Unique to France, the first Grandes Écoles were established in the early 19th century to operate in parallel with the universities. Their distinction then, as now, lay in offering professional education at a very high level. The Grandes Écoles remain very selective. Together they enroll about 100,000 students.

All Grandes Écoles offer five-year diplomas recognized by the government to be equivalent to the European master. They may also offer intermediate degrees and specialized diplomas, among them the bachelor (in three or four years), the Master of Science (in four or five years), the master of business administration, and the recently introduced mastère spécialisé (six years).

The traditional path into the Grandes Écoles was by examination following two years of preparatory classes. Students then earned their degree in three more years of increasingly specialized study. That path has been modified at many schools to better respond to modern professional requirements.

To accommodate international students, many Grandes Écoles now offer admission on the strength of the applicant’s academic record. The degree may be earned in two to five years, depending on the amount of credit the applicant receives for his or her prior academic work. Some Grandes Écoles also admit students directly from secondary school.

Business and management

France’s 220 Grandes Écoles of business and management are recognized by the national government and may enjoy other distinctions as well, such as membership in the management section of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles.

Operating at a variety of levels, France’s many schools of business and management offer programs geared to economic requirements and new management practices. Internships and international exchanges play a large role in many programs.

Most of France’s business schools are private; many are affiliated with local chambers of commerce and industry. The annual tuition varies widely but is generally between €3,000 and €10,000.

Many of France’s business schools have attained international recognition by meeting the standards of various accrediting bodies, among them CGE, EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA. Some forms of recognition apply to the school itself, others to the degree conferred. All signify international recognition.

The Financial Times ranked six French schools among the top 10 Master in Management programs (2008). The Economist included three French MBA programs among its top 100 (2008).

Engineering and management dominate the offerings of the Grandes Écoles, but one also finds programs in public administration (the specialty of the prestigious Ecole Nationale d’Administration), military sciences, higher education and research (the purview of the nation’s four Écoles Normales Supérieures), agronomy, and veterinary sciences.

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