Université Pierre-Mendès-France - The European reform: Licence, Master, Doctorate (LMD)
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The European reform: Licence, Master, Doctorate (LMD)
The countries of the European space have decided to harmonize their training syllabuses and to adopt a common degree system to allow comparisons and equivalences at international level, to encourage student mobility and access to the working world in Europe.
This system allows:
- European comparisons and equivalences
- student mobility
- better understanding of degrees by the labor market
The changes implemented by LMD
Organization in Course Groups (UE)
This system is made up of Course Groups. Each one corresponds to a subject. It has a value defined in ECTS credits and corresponds to the number of working hours (classes, tutorials, fieldwork, personal work) that the student must follow to obtain his Course Group. A whole successful year represents 60 credits, i.e. 30 credits per semester.
The ECTS European credit system applies to all national degrees and encourages flexibility paths: the ECTS can be transferred from one path to another so as to validate periods of studies abroad for example. They can be added up since any validation is acquired whatever the length of the path; they apply to the entire studies of the student (learning, training courses, dissertation, projects...); continuous assessment is reinforced and regular.
Organization of studies
Breakdown of studies into 3 steps:
Each study level is obtained through the acquisition of European ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System) and no longer by validating the number of study years.
- Licence level is validated by obtaining 180 ECTS credits.
- Master level 120 ECTS credits after the licence. Its purpose is professional or linked to the research field, with possibilities of bridges between both.
- Doctorate (36 credits) is accessible after a research Master.
Organization per semester
- The licence counts 6 semesters.
- The master 4 semesters.
Each semester represents 30 ECTS credits.
Transition from former to new degrees
These grades are national degrees.
- Intermediary degrees, DEUG, Maîtrise (bac+2, bac+4) are awarded to the students who ask for them.
- Professional-orientated training at bac+4 level (IUP, MST, MSG, MIAGE), and bac+5 level (Master, engineer degree) will be maintained for a transitional period. The Master will eventually become the unique organization mode and integrator of post-licence university studies.
- Students who have a DUT or BTS degree or come from a post-secondary preparatory school can integrate the Licence, provided teachers fully or partially validate the syllabuses of their path.
