- You are here :
- Home
- Study
France
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: ParisIFP School
City: Rueil-MalmaisonENAC
City: ToulouseClaude Bernard University Lyon 1
City: LyonIESEG School of Management, Lille
City: LilleInstitut Mines-Telecom, Eurocom
City: BiotParis College of Art
City: ParisESCP Europe Paris
City: ParisInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Albi
City: AlbiNEOMA Business School
City: Mont-Saint-AignanAudencia School of Management
City: NantesINSEEC Business School, Chambery
City: ChamberyInstitut Mines-Telecom, Telecom ParisTech
City: ParisAmerican University of Paris
City: ParisESIGETEL
City: VillejuifAmerican Graduate School in Paris
City: ParisINP Toulouse
City: ToulouseEMLYON Business School
City: LyonLille University of Science and Technology
City: LilleINSEEC Business School, Bordeaux
City: BordeauxParis Descartes University
City: ParisESIEE Paris
City: ParisUniversity of Pau and Pays de l'Adour, Bayonne
City: BayonneUniversity of Orleans
City: OrleansEcole centrale de Nantes
City: NantesISAE-ENSMA
City: Chasseneuil-du-PoitouGrenoble Institute of Technology
City: GrenobleISC Paris
City: ParisInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Saint-Etienne
City: Saint-EtienneISEP
City: ParisArts et Metiers ParisTech
City: ParisINSA Toulouse
City: ToulouseENS de Lyon
City: LyonSkema Business School, Lille
City: LilleUniversity of Bordeaux
City: BordeauxParis School of Business
City: ParisESSEC Business School
City: ParisUniversity of Pau and Pays de l'Adour
City: PauInstitut Mines-Telecom, Mines Nantes
City: NantesBlaise Pascal University
City: Clermont-FerrandJoseph Fourier University
City: GrenobleESIGELEC
City: Saint-Etienne-du-RouvrayNormandy Business School, Paris
City: ParisECE Paris
City: ParisISAE-SUPAER
City: ToulouseINSEEC Business School, Lyon
City: LyonEDHEC Business School, Nice
City: NiceENSEIRB-MATMECA
City: BordeuxPierre and Marie Curie University
City: ParisESTP Paris
City: ParisSkema Business School, Raleigh
City: RaleighUniversity of Nantes
City: NantesUniversity of Auvergne
City: Clermont-FerrandPierre Mendes-France University
City: GrenobleEM Strasbourg Business School
City: StrasbourgPantheon-Assas University
City: ParisEcole centrale Paris
City: ParisToulouse Business School
City: ToulouseJean Moulin University Lyon 3
City: LyonUniversity of Nice Sophia Antipolis
City: NiceKEDGE Business School, Bordeaux
City: BordeuxSkema Business School
City: ParisGrenoble Ecole de Management, Paris
City: ParisESC Rennes School of Business
City: RennesSkema Business School, Sophia-Antipolis
City: Sophia AntipolisNormandy Business School, Deauville
City: DeauvilleBurgundy School of Business
City: DijonSkema Business School, Suzhou
City: SuzhouPantheon-Sorbonne University Paris 1
City: ParisEcole Polytechnique
City: ParisUniversity of Reims
City: ReimsLumiere University Lyon 2
City: LyonUniversity of Nimes
City: NimesInstitut Mines-Telecom, Telecom Bretagne
City: BretagneToulouse Business School, Paris
City: ParisHEC Paris
City: ParisINSA Rennes
City: RennesLa Rochelle Business School
City: La RochelleTelecom Ecole de Management
City: EvryUniversity of Burgundy
City: DijonCergy-Pontoise University
City: VersaillesENSG Geomatique
City: Ile-de-FranceEcole Centrale de Lille
City: LilleParis 12 Val de Marne University
City: ParisEPF Graduate School of Engineering
City: ParisUniversity of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
City: ReimsLyon Catholic University
City: LyonNormandy Business School
City: Le HavreNormandy Business School, Caen
City: CaenUniversity of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
City: ParisIESEG School of Management
City: ParisECAM Lyon
City: Rhone-alpsICN Business School
City: NancyUniversity of Paris-Sud
City: VersaillesENSAIT
City: RoubaixMontpellier Business School
City: MontpellierESIEA
City: Ivry-sur-SeineEDHEC Business School, Lille
City: LilleParis 13 University
City: ParisESCE - Paris
City: ParisUniversity of Poitiers
City: PoitiersKEDGE Business School, Marseille
City: MarseilleUniversity of Le Havre
City: Le HavreEISTI
City: Cergy PontoiseGrenoble Ecole de Management
City: GrenobleINSEEC Business School, Paris
City: ParisEFREI
City: Villejuif
- Countries
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong SAR
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
“ There is a good range of voices and places represented on the course. ”
Willem de Kooning Academy