VAE - Validation of acquired experience

Since 2002, the university, through its continuing education service (SUFA), has offered a centralized reception service for the VAE procedure, guaranteeing equal treatment for all candidates. Candidates contact the VAE department either directly or via their doctoral school.

Initial support is offered to advise and guide the candidate with regard to the coherence of his or her project and the legal framework of the application.

The university's website provides information on VAE, with downloadable procedures, including the admissibility file(https://fpc.univ-amu.fr/vae).

Candidates must compile an admissibility file.

The application form, which can be collected from the VAE department, must be accompanied by the following documents:

• A letter explaining the background to the application and setting out the applicant's professional and personal project
• A detailed CV listing all professional experience directly related to the doctorate in question
• A report on research activities and scientific and technical production, detailing developments and results, which will be the subject of a VAE dissertation if the application is accepted
• A list of publications, applied research and commercialization work (patents, innovations, licenses, etc.)
• A copy of extracts from the most important documents (cover page, summary, copy of a selection of research papers, etc.)
• A copy of the administrative documents requested (contracts, etc.).

Notice of admissibility :

The Director of the Doctoral School proposes an HDR holder, close to the candidate's field of research, to interview the candidate after studying his or her admissibility file. This person is responsible for assessing the feasibility of the application, and for giving a pedagogical opinion on whether or not the VAE application should be rejected. The feasibility opinion is then signed by the ED Director and forwarded to SUFA.

The feasibility opinion cannot in any way replace the VAE jury, which alone is sovereign.

Whether or nota thesis is registered for VAE depends on :

• The innovative aspect - production of new knowledge - of the candidate's experience
• The agreement of the company or organization where the candidate works or has worked (the confidentiality agreement must be included in the candidate's employment contract, to be verified)
  • In the event of a positive decision, the candidate is authorized to register with the university for the VAE doctorate

In addition to the opinion of the doctoral school director, the request for admissibility will be subject to the opinion of the Vice-President of Research.

The candidate must write a VAE dissertation to be presented and defended at an interview with the VAE jury.

In keeping with the VAE and doctoral logic, the dissertation is divided into 2 parts:

• Reflective review of the candidate's professional and personal career as a researcher: through analysis of activities and identification of skills and competencies, the aim is to identify the main lines of research, and to determine the coherence and originality.... of the subject of the research
• Analysis of the work and methods of one or more research projects already carried out, argumentation on the scientific results...... (books, works, national and international publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at national and international conferences with publication of the proceedings, presentations without publication of the proceedings, other presentations such as seminars, colloquia, scientific reports, technical reports, study reports, patents and innovations, etc.)

According to art. R 613-35 of Decree no. 2013-756 of August 19, 2013, "the file presented by the candidate must explain, with reference to the diploma applied for, the knowledge, skills and aptitudes he or she has acquired through study or experience. It includes documents describing this experience and the duration of the various activities in which the candidate has acquired it, as well as, where applicable, certificates corresponding to training courses taken and diplomas obtained previously."

VAE dissertation support (optional) for doctoral studies

In keeping with the VAE and doctoral logic, support will be provided by a referent teacher-researcher "accompanier", designated at the time of admissibility for most of the support.

Objectives :

• Demonstrate a rich and coherent research activity
• Rigorous intellectual and scientific approach
• Quality of work produced
• Research project management (methodology and tools)
• Clear presentation of scientific work
• Reflection and perspectives envisaged
• Choice of publications

Composition of the jury

The VAE jury is appointed by the President of the university on the recommendation of the director of the Doctoral School concerned and the referent teacher-researcher. The director of the ED will sit on the jury in his or her capacity as head of training.

The majority of jury members must be professors or equivalent.

Art. R613-36 of Decree no. 2013-756 of August 19, 2013 specifies the number of jury members and their status "... the jury includes a majority of teacher-researchers as well as persons with a principal activity other than teaching and competent to assess the nature of the prior learning, particularly professional, whose validation is sought."

Art. 1 of the Order of May 25, 2016 reminds us that doctoral training is training in and through research and professional research experience: this is what the Doctorate sanctions. However, the most competent people to "appreciate research" are teaching researchers and researchers from major research organizations (CNRS, INSERM, ...),". Hence the proposal made here, compatible with both the decree on doctoral studies and the decree on VAE.

3 members from the institution:

• The president of the jury is the director of the continuing professional education department, or his or her delegate, to ensure that the VAE procedure is applied correctly and that candidates are treated equally, whatever their scientific field
• The director of the doctoral school concerned
• The candidate's referent teacher-researcher

3 external members (from whom the 2 rapporteurs will be chosen):

• two research professors or equivalent
• one non-academic researcher

Advisory members: VAE manager or delegated persons (support staff, etc.).

The president signs the VAE doctoral jury interview report, which is countersigned by all jury members.

Decree no. 2013-756 of August 19, 2013 states in art. R613-36 : ".... "When persons belonging to the company or organization where the candidate carried out his or her activity are members of the validation jury, they may not take part in deliberations concerning this candidate". This means that there can be no hierarchical link between a member of the jury and the candidate.

Jury procedure

Length of presentation: Between 2 and 3 hours

Stage 1: Joint study of the candidate's file

Objective: exchange opinions on the candidate's file and dissertation. Identify and agree on the questions to ask the candidate during the interview

Stage 2: Candidate's presentation of scientific work(approx. 45 minutes)

Following the candidate's presentation, the jury proceeds to a question-and-answer session with the candidate.

Objective: to question the candidate on his or her most important scientific and methodological work (VAE dissertation). To obtain the information and clarifications required for deliberation.

Discussions focus on the candidate's research work, career path and project.

The defense may be public, unless the candidate does not wish it to be.

Stage 3: Jury deliberation

Objective: the jury proposes to award the diploma in full, or to make no award.

Stage 4: The jury returns its decision to the candidate.

The jury returns its decision to the candidate directly after deliberations

Notification of the jury's decision is signed by the Deputy Vice-President, Director of the FPC department, and sent to the candidate and the schooling department.