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universities and schools

Universities and Schools in Paris

There are almost a million university students in France. Unlike the United States, admission to a state-run university is not selective, but guaranteed to everyone who has passed the bac. Student/teacher ratios are high. There is little personal contact between professors and students, and professors see their jobs as confined to the classroom. The system is centralized, tightly-controlled, highly politicized, and ridden by life-sapping internal regulations.

The Sorbonne´s international reputation stems from the quality of the minds who teach there. The archaic organization of the university, however, might dissuade you for life. On the other hand it might fill you with the sensation of participating in a great and celebrated tradition. Think positive. It has been the focus of many political debates and upheavals in the past two decades. In brief, the French university system is organized into three cycles: the 1er, 2e, and 3e. The first cycle is usually two years, and comprises the DEUG and the Licence. The second cycle, or Ma trise, is roughly equivalent to the American Master´s degree. The third cycle, and clearly the most prestigious in the French system, is the Doctoral program, which not long ago offered three different doctoral diplomas.

More recently the long and painfully serious doctorat d´Etat was replaced by the doctorat d´université modelled after the American Ph.D. A unique, although disruptive quirk in the university cycle system is the fact that prescribed programs are subject to modification with governmental and ministerial changes. For all questions of recognized transferable credits, you must submit in writing a dérogation (appeal) to the universities´ Service des équivalences. Remember to bring not only transcripts but all original diplomas. French universities need to see the stamped document itself.

In 1968, in keeping with the international climate, there were a series of nationwide demonstrations, walk-outs and riots staged by French university students demanding an overhaul of the dated and archaic university system. Since then the scene has relaxed somewhat and universities have now been split up into smaller, more manageable units. Thus the Sorbonne is now simply a building, beautiful at that, which houses a part of the amorphous Université de Paris system. There are a number of programs in Paris run by American colleges which include the possibility of study at one of the Paris campuses. They can also be contacted directly. A complete list of all universities and schools in France, public and private, is published by L´Etudiant magazine, called Le Guide des Etudes Supérieures.

Another source of information are French consulates around the world, which provide information on specific areas of study in France through their Cultural Services office.