Take part in cross-disciplinary training
Over the course of a three-year PhD, every PhD student must complete a total of 108 hours of training:
- 54 hours of subject-specific training to deepen expertise in their research field (seminars, specialised workshops)
- 54 hours of transferable skills training to develop broader professional skills (communication, project management, etc.)
This total may be reduced for PhD students who are employed full-time or under the Cifre scheme (Convention industrielle de formation par la recherche). For the training hours to count toward the PhD, the doctoral school must approve and validate any adjustments.
All PhD students enrolled at the University of Strasbourg must complete the following two training courses, available in French and English:
- Introduction to the French Charter of Ethics for Research Professions (also available in French)
- The online training course (MOOC) on "Research Integrity in Scientific Professions" (also available in French)
To browse the catalogue of transferable skills training at the University of Strasbourg, log in to the Amethis platform using your Ernest credentials.
If you run into any issues, check the Amethis FAQ section.
You can also get support by emailing dir-amethis@unistra.fr.
For more information about subject-specific training and special cases, visit your doctoral school’s website.
Find and register for cross-disciplinary training
Training offered by the Jardin des sciences, IDIP and URFIST
The University of Strasbourg's Jardin des sciences, the Institute for Educational Development and Innovation (Institut de développement et d'innovation pédagogiques – IDIP), and the URFIST de Strasbourg offer a range of transferable skills courses.
Sign up directly on their websites to take part in the training sessions on offer.
The "PhD and Career Development" MOOC
The University of Strasbourg recommends the online course (MOOC) PhD and Career Development from the PhDOOC association. This course helps PhD students explore resources and tools to help them prepare for their careers after completing their PhD.
Cross-disciplinary training opportunities through Eucor – The European Campus
Eucor – The European Campus gives PhD students the opportunity to take cross-disciplinary training courses at its partner universities in Germany and Switzerland. Browse the course catalogues and contact the relevant institution to register.
- Graduate Center – University of Basel (page in German)
- Graduate Centre – University of Freiburg
- Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Discover Eucor’s cross-disciplinary training programmes for PhD students on the intranet (Ernest)
Take on additional roles
PhD students can dedicate part of their working time to additional paid roles that provide both income and professional experience. There are four types of roles for PhD students:
- Teaching
- Promoting research results
- Sharing scientific and technical information
- Providing expertise
These roles may account for up to 32 days per year, or 64 hours of teaching, corresponding to roughly one-sixth of a PhD student’s working time.
Take a gap semester or gap year
A gap year or gap semester (période de césure) allows you to take a break from your research or studies for one or two semesters to gain personal or professional experience, in France or abroad.