IDIL: Training through and for research
Next September, eight new Master programs and one engineer program will be available at the University of Montpellier, as part of the IDIL graduate program. What defines them? Students immersed 6 months per year in lab’, courses in English and an introduction to interdisciplinarity. Mathieu Sicard and Agnès Fichard-Carroll are the two project leaders.
At the start of the next academic year, UM will launch eight new master's programs and one engineering program, all taught exclusively in English. Why the choice of English?
M.S: Clearly, these English-language programs will increase UM's international reach, particularly among students who are able to study in English. We expect up to 30% of students to be international, with the rest being French students, provided they can demonstrate a certain level of English.
A.F-C: Incoming foreign mobility will be fostered by accompaniment of international students: French courses (FLE) and financial help for travels.
This project is part of the Structuring of Training through Research (SFRI) program. It is a call for projects that UM won in July 2020?
M.S: Exactly. The project was initially drafted and led by Agnès Mignot. It was then called UMGS, for University of Montpellier Graduate School, and secured €12 million in funding. Agnès Fichard-Carroll and I took over the leadership of this graduate programlast May under the name IDIL, for InterDisciplinary In Lab.
IDIL-certified master's programs are considered innovative in terms of teaching methods. What new features do they offer students?
M.S: IDIL promotes learning through and for research. Starting in the first year of the master's program, students are offered a six-month paid immersion in a laboratory. The second feature is the master's program's broad openness to interdisciplinarity and the unique role given to mentoring.
A.F-C: Internship gratification being guaranteed, I hope it will allow students in financial difficulty to be less hesitant to register for a master program.
Who will these mentors be and what will their role be?
M.S: The mentors will be researchers or Professors role will be to supervise and support students throughout their lab internship, but not only that. Each mentor will introduce students to other researchers, guide them in their reading, help them choose courses and conferences to attend, and more.
Can all researchers be mentors?
M.S: Yes, all researchers belonging to units involved in the Muse program. Their field of study must correspond to one of the nine courses offered. Mentors will be recognized for their commitment to training IDIL students.
Students will spend six months in the laboratory and the rest of the year at university. How will this part of the program be structured?
M.S: You can't spend six months in a laboratory and have as many teaching units as the others. Students will choose their main units, known as "core units," from a catalog. Here again, the mentor will play an important role in guiding students toward the courses best suited to what they will be doing in the laboratory.
Will they share the same courses as students enrolled in traditional master's programs?
M.S: Yes, these master's programs will be anchored in existing courses, which means that the relevant teaching units will have to be taught in English or at least in a bilingual format.
A.F-C: Schedules can be really puzzling. It is not about disturbing the existing, but about sharing it with IDIL students. If the professor in charge do not want or cannot assure the conversion of his course in English, he will be accompanied in the translation, funding has been planned to this purpose.
In which disciplines are these master's programs available?
M.S: There are eight: ecology, biology-health, agricultural sciences, chemistry, political science, management, modeling, and geology-hydrology. These are just the first ones. The program is scheduled to last eight years and offers us the possibility of opening up to 30 programs. The engineering program operates on the same principles of immersion in the laboratory but is aimed at students training at the School of Chemistry, the Institut-Agro, and Polytech. It is already foreshadowed in the Research program, which opened in 2021.
A.F-C: It is worth mentioning that IDIL programs gathers pre-existing master tracks from different departments of the university of Montpellier. IDIL project will also stimulate exchanges between those departments.
You mention openness to interdisciplinarity. How are they interdisciplinary?
M.S: These are not interdisciplinary master's degrees; students graduate with a degree in their chosen field. However, in addition to their "core units," they can choose "open" units that offer an introduction to disciplines from other programs. A student studying hydrology and geology could therefore take an opening unit in political science or management.
What is the ideal student for this master's program?
M.S: It's not necessarily the best student academically, if that's what you mean. We don't want to make it an elitist program. The ideal student is independent, mature, has a real appetite for research and interdisciplinarity, and wants to experiment with new teaching methods. They can speak English, but I repeat, this program is open to French and international students.
A.F-C: IDIL’s students must also appreciate teamwork. They do have, even if accompanied, to be real actors of their training.
Are you ready for the start of the 2022 academic year?
We are still working on some details of the IDIL training program, but yes, we will be ready. We will be recruiting mentors and, of course, we invite all researchers and Professors in the mentoring adventure to join us. Students will be able to apply in March-April.
Researcher, are you interested in mentorship? Make contact with the person in charge of the master corresponding to your disciplinary field. You can also contact Clémence Breuil, in administrative head of the IDIL project or co-leaders Professor Mathieu Sicard and Professor Agnès Fichard-Caroll.
Graduate school?
In the Anglo-Saxon model, graduate school corresponds to master's and doctoral levels. In line with this structure, the IDIL project is also aimed at doctoral students and, starting in 2023, will offer funding for 12 doctoral contracts that are also focused on interdisciplinarity.
Are you a student or researcher interested in the IDIL graduate program? Find out more on the website.