The European Label

Known as “European Doctorate” or “Doctor Europaeus”, the addition of a European Doctorate label is an acknowledgement of a doctorate’s European dimension.

Issued by academic institutions within the European Union, it concerns students from Member States and from other Free Trade States (Austria, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lichtenstein). This system is distinct from that of the international joint supervision of theses, to which it may be added.

The European Label is issued in addition to a doctorate, when the following conditions are met:

• The doctorate was prepared during a stay of at least one term in another country within the European Union.
• Authorisation for its defence was granted on the basis of reports drawn up by at least two professors from Higher Education institutions in two different European States, other than that (or those, in the case of joint supervision) in which the doctorate was prepared.
• At least one member of the board of examiners is from a Higher Education institution in a European Union Member State other than the one in which the thesis was defended.
• Part of the thesis defence was conducted in a European Union language other than the national language(s) of the country where the Doctorate was defended. 

A separate certificate is issued showing this European Label, which is awarded in addition to a doctorate.

Applicants who wish to obtain the “European Label” must notify their Doctoral Schools.