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 collegiums and the research clusters and doctoral schoolsto create a coherent continuum from the master’s degree to the doctorate.
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 creation 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 provide seamless and coherent academic pathways.
- To promote education through research and enhance the institution's reputation.
- Promote educational innovation and interdisciplinary approaches 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, international visibility, and responsiveness to societal challenges.
- Agriculture, Environment, Biodiversity (AEB)
- Biology and Health (BS)
- Chemistry
- Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Systems (MIPS)
- Social Sciences (SOC)
8 Colleges
Collegia are academic coordination structures that bring together various academic departments, schools, and institutes within a specific disciplinary field, thereby strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between academic programs and research.
- Agriculture and Food
- Law, Political Science, and Public Administration
- Economics and Management
- Education
- Technology Programs
- Engineering
- Health
- Science
9 doctoral schools
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:
- Law and Political Science (DSP)
- Montpellier School of Economics and Management (EDEG)
- System Information Structures (I2S)
- Languages, Literatures, Cultures, and Civilizations (LLCC)
- Balard Chemical Sciences (SCB)
- Chemical and Biological Sciences for Health (CBS2)
- Human Movement Sciences (HMS)
- Biodiversity, Agriculture, Food, Environment, Earth, Water (GAIA)
- Territories, Time, Societies, and Development (TTSD)
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 linked to the major societal challenges that the University of Montpellier is committed to addressing:feeding, healing, and protecting.
Graduate School 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 provide education through and based on research.
They combine high-level scientific training with a focus on research, in French or English depending on the major.
View the list of master's programs offered by the University of Montpellier that have a strong research focus.
Graduate School – AAP SFRI (Structuring Education Through Research)
RG Tracks can benefit from a special promotion through 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, training through research, interdisciplinarity).
Application Guidelines
To receive this support, the directors of the RG Tracks master’s programs can submit their applications through an ongoing call for proposals, which allows applications to be processed on a rolling basis.
This is done through a dedicated form accessible via the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/ZrjSmM0gpc
- Target audience: Directors of master's degree programs (Graduate tracks)
- Submit applications online via the form
- Contact UM :
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 lab (“in lab”) through long-term internships, interdisciplinary courses, and group projects.
These tracks embody the interdisciplinary, in-lab, and international model promoted by the IDIL (Inter-Disciplinary & In-Lab Graduate Program) since 2022.
- Major in Chemistry
- Comparative Political References
- Specialization in Engineering and Ergonomics of Physical Activities
- Major in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environment / Major in Water Sciences
- Eco-Epidemiology Specialization
- Management Major
- Major in Fundamental Physics and Applications / Majors in Mechanics
- Electronic data, electrical energy, automation
- Major in Biology, Agrosciences
- Biology and Health Track
- Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution
- Engineering Degree (Research )
- Research Career Path



