Définition
Since the start of the 2003-4 academic year, the three-cycle system, based on the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees, have progressively replaced the “Deug”, “Maîtrise”, “Diplôme d’études approfondies” (DEA) and “Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées” (DESS).
The Bachelor's degree is a Bac+3-level diploma, the Master's degree a Bac+5-level one and the Doctorate a Bac+8-level one. This « 3-5-8 » basis was created to ease students international mobilities, in line with the “Bologna process” wish for harmonisation. It also tends to spread to fields of tertiary education, out of universities.