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Les Grandes Ecoles
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more about
the French system
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The difference between a university and one of the Grandes Ecoles is vast. There are about 250 small, autonomous, and elite Grandes Ecoles. They train high-level specialists in engineering, applied science, administration and management studies. The entrance exam for French students requires two or three years´ rigorous preparatory study in special post-bac classes at the lycées.
Extremely few foreigners are admitted to the Grandes Ecoles. Only 10% of the students are women. These schools turn out a high proportion of senior civil servants and industrial and business leaders. One of the most prestigious is the Ecole Polytechnique, founded by Napoleon to train engineers for the armed forces. It is still run by the Ministry of Defense and is headed by a general. Other Grandes Ecoles: Ecole Centrale, Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, and Ecole Nationale d´Administration, which trains future high-level political types.
More than 800 of the 5000 students at L´Institut d´Etudes Politiques de Paris, or Sciences-Po, are foreign. You must speak and write French to be admitted. There are several possibilities for courses of study:
Those who already have a master´s degree in a related field (Political Science, Economics, History, etc.) can enter the troisime cycle and obtain a Doctorat for further research work in the field or a Diplâ"me d´Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées for preparation for more professional work.
Those who already have three years of university work can enter the deuxime cycle by passing an entrance exam. They receive the Diplâ"me de l´Institut after two years of study.
Students having completed some university work: the Cycle d´Etudes Internationales is suitable for those on Junior Year Abroad in American University programs; no preparation for diploma. The Certificat d´Etudes Politiques: is a one-year program for international students concentrating on studies of modern France, and prepares those who wish to enter the Deuxime Cycle.
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