Glossary

What is Normandie Université?

Normandie Université is a Community of Universities and Establishments (COMUE) that brings together the three universities of Normandy and several higher education institutions (for PSIME: INSA Rouen and ENSICAEN).

One of the bodies within NU is the CED (Collège des Ecoles Doctorales), which brings together the 8 Normandy DSs. The CED leads Normandy’s doctoral policy, aims to harmonise practices across these DSs, and contributes to the implementation of national regulatory texts.

Awarding Institution vs. Registering Institution

The awarding institution is the one authorised by the Ministry to confer the doctoral degree. The registering institution is the higher education establishment where you are registered for your doctoral course and which is responsible for the administrative follow-up of your course.

Until the summer of 2023, there were 4 registering institutions: UCN (Université Caen Normandie), URN (Université Rouen Normandie), ULHN (Université Le Havre Normandie), and INSA (Rouen). The awarding institution was NU (Normandie Université).
Since the start of the 2023 academic year, there has been a 5th enrolling institution (ENSICAEN), and the awarding of the degree is now a joint responsibility between NU and each of the five higher education institutions.

Funder vs. Employer

In the PSIME ED, all doctoral students are funded. The funder is the institution that provides the funds, while the employer is the institution that manages these funds and drafts the employment contract with the doctoral student.

Co-supervisor vs. Supervisor

The thesis co-supervisor has the same duties and status as the thesis supervisor. However, within the DS, it is the director who bears administrative responsibility.

As for the co-supervisor, they are fully involved in supervising the thesis but have a different status since they do not hold the HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches), which is the qualification required to be a supervisor or co-supervisor.