorbonne University delegates the appointment of rapporteurs, the composition of the jury and the authorisation of the defence to the director of the doctoral school.

Appointment of rapporteurs

The President appoints two rapporteurs, authorised to direct research or belonging to one of the categories referred to in Article 17 of the Order of 25 May 2016 at the proposal of the director of the doctoral school and after consulting the thesis director.

Rapporteurs must come from outside the doctoral school and the doctoral candidate's institution of enrolment.
They have no involvement in the work of the doctoral candidate.
They may come from foreign higher education or research institutions or other foreign bodies.
The rapporteurs shall make their opinion known by means of written reports on the basis of which the President shall authorise the defence. These reports shall be made known to the jury and the candidate before the defence.
In the event of disagreement between the two rapporteurs, the President shall appoint a third rapporteur.

Appointment of the thesis jury

The thesis jury is appointed by the president after consulting the director of the doctoral school and the thesis director. There are between 4 and 8 jury members.

At least half of its members are French or foreign people, from outside the doctoral school and the candidate's enrolment establishment, chosen for their scientific competence, subject to provisions relating to the international co-supervision of the thesis. At least half of the jury must be made up of professors or similar personnel, or teachers of equivalent rank who do not report to the Ministry in charge of higher education. Its composition must allow a balanced representation of women and men. The thesis director is a member of the jury, but does not take part in the decision. The thesis jury must include, apart from the thesis director, a lecturer or researcher from Sorbonne University - i.e. attached to a research structure associated with Sorbonne University - holding accreditation to direct research or similar.

Request for defence

Two steps are necessary with two different structures: one with the doctoral school, the other with the reception office.

At the doctoral school at least 8 weeks before the defence Candidates must contact the director of the doctoral school they belong to, following the procedures indicated on the doctoral school's website, and must submit the "Application for authorisation to present a defence" and "Authorisation to defend" forms, duly completed and signed by the thesis director. When the jury is accepted by the doctoral school Candidates send the documents called "Letters accompanying the manuscript" and "Thesis reports" to their referees, with their manuscript specifying the name, e-mail address and physical address of the head of the doctoral school to which they should be returned. The reports and the defence authorisation form must be sent by the doctoral school to the reception office at least three weeks before the date scheduled for the defence. It is the candidate’s responsibility to find out whether the reception office has received their documents.

At the doctoral candidate s' reception office at least 4 weeks before the defence Candidates must submit their defence file including their manuscript on CD-Rom and the documents necessary for the dissemination of their thesis.

For better follow-up We provide you with a small tool: the defence calendar (excel). Enter your defence date and you will be given the deadlines to be met!

Defence file

The defence file includes

The documents

It must be submitted to the doctoral candidates' reception office at least 4 weeks before the defence: make an appointment with the doctoral candidates' reception office. The thesis subject must have the same wording on all documents and copies.

The CD-ROM Several documents are to be saved on the CD-ROM! It may seem tedious to you but it will be very useful for the library and the archiving of your thesis. Your work will thus be valued.

The CD-ROM, on which your NAME, FIRST NAME and FILE NUMBER appear, contains the 7 files (9 in the case of expurgated texts). It is recommended to use the style sheets proposed by Sorbonne University (standard (215 KB) or for co-supervision theses (254 KB).

1 .txt or .doc file with the title of the thesis, named: subject_Folder_No.
1 .txt or .doc file with the translated title of the thesis (in English for example), named: subject_translated_Folder_No.
1 file (or folder) containing the full text of the thesis in source format (word, latex, open office) named: thesis_archiving_Folder_No.
1 file including the full text of the thesis in PDF format named: thesis_archiving_Folder_No.pdf
1 .txt or .doc file containing the French summary of the thesis (1700 characters including spaces maximum) named: summary_fr_Folder_No.doc
1 .txt or .doc file containing the English summary of the thesis (1700 characters including spaces maximum) named: summary_en_Folder_No.doc
1 .txt or .doc file containing the 6 keywords in French, in lower case, separated by semicolons named: key words_Folder_No.doc

and as applicable :

1 file (or folder) including the redacted text of the thesis (without the documents subject to copyright not acquired in the source format named thesis_dissemination_Folder_No.)
1 file in pdf format named these_ dissemination _Folder_No.pdf

Optional • The font files if special characters are used (Greek, Hebrew, phonetic...)

The "FACILE" application report indicating that the analysis is valid (just print the browser page). The validity of the .pdf files burned on the CD must be confirmed on the FACILE application. The requested pdf files must be valid. If not, they will be rejected by the Doctoral Candidates' Office. You will then be asked to provide another CDRom with a new validated version. Your manuscript must be digitally archived for the future on a national platform. For this, pdf format has been chosen by the National Computer Center for Higher Education, CINES. The Facile application allows you to check that the file is ready to be archived on the CINES platform. The report that you must provide in printed version informs us of its status.
the distribution charter for the electronic thesis to be downloaded and printed
the thesis form to be completed and printed

and, as applicable :

The declaration of a modification to the manuscript after the defence

For any technical question about FACILE, contact the Sorbonne University library (BSU)

Authorisation form for an off-site defence If necessary, complete and print the authorisation form for an off-site defence.

Submission and dissemination of the thesis

Submission of the thesis Final manuscripts must be submitted in digital format (CD-Rom) to the doctoral candidates' reception office 4 weeks before the date of the defence without waiting for the corrections requested by the rapporteurs. This CD-Rom is accompanied by the Defence File. The defence is subject to the submission to the president of the selection board of certification of the submission of the thesis and the completed electronic form. If the jury or the rapporteurs have requested corrections, the new doctor has three months after the defence to submit his corrected thesis in electronic format, accompanied by a certificate from the jury member stating that the corrections have been made.

Dissemination of the thesis Sorbonne University files the validated version of the thesis in its dissemination and archiving formats, as well as the electronic docket, in the national STAR application managed by the Agence bibliographique de l'enseignement supérieur - ABES. The college of doctoral schools offers you a course cycle called "Biblio@doctorate". You can sign up for it.

Confidentiality or embargo? You have submitted the final version of your manuscript. It will be forwarded to the university library for flagging and distribution. However, the manuscript’s dissemination may be delayed either by the doctor (embargo) or by the university (confidentiality).

When you submit your manuscript, you can ask to delay its release, for example when results are pending publication. This is known as an embargo request. You will be asked to specify an embargo end date, i.e. the date on which you want your thesis to be disseminated. To request an embargo, just indicate it on the thesis form.

Non-disclosure

This is a matter of prohibiting the disclosure, reproduction and dissemination of the thesis over a given period of time. This request is generally linked to the existence of a research contract or agreement signed between the partners of the doctoral research project to define the objectives of the research, the contributions of each party and the rules of intellectual property of the results. The request comes from you but from your thesis director, laboratory director or partner institution. Only the President of Sorbonne University can grant it. The thesis is then only reported but cannot be disclosed, reproduced or disseminated before the end of the non-disclosure period granted.

How do I make a non-disclosure request? No later than three months before the defence For PhD candidates hosted in a research unit whose promotional activities are managed by Sorbonne University*, the thesis director completes the non-disclosure request form specific to Sorbonne University For doctoral candidates hosted in a research unit whose promotional activities are not managed by Sorbonne University but by another supervising institution, the thesis director completes the non-disclosure request form specific to the other institutions, has it signed by the promotional structure they belong and returns it to the Doctoral Candidates Reception Office.

* : for any question relating to the establishment which manages the promotion of your unit please contact: Lise Tourneux-Ravel at the Directorate of Research and Innovation (DR&I) This document is filed before the defence with the doctoral candidates' reception office.

For research units whose promotional activities are managed by Sorbonne University :

All "readers" of the manuscript must agree to keep the data confidential and complete the Non-disclosure Form (including the thesis supervisor. It must also be sent to the rapporteurs at the same time as the manuscript. The members of the jury may complete it by the time of the oral presentation at the latest. If confidential results are presented at the hearing, the non-disclosure undertaking will be signed by each of the persons present. A list will be drawn up by the president of the jury from the list prepared for this purpose. If they have not been submitted, the doctor, the thesis director and the chair of the selection board will complete this non-disclosure certificate.

Request for in camera proceedings The physical organisation of a closed session is the responsibility of the president of the jury who will complete the list of those present.

At the end of the defence Once the defence has been completed, all documents must be handed over to the doctoral candidates' reception office. The degree certificate will only be handed over in light of the complete non-disclosure file.

For research units whose promotional activities are not contracts managed by Sorbonne University

The equivalent of this procedure may be organised by the institution in charge of the promotional activity.

The stages of a defence

The thesis is defended in two stages: a presentation by the doctoral candidate of their research work followed by a question-and-answer session with the members of the jury. At the end of the defence, the jury meets to deliberate and then announces its decision to award the thesis to the doctoral candidate. The defence is public, unless the headmaster exceptionally grants an exemption if the subject of the thesis is proven to be confidential (cf Thesis filing and dissemination/Non-disclosure) The defence is traditionally followed by a "thesis party" organised at the discretion of the doctoral candidate.

Appointment of the President of the Jury

During the defence, the members of the jury shall appoint a chairman and, if necessary, a rapporteur for the defence from among themselves. The chairman must be a professor or equivalent or a teacher of equivalent rank. The thesis director cannot be appointed either as rapporteur for the defence or as president of the jury. The thesis director does not take part in the decision.

Awarding the title of doctor

Admission or adjournment will be decided after deliberation by the selection board. The chairman signs the defence report, which is countersigned by all the members of the selection board. The report is sent to the candidate in the month after the defence. In accordance with regulations in force, the doctorate is awarded without any special mention.

Corrections of theses

Final manuscripts must be submitted in digital format (CD-Rom) to the doctoral candidates' reception office 3 weeks before the date of the defence without waiting for any corrections requested by the rapporteurs. At the end of the defence, they will be sent by the doctoral candidates' reception office at the Sorbonne University library according to the instructions given by the president of the jury in the defence report.

The thesis can be reproduced as is without any correction. The CD-Rom that is filed before the defence is considered to be final and sent to the library for distribution, archiving...

However, if the doctor wishes to make minor corrections: You have a period of one month to make minor corrections (typos, formatting, etc.) and submit the corrected version (labelled corrected version) and on CD-ROM to the doctoral candidates' reception office accompanied by a signed declaration from you indicating that the corrections have been made (manuscript modification declaration form) and the report from the Facile application. At the end of this period, even if the corrections have not been made, the thesis will be sent to the library to be reported, reproduced and disseminated.

The thesis cannot be reproduced as-is... The jury wanted major corrections under the responsibility of a designated jury member. You then have 3 months to make these corrections and submit the corrected version of your thesis on CD-Rom accompanied by the form for declaring modifications to the manuscript) and the report from the Facile application to the doctoral candidates' reception office. The CD must be accompanied by a letter from the member of the jury designated during the defence, certifying that the requested corrections have been made. The delivery of the graduation certificate, the reporting, reproduction, distribution and consultation of the manuscript are subject to the delivery of the corrected versions and the certificate. Emmanuel DESCUBESBSU Electronic Theses Service Snake Library Email

Collection of degrees

Once the defence is over, don't forget to bring the original of your report to the Doctoral Candidates' Office. Then, you will be able to collect your degree by appointment within a fortnight. Previous degrees are published within a maximum period of 6 months. Collection at the reception office You can pick it up at the Doctoral Candidate Reception Office. Please bring an identity document (national or European identity card, passport, residence permit). If you can't make it, another person can come in your place. They will need to bring a handwritten power of attorney, a copy of your ID and their own ID.

Doctoral candidates reception office - - 15 rue de l’école de médecine - Escalier G – 2e étage 75006 PARIS (métro Odéon) Opening hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (closed on Wednesdays)

Collection by mail You can also have your diploma sent to you. If you wish to receive your degree by post, please send us:

For a delivery to France

€6.82 in postage stamps
A registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt filled in at the permanent address at which you wish to receive your diploma in the addressee box and "Sorbonne Université - Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine - 75006 Paris" in the sender box.

For a delivery abroad

€12.10 in postage stamps or the equivalent in international coupons
An international registered mail shipping slip (CN07)
A deposit form (517/517 bis) filled in with the permanent address at which you wish to receive your diploma in the recipient box and "Sorbonne Université - Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine - 75006 Paris" in the sender box.
You can frank your mail from your home in France or abroad on the website of the Post Office.

Do you need your degree authenticated?

Find out about legalisations
Legalisation or apostille: for which country

Cérémonie des docteurs

Need a personalized reception .

The appointment scheduling system enables the doctoral candidates and HDR reception office to ensure you receive an individual, personalised and smooth welcome. This system allows you to make an appointment from the available schedules. Only times that are not already booked will be displayed. No appointment booked on a profile other than the one you applied for will be honoured. Appointments are individual and bear on a single case.

Information required when making a booking

Your email address must be correct so we can send you your email confirmation. If the address has been used several times on other Sorbonne University forms and an email tells you that your address has already been used, log in with another address.
Present the confirmation on your mobile phone or on a printout at the doctoral candidates' reception office.
To avoid delaying other appointments, please arrive at the reception office on time.
If you are unable to attend or delayed, cancel the appointment and schedule a new one on the platform according to availability.
In some exceptional cases, the reception office will be unable to honour the precise appointment schedule. You will of course be dealt with within a reasonable time.
In very exceptional cases (computer failures ...), you will be notified through the email address given when you made your appointment by the doctoral candidates' reception office and HDR, on the same day.
No appointments other than those given here can be made (either by email or by phone).

Scheduling appointments The organization of the reception office has changed. Appointments are now made according to your doctoral school.

You are part of the doctoral school

Complexity of life
Physiology, physiopathology and therapeutics
Physics in Ile-de-France
Physics and chemistry of materials
Earth and Environmental Sciences and Physics of the Universe
Brain, cognition and behavior
Molecular Chemistry of Paris-Centre
Computer science, telecommunications and electronics
Natural and human sciences: evolution and ecology
Astronomy and astrophysics of IdF
Physical chemistry and analytical chemistry
Geosciences, natural resources and environment
Pierre Louis Public Health
Environmental Sciences of IdF
Mathematical Sciences

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Defence FAQ

A CD-ROM and why not a more up-to-date medium? The CD-rom is the cheapest medium (€2 to 3). This is a constraint for the library in terms of archiving. Look out for some news on this soon, we are working on it! By the way, not all burners work with all brands of CDs, check that the data is present and readable.
The files "thesis title", "summaries", "keywords"..., are they really useful? This is your personal metadata. They allow you to be listed on the dedicated internet platforms, in French, in English... others are imported from your student file or copied from the defence forms to the library and thesis forms. Copy/paste but a better readability of your work.
Redacted version, full version, what are the differences? The complete version is the final version of the manuscript. The expurgated version is the one that will be put on line according to any confidentiality issues, or the use of resources subject to copyright which you must comply with. It is not necessary if you have nothing to conceal!
Why provide the text in source format? Because a computer application can fail! Having the source version allows the Sorbonne University library, which is in charge of archiving and distributing the manuscripts, to recreate a pdf if necessary. It may need your fonts to reprocess the file.
I wrote my thesis on LaTeX, how can I make a single file in source format? You can make as many as you need, as long as they are numbered. The pdf file will still be unique and will group all the files together.
Paperwork to be returned to the reception office... why? In the event of an appeal, the conditions for the presentation of original documents ensure the greatest evidentiary force, both for you and for the university.
What is the purpose of the dissemination charter? You are the author of the manuscript, but you have rights and responsibilities.
What's the point of sending the jury members' email addresses by mail? Jury members must receive the rapporteurs' reports prior to your defence. Regulatory but especially useful for your presentation. They must be sent out to all jury members; don't forget your thesis director if he is present! Make sure you enter the addresses separated by semicolons to avoid getting "user unknown".
What do I do in co-supervision? You will get your degree from Sorbonne University, so you must act like any doctoral candidate preparing his defence, same files, same conditions and defence schedule.
Are the guests on the jury? No, they must not appear in the report or any other administrative document.

Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine 75006 Paris

You are assigned to an affiliated laboratory by the Faculty of Arts

Organizing your defence

Université de Bordeaux

Defending your thesis

Dernière mise à jour : le 14/11/2023

Defending your thesis is the final stage of your PhD. It is an intense and sometimes stressful moment. Consequently, it is essential to plan ahead and follow the steps and deadlines outlined below to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The Admissions Office is there to help you all along the way, from organising your defense right up to receiving your degree.

A thesis defense must be announced and finalised on ADUM at least 8 weeks before the date of the defense .

IMPORTANT: The time periods when the university is closed cannot be taken into account when scheduling the defense:

4 weeks in August
2 weeks in December

The steps described below also apply to cotutelle thesis defenses (double degrees).

Defense notification and jury composition

You must declare your intention to defend your thesis. To do so, visit your ADUM account and click on the link "I would like to make my defense request" . You must provide specific information regarding the jury, which is formed according to the rules for thesis jury composition set out in the 2016 decree. Please note that additional rules may apply in your doctoral school.

You must complete the entire procedure in order for your defense notification to be taken into account and submitted to your thesis supervisor for approval. Consequently :

all the ADUM tabs must be validated
your thesis dissertation must be submitted
your thesis release approval must be completed, signed and submitted

Your thesis supervisor must check the details concerning the jury members before validating, in particular their positions/ranks, institutions and each member's accreditation to supervise research (HDR) before approving the defense jury . Thesis supervisors can make any necessary changes themselves. Before approving , they should also check to make sure the jury complies with the doctoral school's prerequisites.

Following the thesis supervisor's approval, the Graduate Research School examines the jury's compliance with the requirements of your specific doctoral school.

The jury's expertise cannot take place without your thesis supervisor's approval. As a result, your thesis supervisor must examine and approve your jury at least 8 weeks before the defense date, taking into account the time periods when the University is closed (see below).

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS FOR REVIEWERS

At least 4 weeks are given to reviewers to read and comment on your thesis.

You can submit a modified PDF version for reviewers and jury members no later than 6 weeks before your defense date – "PDF thesis submission" tab

Visit the page devoted to writing your thesis.

If no further submissions are made and after the cover page has been checked, the initial dissertation will be sent to the reviewers, indicating the return date for their defense reviews.

DEFENSE REVIEWS

In compliance with regulations, reviewers must return their reviews at least 14 days before the defense date.

The University of Bordeaux president will sign the decision authorising the defense only after receiving favourable reviews and after the doctoral school director's approval. The reviews will be sent to you, your thesis supervisor and all the jury members.

If the reviews are not returned by the deadline, the defense will not be authorised by the University of Bordeaux.

DEFENSE DOCUMENTS

As soon as you receive the president's authorisation, you and your thesis supervisor will be informed that the defense is authorised. You can then download the documents related to your defense from your ADUM account.

THE DAY OF YOUR DEFENSE

Your thesis supervisor does not take part in the jury deliberations.

Pursuant to Article L612-7 of the French Educational Code, in institutions of higher education and research, PhD students are required to take an oath of scientific integrity when they defend their theses.

According to the terms of the decree, the oath is taken individually during the defense, once the PhD student has been declared admitted .

Since 1 January 2023, this stage of the defense has been recorded in the official report.

In the presence of my peers. With the completion of my PhD in [research field], in my quest for knowledge, I have carried out demanding research, demonstrated intellectual rigour, ethical reflection, and respect for the principles of scientific integrity. As I pursue my professional career, whatever my chosen field, I pledge, to the greatest of my ability, to continue to maintain integrity in my relationship to knowledge, in my methods and in my results. The PhD oath

aFTER DEFENDING YOUR THESIS

The thesis supervisor, or the jury chair:

submits all the original documents, hand-signed by all the jury members, to the thesis defense officer within 15 days
must send the defense report within one month

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS

You must submit your thesis in order to receive the academic title of doctor.

Submission can be done as soon as you receive the email from the thesis defense officer (and within no more than three months if corrections are requested by the jury).

As soon as you receive the official defense documents, you will be informed of the procedures for your final submission on ADUM .

The submission must be made within a month at most (for archiving and/or publication).

If corrections are requested, you have a maximum of 3 months to make the submission. The jury chair must approve the corrections before submission and will be informed of the corrections directly by the thesis defense officer .

As soon as the final submission has been validated by the Documentation Department, a certificate of achievement will be available in your ADUM account.

Please note: if no submission is made, the dissertation submitted at the time of your defense notification will be automatically sent to theses.fr .

RELEASING YOUR THESIS

There are four options for releasing your thesis. You must determine the option chosen in the release notice when you declare your jury on ADUM:

Immediate release online
Release after the period of confidentiality defined by the institution. The dissertation is totally inaccessible including to the academic community, during the period of confidentiality, which may not exceed 25 years
Release delayed until after an embargo determined by you but accessible to the academic community, for a maximum of 5 years, non-renewable
Refusal of release determined by you but accessible to the academic community

Confidentiality is the only means of protecting your dissertation.

For further details about release procedures, click here .

Emma BERTHAULT

Thesis Defense Officer

inscriptiondoctorat%40u-bordeaux.fr

Christelle ROCCA

Nathalie augoyard.

Admissions & Defense - Department Head

Jury Expertise & Regulations

thesehdr%40u-bordeaux.fr

Defending your thesis

Planning stages, procedure for the defense, upcoming defense sessions.

Authorization to defend a thesis is granted by the President ofuniversité Savoie Mont Blanc, after consultation with the Director of the École Doctorale Culture, Sociétés, Territoires (CST), and on the recommendation of the thesis director.

The timetable below summarizes the various stages to be respected. It is essential to anticipate these stages in order to be able to respect this timetable.

Jury composition

The composition of your defense jury is examined by the director of the doctoral school, who will validate it according to the rules set out in article 18 of the decree of May 25, 2016 .

The jury may not include guests. Thesis directors and co-directors may sit on the jury (counting), but they do not take part in the deliberations and do not sign the defense report or minutes.
All juries must include a USMB HDR member (MCF/PR/CR/DR). The latter may be the thesis director.
The thesis jury must be chaired by a university professor (or equivalent).
The jury must be composed of between 4 and 8 members (strong recommendation fromDoctoral School CST for the jury to be composed of at least 5 members) .
At least half of the jury must be from outside the CST doctoral school and the doctoral student's enrolling institution . Please note: a member belonging to a cotutelle institution is considered internal.
At least half of the jury is made up of PR or similar staff (PR, PUPH, DR EPST, foreign PR).
Balanced gender distribution on the jury.

Waiver request

It concerns the following cases and must be justified:

Waiver request in ADUM required
Long summary in French required
Defense sessions taking place outside the USMB
Jury members present by videoconference. To authorize full videoconferencing, a derogation request must be generated from ADUM, and will be granted by the doctoral college management; a complementary procedure is sent to the thesis management prior to the defense. For partial videoconferencing, a procedure is also sent to the thesis director (but please note: the jury president and the doctoral student must be physically present in the same place, that of the defense, during partial videoconference defenses).
Confidentiality of the thesis and/or defence in camera

First (provisional) electronic filing in ADUM :

The deposit is made in two instalments:

-a 1st deposit before the defense: 8 weeks before

-a 2nd at the latest 3 months after the defense, to make any necessary corrections.

=>It is a prerequisite for the diploma.

Transmitting the manuscript to the referees

Transmission of the presentation cover and the completed 'devenir des docteurs' questionnaire.

Submission of a summary of your thesis in French and English

Transmission of the defense report and the declaration of correction of the manuscript to the Doctoral School (if necessary).

Second (final) e-filing: archiving declaration

The final electronic submission must be made no later than 3 months after the defense , so that corrections can be made if necessary.

This second, definitive deposit will be the archival version of your thesis.

This is the full version in which the manuscript will be stored in the company's database.

Thesis distribution

'Unless the thesis has a proven confidentiality character, its distribution is ensured in the institution of defense and within the entire university community. Online dissemination of the thesis beyond this perimeter is subject to the author's authorization, subject to the absence of a confidentiality clause' - Article 25 of the Order of May 25, 2016.

The advantages of thesis distribution In the absence of a confidentiality clause, doctors are advised to authorize the distribution of their thesis for the following reasons:

Make the results of their research known to the scientific community and thus contribute to open access to science
Combat plagiarism by making it easier to trace the authorship of their own work.
If the thesis is confidential, the manuscript may be classified as confidential for a maximum period of 18 months.

The release version

This is the version that the doctoral student decides to distribute, and may therefore differ from the archival version, notably for reasons of confidentiality.

It is the doctoral student's responsibility to remove from the public version of the manuscript any confidential information or elements for which he or she does not hold the rights (photos, illustrations, texts, etc.).

The doctoral student may also decide on an embargo period before publication, for example for publishing projects (the embargo period is completely free). In this case, the thesis is distributed under restricted "intranet" access until the embargo expires.

Please note: Even if an embargo period has been requested, the final manuscript must be submitted via the ADUM interface within 3 months of the defense (a mandatory condition for the awarding of the diploma). Please refer to the document " Signaler et diffuser sa thèse à l'USMB " for useful information from the university libraries' research support service (contact: [email protected]) ."

Distribution platforms

In addition to being available from Theses.fr, the Abes hosting and storage platform offers access to the full text of theses without a specific consultation interface.

The defense is a public event, except in certain special cases (provided for in article 19 of the Order of May 25, 2016).

The defense is divided into two parts:

An oral presentation of the doctoral student's research for 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the discipline.
A discussion between the doctoral student and each member of the jury, moderated by the jury president.

The jury then meets to deliberate.

At the end of the deliberations, the jury president announces the jury's decision to the doctoral student in the presence of the audience.

In the event of admission to the doctoral degree, the jury president invites the doctoral student to take the doctoral oath.

"In the presence of my peers. Having completed my doctorate in [specialty], and having thus practiced, in my quest for knowledge, the exercise of demanding scientific research, cultivating intellectual rigor, ethical reflexivity and respect for the principles of scientific integrity, I undertake, for what will depend on me, in the continuation of my professional career whatever the sector or field of activity, to maintain a conduct of integrity in my relationship to knowledge, my methods and my results."

The oath may be taken in English for non-French-speaking doctoral students, or in the case of an international co-supervision of a thesis, before a non-French-speaking audience.

In the presence of my peers. With the completion of my doctorate in [research field], in my quest for knowledge, I have carried out demanding research, demonstrated intellectual rigour, ethical reflection, and respect for the principles of research integrity. As I pursue my professional career, whatever my chosen field, I pledge, to the greatest of my ability, to continue to maintain integrity in my relationship to knowledge, in my methods and in my results."

The jury draws up a defense report, which is sent to academics .

E n the event of admission, the doctoral student has three months in which to submit the final version of the thesis in electronic form. This submission is a prerequisite for the issuing of the doctoral diploma by the establishment.

Don't forget to organize your presentation well in advance:

Room reservation
Sending invitations
Event announcement
Invitations (supervisors, colleagues, collaborators, people involved in the doctoral project, people involved in non-research and associative activities, relatives, etc.)

On this page, you can consult the list of upcoming CST Doctoral School defenses, as well as details of each defense.

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Språkvelger

Course - master's thesis in french - fra3901, course-details-portlet, fra3901 - master's thesis in french, examination arrangement.

Examination arrangement: Master's thesis with oral defense Grade: Letter grades

Evaluation	Weighting	Duration	Grade deviation	Examination aids
Master's thesis with oral defense	100/100

Course content

An academic exploration of approximately 15 000 words in French of a linguistic or literary topic, a topic in cultural history or an interdisciplinary topic. The topic may also be didactical.

All students must write an abstract of the thesis of approx. 1/2 - 1 page. The abstract will be written in both French and Norwegian and be placed first in the document, before the table of contents.

The thesis shall include an appendix of up to 1 page in which the student explains the relevance of the work for the teaching profession.

Learning outcome

Candidates who have passed this course

- possess specialized knowledge of a chosen topic within French linguistics, literary studies and/or cultural history

- know how to make use of scientific methods and are able to apply theoretical approaches in formulating and investigating research questions

- can complete an independent research project in linguistics, literary studies, cultural history or within an interdisciplinary topic

- are able to express themselves in academic French, both in speaking and in writing

- are able to explain the work's relevance for the teaching profession

General competence

- are able to work with a large quantity of texts, and to summarize and synthesize them

- have a critical approach to the research material and are able to structure and articulate ideas in a clear and insightful manner

- have advanced analytical skills and abilities for critical reflection

Learning methods and activities

Independent work, combined with individual supervision. Please see link for the numbers of hours of supervision eligible for your master's thesis https://innsida.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/Masteravtale+HF

Further on evaluation

The master's thesis must be written in French. The final assessment of the thesis is adjusted through an oral defense in French of about 20-30 minutes. The oral examination will be cancelled if the thesis has been failed by the examiners.

It is not possible for students who have been awarded a passing grade for the master's thesis in French to have a new master's thesis in French assessed (cf. the academic regulations for NTNU, §5-9).

Students whose master's thesis has been assessed as a Fail (F) may apply to the department to submit a new thesis (cf. the additional academic regulations of the Faculty of Humanities).

Specific conditions

Admission to a programme of study is required: Language Studies with Teacher Education, years 8 - 13 (MLSPRÅK)

Required previous knowledge

Requires admission to the five-year teaching education programme with a master's degree in French.

Version: 1 Credits: 30.0 SP Study level: Second degree level

Term no.: 1 Teaching semester: AUTUMN 2024

Term no.: 2 Teaching semester: AUTUMN 2024

Term no.: 2 Teaching semester: SPRING 2025

Term no.: 1 Teaching semester: SPRING 2025

Language of instruction: French

Location: Trondheim

French Language
French Literature
French Cultural Studies
French Linguistics

Department with academic responsibility Department of Language and Literature

Examination

Examination arrangement: master's thesis with oral defense.

Room	Building	Number of candidates

* The location (room) for a written examination is published 3 days before examination date. If more than one room is listed, you will find your room at Studentweb.

For more information regarding registration for examination and examination procedures, see "Innsida - Exams"

French Language and Literature: Dissertations and theses

French dissertations and theses.

There are a number of different resources available for finding French dissertations.

Atelier national de Reproduction des thèses Also known as tne National Center for the Reproduction of PhD theses
SUDOC Le catalogue du Système Universitaire de Documentation
Thèses en ligne (TEL): serveur de thèses multidisciplinaire Although multidisciplinary the majority of theses are in scientific disciplines.
thèses.fr This research tool is maintained by ABES (Agence bibliographique de l'enseignement supérieur) and records titles of theses in preparation in French universities and higher education institutions

Belgian dissertations and theses

Répertoire commun des thèses électroniques des universités de la Communauté Française de Belgique Portal to access French-language theses through relevant University repositories

General resources for dissertations and theses

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global The world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It also includes content from PQDT UK & Ireland (aka Index to Theses).
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination and preservation of electronic analogues to the traditional paper-based theses and dissertations.
DART-Europe E-theses Portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.
Top 100 Dissertation and theses references on the web
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French 101: Persuasive Writing

In FR101, students will work on writing informative, analytical and persuasive texts in French on topics of interest. They’ll learn how to engage the reader, defend a thesis, analyze, concede and conclude. In order to develop a clear, logical writing style, students will work on rhetorical expressions such as cause and effect, comparison and concession. They will begin each new topic with a close reading and class discussion of both contemporary and classical writing paying careful attention to style and vocabulary. Taught in French .

M.A. in French Language and Literature (FRIT)

The M.A. in French language and literature (FRIT) provides students with a solid foundation in French and francophone literature, culture and film, in addition to French language and linguistics, introducing them to current research issues while providing training in higher education pedagogy.

Admissions Information

Entry into the M.A. program is open to students who have completed an undergraduate degree in a field related to French studies.

An overall Grade Point Average of at least 3.00 (on a four-point scale) at the undergraduate level is also required.

All foreign applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL examination (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

Information about application fee waiver

Entering students are advised in their first semester by the director of graduate studies or by some other designated professor. By the end of their second semester, students should choose an advisor based on their interests and register this choice with the director of graduate studies. Final responsibility for meeting Graduate School requirements and deadlines rests solely with the student.

M.A. Options

Students, in consultation with their advisor, may choose one of two options to complete the M.A. requirements:

1. The M.A. without thesis requires a minimum of 30 credits, of which not less than 18 must be selected from courses numbered 600 or above. In lieu of a thesis, students must present an article-length Qualifying Paper of between 25 and 30 pages as evidence of their ability to do independent research. The Qualifying Paper may be an extension of a paper prepared for a graduate level course, but it must be written in excess of course requirements under the supervision of the student’s advisor; up to two credits of FREN798 may be used for this purpose. The topic of the Qualifying Paper must fall within the area of concentration selected by the student. The M.A. Qualifying Paper defense committee consists of two faculty members. The defense must be scheduled to take place no later than three weeks before the last day of classes.

2. The M.A. with thesis requires a minimum of 24 credits, of which not less than 12 must be selected from courses numbered 600 or above. A further six credits of FREN799 (thesis research) are required. The M.A. thesis committee consists of 2 faculty members in addition to the student’s advisor, who serves as chairperson. The oral examination on the thesis, which should be a minimum of 80 pages in length, lasts about an hour. The defense must be scheduled to take place no later than three weeks before the last day of classes. The thesis serves as evidence of a student’s ability to conduct in-depth independent research.

Course Requirements

All students must complete courses from these three core categories: 1. One (1) course on Theory or History of Ideas 2. One (1) French linguistics course 3. At least three (3) culture/literature courses from three different periods

Apart from those core courses, with the help of the director of graduate studies and their advisor, students will create an individually-tailored program of study that best matches their interests to complete the course requirements towards their degree.

Additionally, graduate teaching assistants are expected to take a 1-credit practicum in their first semester (FREN709/SLLC601).

For additional information, please see the Graduate Student Handbook.

Comprehensive Examination

The M.A. program requires successful completion of a comprehensive examination. The exam has two separate components:

a) one Written Examination testing knowledge based on the student’s personal reading list; and b) one Research Paper, which includes the writing of either a Thesis or Qualifying Paper with its accompanying defense.

The Written Examination and the Research Paper are taken separately. Either one may be completed first. Full-time students are expected to take their Comprehensive Examinations in their fourth semester and no later than three weeks before the last day of classes. The Written Examination (60% of total grade) includes two parts:

Part I (20%) - Commentaire de texte: 1½ hours Part II (40%) - Two essay questions (20% each): 3 hours The questions for the Written Examination are based on the student’s personal reading list, which is composed of all the works read in seven (7) of the courses taken while in the program. To this list, faculty members who have taught these courses may add up to five readings. Students are responsible for compiling their reading lists under the supervision of their advisor. A student’s personal reading list must be approved by the members of the examining committee before the end of the semester that precedes the written exam (typically the third semester for full-time students). Students will have four and a half hours to respond to both parts (three questions total) based on their personal reading list without notes, in an examination room with a computer provided by the department.

Students whose native language is English may write the response to either the “commentaire” or one of the required essay questions in English. Students whose native language is French must write one response in English.

The Research Paper (40% of total grade) includes the completion and defense of either a Thesis or a Qualifying Paper. Students must select their topic and committee by the end of the semester preceding their final semester, typically the third semester for full-time students. The Thesis or Qualifying Paper, which is defended during the student’s last semester, must be submitted to readers at least three weeks prior to the defense date, which must be at least three weeks before the last day of classes. On average, the defense of either a Thesis or the Qualifying Paper lasts approximately one hour and is usually conducted in the language in which the Thesis or Qualifying paper will be written. The Research Paper is graded by the student’s chosen committee of two faculty (for the Qualifying Paper), or three faculty (for the Thesis).

Application Instructions

Application deadline is January 15 for admission in the fall and may be submitted here . Before completing the application, applicants are asked to check the Admissions Requirements site for specific instructions about the M.A. Program (FRIT). As required by the Graduate School, all application materials must be submitted electronically through the Graduate Application Portal :

Non-refundable application fee for each program
Statement of Purpose. The statement should address relevant aspects of your educational experience, the focus of your academic interests and reasons for applying to our program.
Unofficial transcripts of your entire college/university record (undergraduate and graduate). Electronic copies of these unofficial transcripts must be uploaded along with your online application.
Three letters of recommendation. In your online application, please fully complete the information requested for your recommenders and ask them to submit their letters electronically.
A single sample of critical writing written in French. A second sample is optional. While we encourage you to submit your best writing sample, we prefer a writing sample in your declared field of interest. If you are submitting an excerpted selection, please include a brief description or introduction to the selection. The MLA citation format is preferred.
Description of Research/Work Experience (optional)
Publications/Presentations (optional)
Academic CV/Resume

Completed applications are reviewed by an admissions committee in each graduate degree program. The recommendations of the committees are submitted to the dean of the Graduate School, who will make the final admission decision. To ensure the integrity of the application process, the University of Maryland authenticates submitted materials through TurnItIn for Admissions . For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact the Graduate School .

Information for International Graduate Students

The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. International applicants are encouraged to contact the office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS), a valuable source of information and assistance for prospective and current international students. Admitted international students will receive instructions about obtaining the appropriate visa to study at the University of Maryland which will require submission of additional documents. International students admitted by the Graduate School are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visa in order to enroll. English Proficiency Requirement Non-native speakers of English must submit TOEFL exam results to the Graduate School with their application. Based on these results, students may be advised to take a written expression course from the Maryland English Institute or a basic writing course given by the English Department. This course will not count towards the degree.

Please see the Graduate Admissions Process for International applicants for more information.

Director of Graduate Studies

Sarah benharrech.

Associate Professor, French Affiliate, Classics Associate Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

3104 Jiménez Hall College Park MD, 20742

French Language and Literature

Pour débuter
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Writing a Thesis

Theses and dissertations.

Guides de recherche supplémentaires

If you are writing a graduate thesis ( mémoire or thèse) don't forget to consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies' guide on Dissertation and Thesis Preparation

For further information about theses and dissertations, take a look at the Theses and Dissertations Guide.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window Includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format.
Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Foreign Dissertation Database Search 800,000 doctoral dissertations (including those of Albert Einstein, Dag Hammarskjold, and other Nobel laureates) from universities outside the U.S. and Canada. CRL acquired the majority of the collection through deposit from member libraries. CRL continues to acquire about 5,000 titles per year from major universities through demand purchase and deposit.
Dart e-Portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses. DART-Europe is endorsed by LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche), and it is the European Working Group of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
Catalogue SUDOC (Système Universitaire de Documentation) The French collective catalogue created by libraries and resource centres in higher education and research. To find dissertations and theses, click Advanced .... Material selection... Dissertations [or in French: Recherche avancée ... Type de publication ... Thèses].
L'Atelier national de reproduction des thèses (ANRT) The ANRT is a French public organization which has been reproducing and distributing doctoral theses since 1971.
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Last Updated: Feb 12, 2024 12:29 PM
URL: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/french

Preparing For Your Dissertation Defense

13 Key Questions To Expect In The Viva Voce

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) & David Phair (PhD) . Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2021

Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defense (also called a “viva voce”) is a formidable task . All your hard work over the years leads you to this one point, and you’ll need to defend yourself against some of the most experienced researchers you’ve encountered so far.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous.

In this post, we’ll cover some of the most important questions you should be able to answer in your viva voce, whether it’s for a Masters or PhD degree. Naturally, they might not arise in exactly the same form (some may not come up at all), but if you can answer these questions well, it means you’re in a good position to tackle your oral defense.

Viva Voce Prep: 13 Essential Questions

What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?
How did your research questions evolve during the research process?
How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review?
How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?
How generalisable and valid are the findings?
What were the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design?
How did your findings relate to the existing literature?
What were your key findings in relation to the research questions?
Were there any findings that surprised you?
What biases may exist in your research?
How can your findings be put into practice?
How has your research contributed to current thinking in the field?
If you could redo your research, how would you alter your approach?

#1: What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?

This question, a classic party starter, is pretty straightforward.

What the dissertation or thesis committee is assessing here is your ability to clearly articulate your research aims, objectives and research questions in a concise manner. Concise is the keyword here – you need to clearly explain your research topic without rambling on for a half-hour. Don’t feel the need to go into the weeds here – you’ll have many opportunities to unpack the details later on.

In the second half of the question, they’re looking for a brief explanation of the justification of your research. In other words, why was this particular set of research aims, objectives and questions worth addressing? To address this question well in your oral defense, you need to make it clear what gap existed within the research and why that gap was worth filling.

#2: How did your research questions evolve during the research process?

Good research generally follows a long and winding path . It’s seldom a straight line (unless you got really lucky). What they’re assessing here is your ability to follow that path and let the research process unfold.

Specifically, they’ll want to hear about the impact that the literature review process had on you in terms of shaping the research aims, objectives and research questions . For example, you may have started with a certain set of aims, but then as you immersed yourself in the literature, you may have changed direction. Similarly, your initial fieldwork findings may have turned out some unexpected data that drove you to adjust or expand on your initial research questions.

Long story short – a good defense involves clearly describing your research journey , including all the twists and turns. Adjusting your direction based on findings in the literature or the fieldwork shows that you’re responsive , which is essential for high-quality research.

You will need to explain the impact of your literature review in the defense

#3: How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review?

A comprehensive literature review is the foundation of any high-quality piece of research. With this question, your dissertation or thesis committee are trying to assess which quality criteria and approach you used to select the sources for your literature review.

Typically, good research draws on both the seminal work in the respective field and more recent sources . In other words, a combination of the older landmark studies and pivotal work, along with up-to-date sources that build on to those older studies. This combination ensures that the study has a rock-solid foundation but is not out of date.

So, make sure that your study draws on a mix of both the “classics” and new kids on the block, and take note of any major evolutions in the literature that you can use as an example when asked this question in your viva voce.

#4: How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?

This is a classic methodological question that you can almost certainly expect in some or other shape.

What they’re looking for here is a clear articulation of the research design and methodology, as well as a strong justification of each choice . So, you need to be able to walk through each methodological choice and clearly explain both what you did and why you did it. The why is particularly important – you need to be able to justify each choice you made by clearly linking your design back to your research aims, objectives and research questions, while also taking into account practical constraints.

To ensure you cover every base, check out our research methodology vlog post , as well as our post covering the Research Onion .

You have to justify every choice in your dissertation defence

#5: How generalizable and valid are the findings?

This question is aimed at specifically digging into your understanding of the sample and how that relates to the population, as well as potential validity issues in your methodology.

To answer question this well, you’ll need to critically assess your sample and findings and consider if they truly apply to the entire population, as well as whether they assessed what they set out to. Note that there are two components here – generalizability and validity . Generalizability is about how well the sample represents the population. Validity is about how accurately you’ve measured what you intended to measure .

To ace this part of your dissertation defense, make sure that you’re very familiar with the concepts of generalizability , validity and reliability , and how these apply to your research. Remember, you don’t need to achieve perfection – you just need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your research (and how the weaknesses could be improved upon).

Need a helping hand?

#6: What were the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design?

This question picks up where the last one left off.

As I mentioned, it’s perfectly natural that your research will have shortcomings and limitations as a result of your chosen design and methodology. No piece of research is flawless. Therefore, a good dissertation defense is not about arguing that your work is perfect, but rather it’s about clearly articulating the strengths and weaknesses of your approach.

To address this question well, you need to think critically about all of the potential weaknesses your design may have, as well as potential responses to these (which could be adopted in future research) to ensure you’re well prepared for this question. For a list of common methodological limitations, check out our video about research limitations here .

#7: How did your findings relate to the existing literature?

This common dissertation defense question links directly to your discussion chapter , where you would have presented and discussed the findings in relation to your literature review.

What your dissertation or thesis committee is assessing here is your ability to compare your study’s findings to the findings of existing research . Specifically, you need to discuss which findings aligned with existing research and which findings did not. For those findings that contrasted against existing research, you should also explain what you believe to be the reasons for this.

As with many questions in a viva voce, it’s both the what and the why that matter here. So, you need to think deeply about what the underlying reasons may be for both the similarities and differences between your findings and those of similar studies.

Your dissertation defense needs to compare findings

#8: What were your key findings in relation to the research questions?

This question is similar to the last one in that it too focuses on your research findings. However, here the focus is specifically on the findings that directly relate to your research questions (as opposed to findings in general).

So, a good way to prepare for this question is to step back and revisit your research questions . Ask yourself the following:

What exactly were you asking in those questions, and what did your research uncover concerning them?
Which questions were well answered by your study and which ones were lacking?
Why were they lacking and what more could be done to address this in future research?

Conquering this part dissertation defense requires that you focus squarely on the research questions. Your study will have provided many findings (hopefully!), and not all of these will link directly to the research questions. Therefore, you need to clear your mind of all of the fascinating side paths your study may have lead you down and regain a clear focus on the research questions .

#9: Were there any findings that surprised you?

This question is two-pronged.

First, you should discuss the surprising findings that were directly related to the original research questions . Going into your research, you likely had some expectations in terms of what you would find, so this is your opportunity to discuss the outcomes that emerged as contrary to what you initially expected. You’ll also want to think about what the reasons for these contrasts may be.

Second, you should discuss the findings that weren’t directly related to the research questions, but that emerged from the data set . You may have a few or you may have none – although generally there are a handful of interesting musings that you can glean from the data set. Again, make sure you can articulate why you find these interesting and what it means for future research in the area.

What the committee is looking for in this type of question is your ability to interpret the findings holistically and comprehensively , and to respond to unexpected data. So, take the time to zoom out and reflect on your findings thoroughly.

#10: What biases may exist in your research?

Biases… we all have them.

For this question, you’ll need to think about potential biases in your research , in the data itself but also in your interpretation of the data. With this question, your committee is assessing whether you have considered your own potential biases and the biases inherent in your analysis approach (i.e. your methodology). So, think carefully about these research biases and be ready to explain how these may exist in your study.

In an oral defense, this question is often followed up with a question on how the biases were mitigated or could be mitigated in future research. So, give some thought not just to what biases may exist, but also the mitigation measures (in your own study and for future research).

#11: How can your findings be put into practice?

Another classic question in the typical viva voce.

With this question, your committee is assessing your ability to bring your findings back down to earth and demonstrate their practical value and application. Importantly, this question is not about the contribution to academia or the overall field of research (we’ll get to that next) – it is specifically asking about how this newly created knowledge can be used in the real world.

Naturally, the actionability of your findings will vary depending on the nature of your research topic. Some studies will produce many action points and some won’t. If you’re researching marketing strategies within an industry, for example, you should be able to make some very specific recommendations for marketing practitioners in that industry.

To help you flesh out points for this question, look back at your original justification for the research (i.e. in your introduction and literature review chapters). What were the driving forces that led you to research your specific topic? That justification should help you identify ways in which your findings can be put into practice.

#12: How has your research contributed to current thinking in the field?

While the previous question was aimed at practical contribution, this question is aimed at theoretical contribution . In other words, what is the significance of your study within the current body of research? How does it fit into the existing research and what does it add to it?

This question is often asked by a field specialist and is used to assess whether you’re able to place your findings into the research field to critically convey what your research contributed. This argument needs to be well justified – in other words, you can’t just discuss what your research contributed, you need to also back each proposition up with a strong why .

To answer this question well, you need to humbly consider the quality and impact of your work and to be realistic in your response. You don’t want to come across as arrogant (“my work is groundbreaking”), nor do you want to undersell the impact of your work. So, it’s important to strike the right balance between realistic and pessimistic .

This question also opens the door to questions about potential future research . So, think about what future research opportunities your study has created and which of these you feel are of the highest priority.

Discuss your contribution in your thesis defence

#13: If you could redo your research, how would you alter your approach?

This question is often used to wrap up a viva voce as it brings the discussion full circle.

Here, your committee is again assessing your ability to clearly identify and articulate the limitations and shortcomings of your research, both in terms of research design and topic focus . Perhaps, in hindsight, it would have been better to use a different analysis method or data set. Perhaps the research questions should have leaned in a slightly different direction. And so on.

This question intends to assess whether you’re able to look at your work critically , assess where the weaknesses are and make recommendations for the future . This question often sets apart those who did the research purely because it was required, from those that genuinely engaged with their research. So, don’t hold back here – reflect on your entire research journey ask yourself how you’d do things differently if you were starting with a blank canvas today.

Recap: The 13 Key Dissertation Defense Questions

To recap, here are the 13 questions you need to be ready for to ace your dissertation or thesis oral defense:

As I mentioned, this list of dissertation defense questions is certainly not exhaustive – don’t assume that we’ve covered every possible question here. However, these questions are quite likely to come up in some shape or form in a typical dissertation or thesis defense, whether it’s for a Master’s degree, PhD or any other research degree. So, you should take the time to make sure you can answer them well.

If you need assistance preparing for your dissertation defense or viva voce, get in touch with us to discuss 1-on-1 coaching. We can critically review your research and identify potential issues and responses, as well as undertake a mock oral defense to prepare you for the pressures and stresses on the day.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

You Might Also Like:

How to choose a research topic: full video tutorial

12 Comments

Very interesting

Interesting. I appreciate!

Really appreciating

My field is International Trade

Interesting

This is a full course on defence. I was fabulously enlightened and I gained enough confidence for my upcoming Masters Defence.

There are many lessons to learn and the simplicity in presentationmakes thee reader say “YesI can”

This is so helping… it has Enlightened me on how to answer specific questions. I pray to make it through for my upcoming defense

Lovely to hear that 🙂

Really educative and beneficial

Interesting. On-point and elaborate. And comforting too! Thanks.

Thank you very much for the enlightening me, be blessed

Thankyou so much. I am planning to defend my thesis soon and I found this very useful

Very interesting and useful to all masters and PhD students

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What’s The Problem? – Writing A Thesis In French Posted by John Bauer on Aug 31, 2016 in Culture , Vocabulary

These past few weeks I’ve been hard at work on mon mémoire (my thesis). The last big project for un diplôme (a degree) is always hard, and writing un mémoire in another language makes the whole process even more of un casse-tête (a headache).

“ Place de la Sorbonne ” by Alan on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

I came to France to do mon master (my Master’s), and it has been an interesting exeprience learning how nobody’s perfect and what a CM and TD are . Now hard at work on mon mémoire , I’m struggling to find enough café (coffee) to keep me going.

Writing more than cinquante pages (fifty pages) en français has been tough. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve mixed up the words une mémoire (a memory) and un mémoire (a thesis). Not to mention all the other dual gender nouns .

To make things easier, le mémoire should follow le plan (the outline), but sometimes il est difficile de savoir par où commencer (it’s hard to know where to start).

“ Plan de dissertation ” by dicophilo on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Figuring out une problématique is a big part of writing un mémoire . Once you have une idée (an idea) you have to fix not just le grammaire (the grammar), but le raisonnement et la logique (the reasoning and logic) as well.

C’est quoi une problématique ? What is une problématique?

Une problématique is a thesis statement to some people. In my experience, they are used in the same general educational contexts. Cependant (however), they do not mean exactly the same thing.

The word for a thesis statement is une thèse principale or un énoncé de la thèse .

It’s a subtle difference, but la problématique is more about defining the research problem or outlining the research problem rather than a summary of the main point or presenting un point de vue (a point of view) and making a claim.

It can be difficult to understand how to succeed in the French education system without understanding this difference. Surtout (especially) because in the classroom you’ll hear le professeur (the professor) talk about the importance of la problématique in the same way you would hear le professeur talk about the thesis statement in aux États-Unis (in the United States).

There is also a lot to learn about les travaux universitaires (academic writing). All the nuances of specific wordings can easily get lost in translation. The main ideas of writing clearly, citing your sources, creating a bibliography, and proper formatting are all the same, but the details can be different enough that figuring out how to write correctly is un casse-tête .

De plus (what’s more), if you went to school in the US, you are probably familiar with MLA or APA formatting and it’s hard to realize that those are American guidelines.

Ne vous inquiétez pas ! Don’t worry!

In France, all the information you need is in le guide de mise en page (the style guide) provided by le professeur .

Maintenant (now), the biggest problem I have is that with la canicule it’s too hot to drink du café !

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: John Bauer

John Bauer is an enthusiast for all things language and travel. He currently lives in France where he's doing his Master's. John came to France four years ago knowing nothing about the language or the country, but through all the mistakes over the years, he's started figuring things out.

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Using an English or French presentation to a French talk?

I'll be defending my Ph.D. this October. I submitted my dissertation in English and prepared an English presentation, but my supervisor along with the jury members surprised me by saying the defense speech cannot be in English and must be in French (“since we are from a country that has the second language is French”). Actually, they don’t mind an English report. In fact, they are very proud of the report.

So my question is, what would be suitable in this situation, keep the presentation in English and talk in French, or, I will change the presentation to French since I talk in French?

presentation

2 you should consult your department graduate adviser. There are usually rules involved in presentations, i suspect especially in multi-language environments – aaaaa says reinstate Monica Jul 29, 2018 at 2:51
1 @aaaaaa Not necessarily. In many places, presentations aren't subject to strict rules. – Massimo Ortolano Jul 29, 2018 at 7:36
@MassimoOrtolano It certainly sounds like there are strict rules in this case, and in particular strict rules that the OP was not aware of. – Stella Biderman Jul 29, 2018 at 22:42
@StellaBiderman My impression from the description is that the board doesn't want to listen to a presentation in English and made up an excuse. – Massimo Ortolano Jul 30, 2018 at 1:36

2 Answers 2

I would put the presentation into French, for two basic reasons:

just to make sure that when you glance at the screen any word triggers a train of thought in French

the audience also has the French ppt to look at matching what they hear from you.

I understand that the thesis is in English, but they won't necessarily open that until after depending on the questions - which they have probably already prepared...

Also, anytime I have to listen to one language and read a second (and I have a DUT to go with my BEng Hons) I always change to comparing the errors in expression / translation and loose the real message.

So, go with French ppt & language and BEST OF LUCK - you will be fine.

Autrement dit : Bonne chance Chef !!

+1: Simultaneous processing in multiple languages can be more difficult, especially people who only have one native language. Doing the sides in English seems like it has the opportunity to throw the OP or an examiner for no benefit. – Stella Biderman Jul 29, 2018 at 23:57

What would be suitable in this situation would be to do what your advisor and jury members have told you to do.

If everyone in your committee speaks French, I see little point in having the presentation written in English and speaking in French. You have two months to translate your slides, compared to the work necessary to get the PhD it's trivial...

If however some people in your jury do not speak French, then it's appropriate to write in English on the slides and speak in French (I have done so myself), but ask your advisor first.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged thesis presentation language defense ., hot network questions.

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The thesis defense is the final element of the doctorate. In the procedures required in anticipation of the defense (filing the date of defense, choice of reporters, committee selection, ...), the ED enforces the national rules and those specific to each partner institution. The administrative procedures must be undertaken at least two months before the scheduled date of the defense. The procedures, varying with the institution of the doctoral student’s enrollment, are detailed below, following a review of the general principles relating to the granting of the doctorate.

General principles

The preparation of the doctorate is generally carried out in 3 years . Exemptions may be granted by the head of the institution, on the suggestion of the director (or deputy director) of ED and upon proposal of the thesis advisor and if needed after consulting the council of the graduate program, following a reasoned request from the candidate.

The doctoral degree is awarded by the enrollment institution of the doctoral student on the basis of :

A training program;
A defense (viva voice), which is the final phase.

The thesis must be written in French as required by law. An exemption for a thesis in English may be granted by the Board of the ED if the native language of the PhD candidate is not French, if one of the two reporters is not French speaking, or possibly at the student’s request. If writing in English, the candidate must provide a summary of 4 to 20 pages in French..

Permission to present a thesis for defense is granted by the head of the institution, after consultation with the director of the ED, on the the proposal of the thesis director.

The defense authorization is based primarily on the reports of two scientific experts in the field of research. The two reporters should be primarily chosen for their scientific expertise, but their impartiality must be certified by a number of conditions. Specifically, the reporters must:

be "qualified for directing research" (French HDR degree) a or have a qualified exemption,
be external to the institution of enrollment of the doctoral student,
be external to the graduate program (check here ),
not taking part in the work of the thesis, not a collaborator, and not the thesis advisor of the student (the more accurate meaning of this criterion depends on the institution).

The thesis committee is appointed by the head of the institution after consultation with the director of the ED and the thesis advisor. The committee has between 3 and 8 members, generally including the thesis advisor; the presence of a professor or similar from the enrollment institution who differs from the thesis advisor is, depending on the institution, advised or required. Including the two reporters, at least half of the committee must be from outside the ED and the enrollment institution and, for at least half, professors or similar, or researchers of equivalent rank.

Detailed procedures according to institution of enrollment:

Defense at PSL
Defense at SU
Defense at UP
Defense at UPSaclay

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Dissertation search tools available at Yale

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses This database makes nearly every dissertation ever filed in the United States available in PDF format. Not all dissertations are available, however, as authors with dissertations under contract with a press are sometimes encouraged not to make their dissertations freely available. In these cases you can at least read an abstract. Note that you can search by school, department, and adviser.

Dissertations databases outside Yale

DART-Europe The European portal for finding electronic theses and dissertations. DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.
SUDOC - Le catalogue du Système Universitaire de Documentation
Theses theses.fr donne accès à la description : • de 65 000 thèses en préparation en France, • et 8 000 thèses soutenues en France depuis 2006. Le texte intégral est accessible pour près de 6 000 d’entre elles. La base de données de theses.fr est en constante évolution. A terme, l'ensemble des thèses de doctorat soutenues en France sera signalé.
CRL Center for Research Libraries Foreign Doctoral Dissertations Holds 800,000 dissertations from universities outside the U.S. and Canada. However, only 20,000 of these are cataloged in the database. If you know the exact title of a dissertation and do not find it in the database, CRL recommends searching the CRL Catalog. If the title does not appear in the database or the catalog, contact CRL directly to inquire if it is held. CRL continues to acquire about 5,000 titles per year from major universities.
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Represents the work of authors from over 1,000 North American and European universities on a full range of academic subjects. Includes abstracts for doctoral dissertations beginning July 1980 and for Master's theses beginning Spring 1988. All dissertations published since 1997, and some from prior years, are available for free download; others may be requested via Interlibrary Loan.
Dissertations & Theses (Georgetown-authored) This link opens in a new window Recent online theses and dissertations from selected Georgetown programs and departments. For access to Georgetown theses and dissertations authored prior to 2006, see the Georgetown catalog or refer to ProQuest's Dissertations & Theses database. Print copies of disserations may be requested using the Library's Library Use Only Materials Request. .
EThoS: Electronic Theses Online This link opens in a new window The British Library's database of digitized theses from UK higher education institutions. Free registration and login is required.
Open Access Theses & Dissertations The number of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) openly available via institutional repositories has grown dramatically in recent years, increasing the need for a centralized service to search for this unique material. Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD), launched in early 2013, is on the path to fulfill that need. Not as large as the commercial subscription service ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database, OATD distinguishes itself by providing access to more than 1.6 million open-access theses and dissertations freely available from over 800 institutions worldwide. The simplified interface allows searching across all fields or, in advanced search, by specific field (Title, Author Name, Abstract, University/Publisher, or Subject/Keywords). In addition, users may limit searches to a specific language or date range. Search results may be sorted by relevance, author, university, or date. more... less... Depending on the search, results may be further limited by date, university, department, degree, level (e.g., doctoral vs. master's), or language. The number of hits for entries under each limit is conveniently displayed in the left column. Links to the full text residing on the home institution's site are provided for each record. In many instances, several pages of the thesis or dissertation are available for viewing. Though other sites cover similar material, e.g., PQDT Open http://pqdtopen.proquest.com and Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, OATD focuses exclusively on open-access ETDs, and serves as an excellent resource for students and researchers. Its usefulness will continue to increase as more ETDs are made freely available.
Theses.fr This link opens in a new window Provides access to more than 5000 theses on all subjects submitted in French to universities around the world, since 2006. Most are digitized and available in full text.
Theses Canada Portal This link opens in a new window Index of Canadian masters theses and doctoral dissertations from 1965-present. Full text available from 1998 through August 31, 2002.
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How the French Promote and Protect Their Language

Though there are a number of minority languages, there is just one official language in France – the French language or Français to native speakers. The French people are known to be very vigilant in protecting their language. Recently, efforts to safeguard Français in France have been renewed due to the threat of Anglicization.

English invaders

A bill has been introduced which seeks to allow English usage in some university courses in France. The French Higher Education Minister Geneviève Fioraso recommended an amendment to the Toubon Law of 1994 to allow universities in France to teach courses in English in order to attract foreign students. This campaign to use English in universities on a limited scale has triggered the natural instinct of the French to protect their mother tongue.

Measures intended for language promotion

Publication by individual persons is not regulated by the government of France. But it is required by law that French be used as the primary language in the workplace and in commerce. It is also mandated by law that French be spoken within the borders of the country. But the French government did not stop there in terms of language promotion. They have also made inroads in promoting the French language throughout Europe, in the European Union, and the rest of the world as well. Several French language institutions with government support are scattered in the inhabited continents across the planet.

Language protection initiatives

The French resistance to English language invasion could be explained by the fact that Français is at the very heart of the identity of the French. Many observers agree that this bond is much stronger among the French than in any other nation.

In 1635 the French created the Académie Française which functions as the official custodian of the French language. The institution was formed at that time to protect the French language from Italian influences. Today, there is a new invader – the English language and emotions are running high. The Académie Française referred to the proposal by the Minister of Higher Education as “linguistic treason.” Top linguists were very quick to argue that the identity of France is at stake and that the risk of French becoming a dead language is all too real with the increasing propensity for utilizing “English borrowings.”

Guarding against English expressions

The French are consciously guarding against English invasion from within. Thus, the authorities make sure that popular English terms have an equivalent in the vernacular. To avoid adoption of expressions from America that easily cross the Atlantic, the guardians of the language ensure that translations are provided.

However, with the digital revolution, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the guardians and protectors of the French language to respond to the increasing popularity of American expressions in pop culture. Anglicisms are just moving too fast for French to keep up. For instance, young people find it easier to say they are sending an “e-mail” rather than a “courriel.” English is the language of digital technology and the wave that is sweeping across the world is arriving in France without delay especially given the expansive connectivity provided by the Internet.

This table presents a few of the French equivalents prepared by the Académie and included in a volume called, “Dire, Ne pas dire” (To say, Not to Say”) with a special section on Anglicisms. Here are some of the “unwanted” words from English that is seeping into France’s daily activities:

English/ Anglicisms/ “Franglais”	proper French
supporter (verb; to support)	soutenir; encourager
le best of	le meilleur de
top, must, hyper	incomparable, très bien, or inégalable
casting (in movies)	passer une audition
networking	travail en réseau
le binge drinking	biture fissa
hotline	numéro d’urgence
brainstorming	remue-méninges

Bernadine Racoma

Bernadine Racoma is a senior content writer at Day Translations, a human translation services company. After her long stint as an international civil servant and traveling the world for 22 years, she has aggressively pursued her interest in writing and research. Like her poetry, she writes everything from the heart, and she treats each written piece a work of art. She loves dogs!

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College of Arts

6 June، 2024

Examining MA Thesis in The Department of French Language THE IMPACT OF KURDISH MOTHER TONGUE ON LEARNING FRENCH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, FOR STUDENTS OF KURDISH ORIGINS IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENTS IN ERBIL AND MOSUL AS A MODEL

On Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Ibn Al-Atheer Hall in the College of Arts, an MA thesis discussion was held and attended by a number of college professors and postgraduate students.

The study, presented by the student (Shanaz Ismail Youssef Al-Jaf), addresses the definition of the basic concepts and aspects of language and touches on the phenomenon of linguistic duality and multilingualism, as well as linguistic overlap and its types. The thesis aims to shed light on some of the influences that stem from the mother tongue on learning French as a foreign language.

The examining committee:

Asst. Prof. Dr. Jinan Muhammad Watheq / College of Languages / University of Baghdad.

Chairperson.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Elham Hassan Salo / College of Arts / University of Mosul.

Asst. Prof. Ahmed Hassan Jarjis/College of Arts/University of Mosul.

Asst. Prof. Dara Hassan Taha, /College of Arts/University of Mosul.

Member and Supervisor

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A phd dissertation entitled “the rhythmic structure of al-hutheiliyeen poetry” has been examined at the department of arabic, college of arts.

amerbello 2024-06-10T15:39:04+00:00 09/06/2024 |

Members of the Kazanzan Cultural Council in Mosul visit the College of Arts

amerbello 2024-06-10T17:58:21+00:00 06/06/2024 |

Congratulations on Promotion

amerbello 2024-06-10T17:43:10+00:00 06/06/2024 |

Congratulation on Promotion

amerbello 2024-06-10T17:12:58+00:00 06/06/2024 |

amerbello 2024-06-10T15:32:18+00:00 06/06/2024 |

The twenty-fourth Periodical Opened Session of the College of Arts Council

amerbello 2024-06-10T16:50:31+00:00 05/06/2024 |

An MA Thesis Was Examined at the Dept. of Arabic Language entitled ” Dictionary of the Orientalists who studied Arabic literature”

amerbello 2024-06-10T15:49:25+00:00 05/06/2024 |

A doctoral thesis at the College of Arts on: (Social anxiety and its Repercussions on the Personality of the Iraqi Individual – a Field Study in the City of Erbil).

amerbello 2024-06-09T21:46:27+00:00 02/06/2024 |

A PhD dissertation at the Department of Translation (Translation of Arabic Identity Markers in Al-Mu’allaqat into English)

amerbello 2024-06-09T20:56:58+00:00 02/06/2024 |

An MA Thesis at the Department of Arabic on (The Nature in the Poetry of Ibn Al-thaheer Al-Arbili, 677 H.)

amerbello 2024-06-04T18:33:01+00:00 29/05/2024 |

University Formations

Electronic systems, international rankings, related websites, website division, university address.

Al Majmoaa Street

Postal Code : 41002

Mosul – Iraq

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Defending My Thesis
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DON’T SAY "JE VEUX" IN FRENCH
1ère Soutenance de doctorat LMD en Anglais, Mme MELLIT Djihane, débat part01

COMMENTS

How to Write a Stellar Mémoire (French Master's Thesis)
July 20, 2022. Pursuing graduate studies in France entails mastering all sorts of assignments, but perhaps none as daunting as the notorious mémoire, or master's thesis. Writing and defending a master's thesis is the cornerstone of many, though not all, French graduate degrees, making it a rite of passage for degree-seeking students in France.
PDF DETAILED GUIDE FOR THESIS DEFENCE
Fill in all the elements of the defence (thesis title, key words, summary/abstract, language of writing/defence and place of the defence). If the language in which the thesis is written and/or defended is not French, a summary in French of the thesis will be required (5 to 10 pages), and a presentation of five to ten min utes in French will have
How I Prepared For My Thesis Defense In France
John Bauer is an enthusiast for all things language and travel. He currently lives in France where he's doing his Master's. John came to France four years ago knowing nothing about the language or the country, but through all the mistakes over the years, he's started figuring things out. Part of my thesis involved not just studying, but ...
Defending My Thesis In French
Defending My Thesis In French Posted by John Bauer on Sep 21, 2016 in Culture Last week j'ai passé ma soutenance de mémoire (I defended my thesis). After working hard on mon mémoire , everything came down to un exposé (a presentation) in front of mes professeurs (my professors).
Defence
As the thesis leads to the award of a French national degree, it should generally be written and defended in French. However, it may be the case that, for scientific reasons, the subject matter requires the use of a language other than French. By decision of the Scientific Council of 4 March 2013, this is now decided by the directors of ...
PDF Detailed Guide for Thesis Defence
He/she must also specify whether he/she will attend the defense in person or by videoconference. Input all the elements of the defence (thesis title, key words, summary/abstract, language of writing/defence and place of the defence). If the language of the writing and/or the defence is not French, a summary in French of the thesis will be ...
Defending your thesis :: Le doctorat à l'université de Bordeaux
Defending your thesis is the final stage of your PhD. It is an intense and sometimes stressful moment. Consequently, it is essential to plan ahead and follow the steps and deadlines outlined below to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The Admissions Office is there to help you all along the way, from organising your defense right up to receiving your degree.
PDF Guide to the Doctoral defence
French or foreign, so that they can give a legitimate opinion, as representatives of the universities, on the competences expected of holders of the doctoral degree according to the international academic criteria in force º. • The thesis must present a body of original scientific work. Each member of the Jury, taken
Defending your thesis
In accordance with Article 17 of the decree of August 26, 2022, amending the decree of May 25, 2016, which defines a national framework for education and the procedures leading to the award of the French PhD degree: "At least 14 days before the date scheduled for the thesis defense, examiners shall submit their opinions in written reports.
Defending your thesis
Theses written in a language other than French: a long summary in French (15p) attached to the manuscript and a request for exemption on ADUM are required (In the case of a cotutelle: the language in which the thesis is written must be specified in the cotutelle agreement and a long summary (15 pages minimum) in French must be attached to the ...
Defending your thesis
Plan the steps How the defense takes place Next defenses Authorization to defend a thesis is granted by the President ofuniversité Savoie Mont Blanc, on the advice of the Director of the Doctoral School Culture, Societies, Territories (CST), and on the proposal of the thesis director. ... Thesis written in a language other than French and ...
Course
The master's thesis must be written in French. The final assessment of the thesis is adjusted through an oral defense in French of about 20-30 minutes. The oral examination will be cancelled if the thesis has been failed by the examiners. It is not possible for students who have been awarded a passing grade for the master's thesis in French to ...
French Language and Literature: Dissertations and theses
The world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for ...
French 101: Persuasive Writing
French 101: Persuasive Writing. Instructor: Kimberly Jansma. In FR101, students will work on writing informative, analytical and persuasive texts in French on topics of interest. They'll learn how to engage the reader, defend a thesis, analyze, concede and conclude. In order to develop a clear, logical writing style, students will work on ...
M.A. in French Language and Literature (FRIT)
Students whose native language is English may write the response to either the "commentaire" or one of the required essay questions in English. Students whose native language is French must write one response in English. The Research Paper (40% of total grade) includes the completion and defense of either a Thesis or a Qualifying Paper.
Thèses et mémoires
If you are writing a graduate thesis (mémoire or thèse) don't forget to consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies' guide on Dissertation and Thesis Preparation . For further information about theses and dissertations, take a look at the Theses and Dissertations Guide.
Preparing For A Viva Voce (Dissertation Defence)
Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defense (also called a "viva voce") is a formidable task. All your hard work over the years leads you to this one point, and you'll need to defend yourself against some of the most experienced researchers you've encountered so far. It's natural to feel a little nervous.
What's The Problem?
Une problématique is a thesis statement to some people. In my experience, they are used in the same general educational contexts. Cependant (however), they do not mean exactly the same thing. The word for a thesis statement is une thèse principale or un énoncé de la thèse. It's a subtle difference, but la problématique is more about ...
thesis
9. I'll be defending my Ph.D. this October. I submitted my dissertation in English and prepared an English presentation, but my supervisor along with the jury members surprised me by saying the defense speech cannot be in English and must be in French ("since we are from a country that has the second language is French").
Thesis defense
A thesis; A defense (viva voice), which is the final phase. The thesis must be written in French as required by law. An exemption for a thesis in English may be granted by the Board of the ED if the native language of the PhD candidate is not French, if one of the two reporters is not French speaking, or possibly at the student's request.
French Language and Literature: Dissertations & Theses
Holds 800,000 dissertations from universities outside the U.S. and Canada. However, only 20,000 of these are cataloged in the database. If you know the exact title of a dissertation and do not find it in the database, CRL recommends searching the CRL Catalog.
Dissertations & Theses
Dissertations & Theses. Represents the work of authors from over 1,000 North American and European universities on a full range of academic subjects. Includes abstracts for doctoral dissertations beginning July 1980 and for Master's theses beginning Spring 1988. All dissertations published since 1997, and some from prior years, are available ...
How the French Promote and Protect Their Language
The French people are known to be very vigilant in protecting their language. Recently, efforts to safeguard Français in France have been renewed due to the threat of Anglicization. A bill has been introduced which seeks to allow English usage in some university courses in France. The French Higher Education Minister Geneviève Fioraso ...
The date for the viva defense of a doctoral thesis at the College of
The doctoral thesis entitled (The infinitive in the Akkadian language, a morphological and grammatical study) will be defended by the researcher Muhammad Khader Abbas from the Department of Ancient Iraqi Languages on Sunday, June 9, 2024, 9 a.m. In the morning in the hall of Dr. Behnam Abu Al-Souf at the college of Archaeology.
Examining MA Thesis in The Department of French Language THE IMPACT OF
The thesis aims to shed light on some of the influences that stem from the mother tongue on learning French as a foreign language. The examining committee: Asst. Prof. Dr. Jinan Muhammad Watheq / College of Languages / University of Baghdad. Chairperson. Asst. Prof. Dr. Elham Hassan Salo / College of Arts / University of Mosul. Member

How to Write a Stellar Mémoire (French Master’s Thesis)

Honor Your Interests

Favor Innovation

Survey Your Sources

Create a Timeline

Chat About Your Research

Choose the Right Advisor

Write Meticulously

Perfect Your Formatting

Prepare Your Defense

Take Your Work Seriously

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You are assigned to a laboratory affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Science

Appointment of rapporteurs and the thesis jury

Request for defence

Defence file

Submission and dissemination of the thesis

The stages of a defence

Corrections of theses

Collection of degrees

Cérémonie des docteurs

Defence FAQ

You are assigned to an affiliated laboratory by the Faculty of Arts

Defending your thesis

Defense notification and jury composition

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS FOR REVIEWERS

DEFENSE REVIEWS

DEFENSE DOCUMENTS

THE DAY OF YOUR DEFENSE

aFTER DEFENDING YOUR THESIS

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS

RELEASING YOUR THESIS

Emma BERTHAULT

Christelle ROCCA

Defending your thesis

Jury composition

Waiver request

First (provisional) electronic filing in ADUM :

Transmitting the manuscript to the referees

Second (final) e-filing: archiving declaration

Thesis distribution

The release version

Distribution platforms

Språkvelger

Course content

Learning outcome

Learning methods and activities

Further on evaluation

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Examination

French Language and Literature: Dissertations and theses

Belgian dissertations and theses

General resources for dissertations and theses

Undergraduate

French 101: Persuasive Writing

M.A. in French Language and Literature (FRIT)

Related Links

Admissions Information

M.A. Options

Course Requirements

Comprehensive Examination

Application Instructions

Information for International Graduate Students

Director of Graduate Studies

French Language and Literature

Writing a Thesis

Preparing For Your Dissertation Defense

Viva Voce Prep: 13 Essential Questions

#1: What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?

#2: How did your research questions evolve during the research process?

#3: How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review?

#4: How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?

#5: How generalizable and valid are the findings?

Need a helping hand?