étudiant de troisième cycle
In French, graduate student is étudiant de troisième cycle.
The term étudiant de troisième cycle refers to a student who has already earned a bachelor's degree and is pursuing an advanced degree, such as a doctorate. While this is a general term, speakers often use the specific term doctorant if the student is specifically a PhD candidate.
Which one should you use?
Étudiant de troisième cycle is used for graduate studies, whereas étudiant de premier cycle is the term for an undergraduate student. Additionally, if you are specifically referring to a PhD student, it is more common to use doctorant.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, and sometimes in France, the formal phrase Étudiant en maîtrise is used to refer to students pursuing a master's degree.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate a female graduate student, the masculine noun étudiant changes to the feminine étudiante, resulting in étudiante de troisième cycle.
Did you know?
- In France, a doctorant is often considered a professional employee with a contract rather than just a student.
- The term cycle in étudiant de troisième cycle refers to the structural divisions of the Bologna Process, a treaty that standardized higher education across Europe.
- While English speakers use 'graduate' as a verb to describe finishing a degree, French uses the verb obtenir to say one 'obtained' a degree.
Examples in context
- Mon frère est un étudiant de troisième cycle.My brother is a graduate student.
- En tant qu'étudiant de troisième cycle, il travaille beaucoup.As a graduate student, he works a lot.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are chatting at a university café.
- ManonQue fais-tu comme études, Nathan ?What are you studying, Nathan?
- NathanJe suis maintenant étudiant de troisième cycle en histoire.I am now a graduate student in history.
- ManonC'est impressionnant, tu prépares ton doctorat ?That's impressive, are you preparing for your doctorate?
- NathanOui, c'est beaucoup de travail !Yes, it's a lot of work!
