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Universities
There are around 700 English-taught master’s courses in France, which are provided by 83 public universities, 250 grandes ecoles (elite schools) and numerous private universities and art schools. Some universities and specialised institutions are organised into research clusters called PRES. These clusters pool their resources and research to compete internationally.
The typical master’s degree at a French university combines two individual diplomas and takes two years of full-time study to complete. The first year of the Master is commonly known as "Master 1" (M1), whereas the second year is called a "Master 2" (M2) and more specialised. In particular, in their M2, students who want to begin their careers directly after graduation often elect a Master Professionnel (professional master), and students who intend to go on to earn a doctorate normally choose a Master Recherche(research master).
Within the grandes ecoles system, a Master’s degree generally takes five years to complete. Typically, students spend two years at “preparatoires aux grandes ecoles” (preparatory schools) then complete a competitive entrance exam to get into grandes ecoles, where they complete three more years of increasingly specialised study. Graduates from these schools are awarded Master of Science (MSc) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). Many grandes ecoles now offer alternative admission procedures that allow international students to apply at different stages of their academic careers without attending preparatory schools. However, they are still extremely selective and hence not a popular option for international students.
Each year more than 278,000 international students choose France for their higher education.
The quality of the French HE system is widely recognized internationally. The Financial Times ranked 6 French schools among the world’s top 20 Master’s programmes in Management (2014): HEC Paris (2), Essec Business School (3), ESCPC Europe (7), Grenoble Graduate School of Business (15), Edhec Business School (16), EMLyon Business School (20). Moreover, according to WHO, France has the best healthcare system, and international students can access this at an affordable cost.
Studying an English-taught Master’s in France is also a good opportunity to learn or improve your French.
Accreditation & Recognition
The Ministry of National Education gives Master’s degree accreditation to all public universities, while the accreditation authority for private schools are Commission d'evaluation des formations et diplomes de gestion (for business schools) and Commission des Titres d'Ingenieur (for engineering schools).
The Conference des Grandes ecoles issues accreditations for grandes ecoles.
No predetermined set of equivalences between French and foreign degrees is officially recognized in France.
However, French institutions of higher education now employ the European Credit Transfer System, which enables students to easily progress to other institutions within the EU and around the world.
Universities in France
Sciences Po
City: ParisUniversity of Orleans
City: OrleansISAE-ENSMA
City: Chasseneuil-du-PoitouLa Rochelle Business School
City: La RochelleUniversity of Burgundy
City: DijonEMLYON Business School
City: LyonINSEEC Business School, Bordeaux
City: BordeauxUniversity of Reims
City: ReimsUniversity of Nimes
City: NimesPantheon-Sorbonne University Paris 1
City: ParisEcole Polytechnique
City: ParisToulouse Business School, Paris
City: ParisEFREI
City: VillejuifHEC Paris
City: ParisUniversity of Pau and Pays de l'Adour
City: PauBlaise Pascal University
City: Clermont-FerrandICN Business School
City: NancyEcole Centrale de Lille
City: LilleENS de Lyon
City: LyonUniversity of Bordeaux
City: BordeauxUniversity of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
City: ReimsNormandy Business School
City: Le HavreParis 12 Val de Marne University
City: ParisEPF Graduate School of Engineering
City: ParisUniversity of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
City: ParisESIGETEL
City: VillejuifIESEG School of Management
City: ParisSkema Business School, Raleigh
City: RaleighUniversity of Auvergne
City: Clermont-FerrandMontpellier Business School
City: MontpellierEDHEC Business School, Lille
City: LilleINSEEC Business School, Lyon
City: LyonENSEIRB-MATMECA
City: BordeuxUniversity of Poitiers
City: PoitiersUniversity of Le Havre
City: Le HavreParis 13 University
City: ParisInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Saint-Etienne
City: Saint-EtienneESCE - Paris
City: ParisGrenoble Ecole de Management
City: GrenobleINSEEC Business School, Paris
City: ParisESC Rennes School of Business
City: RennesNormandy Business School, Deauville
City: DeauvilleENAC
City: ToulouseIESEG School of Management, Lille
City: LilleJean Moulin University Lyon 3
City: LyonKEDGE Business School, Bordeaux
City: BordeuxInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Albi
City: AlbiAudencia School of Management
City: NantesParis College of Art
City: ParisESIGELEC
City: Saint-Etienne-du-RouvrayESCP Europe Paris
City: ParisInstitut Mines-Telecom, Telecom ParisTech
City: ParisAmerican University of Paris
City: ParisEcole centrale de Nantes
City: NantesGrenoble Institute of Technology
City: GrenobleINSA Rennes
City: RennesTelecom Ecole de Management
City: EvryINP Toulouse
City: ToulouseLille University of Science and Technology
City: LilleLumiere University Lyon 2
City: LyonInstitut Mines-Telecom, Telecom Bretagne
City: BretagneUniversity of Pau and Pays de l'Adour, Bayonne
City: BayonneParis Descartes University
City: ParisEM Strasbourg Business School
City: StrasbourgESIEE Paris
City: ParisISC Paris
City: ParisAmerican Graduate School in Paris
City: ParisInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Nantes
City: NantesJoseph Fourier University
City: GrenobleECAM Lyon
City: Rhone-alpsENSG Geomatique
City: Ile-de-FranceINSA Toulouse
City: ToulouseSkema Business School, Lille
City: LilleLyon Catholic University
City: LyonNormandy Business School, Caen
City: CaenArts et Metiers ParisTech
City: ParisParis School of Business
City: ParisSkema Business School, Suzhou
City: SuzhouESSEC Business School
City: ParisISEP
City: ParisEISTI
City: Cergy PontoiseUniversity of Nantes
City: NantesPierre Mendes-France University
City: GrenobleENSAIT
City: RoubaixESIEA
City: Ivry-sur-SeineISAE-SUPAER
City: ToulouseEDHEC Business School, Nice
City: NiceKEDGE Business School, Marseille
City: MarseilleNormandy Business School, Paris
City: ParisECE Paris
City: ParisPierre and Marie Curie University
City: ParisCergy-Pontoise University
City: VersaillesESTP Paris
City: ParisNEOMA Business School
City: Mont-Saint-AignanINSEEC Business School, Chambery
City: ChamberySkema Business School, Sophia-Antipolis
City: Sophia AntipolisBurgundy School of Business
City: DijonIFP School
City: Rueil-MalmaisonClaude Bernard University Lyon 1
City: LyonInstitut Mines-Telecom, Eurocom
City: BiotToulouse Business School
City: ToulouseUniversity of Nice Sophia Antipolis
City: NicePantheon-Assas University
City: ParisEcole centrale Paris
City: ParisSkema Business School
City: ParisUniversity of Paris-Sud
City: VersaillesGrenoble Ecole de Management, Paris
City: Paris
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