She was allowed to study at the local Collège de jeunes filles despite the Vichy segregation rules due to her strong academic record.
[2] In 1962, Duval was named assistant to Roger Rémondon, the chair of ancient history at the Université Lille III.
[citation needed] Duval began work on her thesis in 1965 under Henri-Irénée Marrou and received her doctorate soon after his death in 1977 under the supervision of Charles Pietri; it was published five years later as Loca sanctorum Africae.
[4][2] She remained until her retirement and was elected to serve on the Conseil national des universités and supervised at least three doctoral theses.
[5][6] In 2000, she received a Festschrift titled Romanité et cité chrétienne permanences et mutations, intégration et exclusion du Ier au VIe siècle: mélanges en l'honneur d'Yvette Duval.