Educational Sciences
Fribourg profile
In line with the Department's philosophy, you will be allowed to write your thesis on a rich variety of topics within the general framework of educational sciences. Our Professors will guide you in defining the most relevant questions referring to education and training in various contexts such as school, –from Kindergarten to High-school or University–, families, culture or workplace.
Depending on the topics you'll work on, your dissertation will have a stronger empirical focus or a more theoretical, fundamental accent. In any case however, you'll be asked to ground your work in a strong theoretical perspective, and to conduct a thorough literature review on the subject.
Doctoral students in education at the University of Fribourg are given the possibility to attend various doctoral programs, offered by our Department in conjunction with partner Universities in Switzerland, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel or Zurich.
Before registering, you'll have to contact a Professor in the list below and discuss your intentions and interests with him or her. Although most of them do accept dissertations to be written in English, not all of them do so. In some cases, you might be asked to compose your thesis in French or in German, the two official languages of the University.
Professors who are eligible to supervise theses
- Prof. Bernadette Charlier
Areas of specialisation:
– Educational technologies
– Adult education
– High school education
Dissertations will have to be written in French or in English.
- Prof. Edgar Forster
Areas of specialisation:
– Social and philosophical foundations of education
– Globalization and education / post-colonialism
– Knowledge production
Dissertations will have to be written in German or in English.
- Prof. Philippe Genoud
Areas of specialisation:
– Social relationships in school and in the classroom
– Emotional aspects of learning
– Classroom climate
– Educational measurement
Dissertations will have to be written in French.
- Prof. Claudia Leopold
Areas of specialisation:
– Educational psychology
– Self-regulated learning
– Multimedia learning with visual tools
Dissertations will have to be written in German or in English.
- Prof. Cathryn Magno
Areas of specialisation:
– Comparative and international education
– Education and governance
– Migration, human rights, and gender in education
Dissertations will have to written in English.
- Prof. Tania Ogay
Areas of specialisation:
– Family-school relationships
– Professional practices in intercultural contexts
– Intercultural training of professionals
Dissertations will have to be written in French, in English or possibly in German.
- Prof. Christine Pauli
Areas of specialisation:
– General didactics
– Empirical research on teaching
– Professional knowledge of teachers
– Research on teacher training
Dissertations will have to be written in German.
- Prof. Eric Sanchez
Areas of specialisation:
– Game-based learning
– Epistemic games
– Design and use of digital environments for education and training
– Teaching and learning of Natural Sciences
Dissertations will have to be written in French or in English.
Studies organisation
Structure of studies
No ECTS credits can be earned.
Doctoral school
https://education.cuso.ch
http://studies.unifr.ch/go/phd-doktorierenden-kolloquium
http://studies.unifr.ch/go/phd-migration-and-postcoloniality-meet-switzerland
Admission
In order to be admitted to a doctorate the candidate must have been awarded an academic Bachelor's and Master's degree or an equivalent qualification by a university recognised by the University of Fribourg.
Before applying for a doctorate the candidate must contact a professor who would be willing to supervise the thesis work.
There is no general right to be admitted to a doctorate.
The respective conditions of admission for each doctoral study programme are reserved.