EPHE Diploma - Life and Earth Sciences
The EPHE-PSL Degree in Life and Earth Sciences is an institutional program designed to provide research-based training through direct engagement in research activities. Spanning a minimum of two years, the program is recognized by leading research institutions such as CNRS and INSERM, as well as by companies in biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and broader R&D sectors in biology and health.
Conducted in laboratories or in the field, this hands-on program is offered exclusively as part of continuing education. It provides individualized academic upgrading tailored to both technical and conceptual challenges in biology and ecology.
The EPHE-PSL Degree in Life and Earth Science aims to improve the learners’ autonomy in scientific research approach and data analysis and interpretation, as well as nurture their competencies in transfer of knowledge.
Objectives
The program provides general knowledge in Life and Earth Sciences and in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge in the learner's specific field of research.
Targeted Skills
By conducting experiments and research, learners acquire the skills to:
- develop a scientific approach;
- conduct an experiment and analyze the results using technical and analytical methods appropriate for studying a given problem;
- present research results orally and in writing.
The EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life and Earth Sciences is recognized by numerous research organizations (CNRS, INSERM, etc.). It also allows students to pursue a doctorate in certain doctoral schools.
Strengths
The EPHE-PSL Diploma in "Life and Earth Sciences" offers numerous advantages.
- The program takes into account learners' professional experience and adapts to each student's needs and availability.
- This institutional diploma validates research training through field or laboratory research, combined with high-level theoretical training (a minimum of 180 hours of courses common to the Master's in Life Sciences (Integrative Pathophysiology or Biodiversity and Environment track) to be spread over the duration of the degree).
- It allows students to develop the essential skills for research-related careers (design engineer, project manager, etc.).
- It relies on dual supervision provided by:
➢a scientific tutor to supervise the research project;
➢a teaching tutor, a professor from the EPHE-PSL, to define and monitor the educational path and to establish the skills portfolio.
Courses Offered
The program includes master’s 1 and master’s 2 level teaching units (TUs) specializing in various scientific themes (cell biology, genetics and molecular biology, infectious diseases, neuroscience and cognitive sciences, oncology-immunology, ecology, evolution, environmental science), as well as cross-disciplinary or methodological skills units (scientific communication, statistics, English, imaging, flow cytometry, animal experimentation, data spatialization, etc.).
Teaching Schedule
The teaching units, each lasting 30 hours, are mostly held over five consecutive days, with a validation exam on the last day.
Training Locations
Most courses take place near EPHE-PSL research facilities in Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, Bordeaux, Caen, Perpignan, Nancy, Grenoble, Dijon, Dinard, and Moorea (French Polynesia).
Online Application Dates
- First session: From Tuesday, April 1st to Monday, June 23rd, 2025.
- Second session: From Monday, July 7th to September 2nd, 2025. We strongly recommend applying during the first session to benefit from the maximum range of courses starting in September.
-> To access the online application website
Admission Requirements
Prerequisites
No academic qualifications are required. Skills in the targeted field equivalent to a two-year post-secondary degree (Bac+2) are recommended and will be assessed by the Academic Council based on the applicant's professional experience and/or previous qualifications. To apply, a scientific tutor (from the EPHE-PSL or otherwise) must agree to supervise your work within a research institution.
Application files are submitted to the EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life and Earth Sciences training council (entirely online process).
Step 1: Contact an EPHE-PSL lecturer to present your training project and discuss the organization of the diploma.
As early as possible before submitting your application, you should contact a lecturer by email whose specialty is closely related to the theme of your research project.
You will briefly present your motivations and research project. The lecturer will inform you if the EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life and Earth Sciences matches your profile and will help you identify a teaching tutor and, if necessary, a scientific tutor.
Step 2: Submit Your Application (online process only)
The application file must include the following documents:
- Recommendation letter from the academic advisor
- Recommendation letter from the research supervisor
- Cover letter;
- Curriculum Vitæ;
- Research project;
- Academic advisor’s approval (via the application platform);
- Research supervisor’s approval (via the application platform);
- Diploma(s) / Certificate(s) of completion;
- Proof of professional status;
- Copy of ID card (front/back) or passport;
- Estimated training funding plan (document available on the application platform).
Online application dates
- 1st session: Tuesday, April 1st to Monday, June 23rd, 2025.
- 2nd session: Monday, July 7th to September 2nd, 2025. We strongly recommend applying during the first session to benefit from the maximum choice of courses starting in September.
-> To access the online application website
Step 3: Administratively register
If the training council accepts your application, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to complete your registration.
Mandatory registration procedure
Registration for the EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life and Earth Sciences is only possible through continuing education. Successful candidates register as continuing education trainees. If the training is funded by a third party (employer, OPCO, etc.), a professional training agreement is established with the sponsor. If the training is self-funded, a continuing professional training contract is established with the trainee.
2025-2026 Fees
Third-party funding (employer, OPCO, etc.): €2,200 per year, €800 from the third year onwards.
Self-funding (with proof of no third-party funding): €600 per year.
Note: Students enrolled as continuing professional development interns are not subject to the Student Life and Campus Contribution (CVEC).
Key elements for Diploma validation
- A minimum of 6 teaching units (TUs) must be validated (validation if grade > 10).
- 2 assignments must be submitted, chosen among the teaching units taken (validation if grade > 10).
- The research project: the research work is carried out under the supervision of the scientific tutor and results in the preparation of the Certificat de Capacité à la Recherche (CCR), a 10-to-15-page mini-thesis submitted at the end of the first or second year, followed by an 80-to-100-page research dissertation and its oral defense before a jury at the end of the program.
- The skills portfolio, a document containing the skills framework required to obtain the Diploma. It is completed by the student, in consultation with their teaching assistant and practical assistant, as the program progresses.
The Research Project
Lasting a minimum of two years (up to six years, depending on the student's entry level and the time they can devote to their research project), the program consists of completing a research project in a fundamental or applied research area within a host organization (most often the student's employer).
This research work can be carried out:
- within an EPHE-PSL research team (see list on the EPHE-PSL website);
- in external research laboratory;
- in partnership with a research laboratory (without a permanent host laboratory).
Please consult the dissertations for the EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life Sciences on the HAL-EPHE platform..
Research Capacity Certificate
At the end of the first year, or possibly the second, the student writes an activity report in order to obtain a Certificat de Capacité à la Recherche (CCR), which, if validated by the LES Diploma Board, authorizes continuation of the program. Enrollment in the third year is not permitted without validation by the CCR.
Writing and Defense of the Research Project
Obtaining the Diploma is conditional upon the writing of a dissertation on research work and an oral presentation before a defense jury. The Diploma is awarded by the final certification jury.
Theoretical Courses
The student must complete and validate a minimum of six teaching units (one week each) and two assignments (personal work related to a course unit being taken). These courses are selected in consultation with the scientific and pedagogical tutors, based on the knowledge and skills already acquired and the training objectives.
Note: It is possible to interrupt the Diploma program for one year (renewable in exceptional circumstances) for personal and/or professional reasons.
The EPHE-PSL Diploma in Life and Earth Sciences allows students to develop essential professional skills for careers in:
- research-related fields: design engineer, R&D engineer, research or project manager, scientific or medical information and communication manager, etc.;
- in the health industry and technology sectors: biotechnology, agri-food, pharmacology, cosmetics, etc.;
- in the eco-industries, energy, chemistry, and agri-food sectors;
- in public or private research organizations, local authorities, environmental protection associations, and consulting firms and consultancies.
At the EPHE-PSL, the internationalization of our courses means that every student has the opportunity to undertake a study or internship mobility program.
The International Relations Department assists students in defining and implementing their projects, identifying the most appropriate financial instruments and schemes.
Holder of the “Welcome to France” label and the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 charter, the EPHE-PSL has also been welcoming a large and growing number of international students for many years.
Go to International relations
Download: Directory of financial mechanisms and instruments for international projects
Who should you contact? International Relations Department
- Diploma Program Director: Sophie Thenet (Biology-Health, Pathophysiology)
- Deputy Program Director: Aurélien Besnard (Ecology, Biodiversity, Environment)
- Science and Biology Diploma Manager: : +33 (0)1 53 63 61 31
- Director of Continuing Education: : +33 (0)1 53 63 61 67
- Postal Address: EPHE-PSL – Continuing Education Department – Les Patios Saint-Jacques – 4-14, rue Ferrus – 75014 PARIS
- Open by appointment, Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. / 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
