Graduate School

The Graduate School is a key institutional framework that strengthens the link between education and research across the University of Montpellier. It is supported by the colleges and research clusters and doctoral schoolsto create a coherent continuum from the master’s to the doctoral level.

Born out of the momentum of the I-Site program of excellence and launched in 2022 when the university transitioned to experimental EPSCP status, this initiative aims to internationalize, break down barriers, and revitalize our academic offerings by focusing them on research and innovation.

The establishment of the Graduate School has, in particular, helped to drive the momentum of itsIDIL graduate program, which is supported by the ANR as part of the SFRI project (Structuring Education through Research Initiatives of Excellence)

The objectives

  • Ensure continuity between the master’s and doctoral levels to create seamless and coherent academic pathways.
  • Promote education through research and enhance the institution’s reputation.
  • Promote educational innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration through new modules and projects.
  • Enhance the international appeal of our programs and partnerships.
  • Test innovative recruitment processes for master’s, engineering, and doctoral students.

How it works

The graduate school at the University of Montpellier is organized around:

5 Research Centers:

As intermediate structures created to organize and coordinate research activities within the institution, they play a key role in shaping research at the University of Montpellier by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing international visibility, and addressing societal challenges.

8 Colleges

Collegiums are academic coordination bodies that bring together various academic departments, schools, and institutes within a specific disciplinary field, thereby fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between academic programs and research.

  • Agriculture and Food
  • Law, Political Science, and Public Administration
  • Economics and Management
  • Education
  • Technology tracks
  • Engineering
  • Health
  • Science

9 doctoral programs

Doctoral schools are academic institutions dedicated to training doctoral students, supervising the preparation of their dissertations, and ensuring the scientific quality of the doctoral program, while also promoting the professional integration of new PhD graduates.

The 9 doctoral schools that make up the doctoral college:

The IDIL Program

IDIL is a program selected through the SFRI France 2030 call for proposals that complements and transforms the educational offerings of the University of Montpellier throughmaster’s programs taught in English, featuring extensive laboratory immersion (12 months of internships) and a focus on interdisciplinary research.

It is designedfor French and international studentswho wish to pursue their studies in a high-level scientific environment, directly addressing the major societal challenges that the University of Montpellier is committed to tackling:feeding, caring for, and protecting people.

Graduate programs

The Graduate School of the University of Montpellier offers two types of master’s programs, both of which are research-based and lead to a doctoral degree.

RG Tracks – Research Graduate Tracks

The RG Tracks are the University of Montpellier’s long-standing master’s programs that focus on research-based education.

They combine a high-level scientific education with a strong research focus, offered in French or English depending on the program.

View the list of master’s programs offered by the University of Montpellier that have a strong research focus.

Graduate School – AAP SFRI (Research-Based Education)

RG Tracks are eligible for special promotional opportunities with international networks and financial support for specific initiatives such as:

  • summer schools,
  • interdisciplinary projects (within or across majors),
  • any initiative related to IDIL’s priorities (laboratory immersion, internationalization, research-based training, interdisciplinarity).

Application Guidelines

To qualify for this support, RG Tracks master’s program coordinators may submit their applications through an ongoing call for proposals, which allows applications to be processed on a rolling basis.

This can be accessed via a dedicated form available at the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/ZrjSmM0gpc

IRG Tracks – Intensive Research Graduate Tracks (IDIL)

IRG Tracks are master’s programs taught entirely in English, combining academic training with hands-on laboratory experience.

Nearly 50% of the ECTS credits are earned in the laboratory (“in lab”) through long-term internships, interdisciplinary courses, and group projects.

These programs embody the interdisciplinary, in-lab, and international model promoted by the IDIL (Inter-Disciplinary & In-Lab Graduate Program) since 2022.

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