The Grandes écoles (French: literally "Grand Schools" or "Elite Schools") of France are higher education establishments outside the mainstream framework of the public universities system. A listing of universities and major Tertiary education institutions in France. The grands établissements are French public institutions under ministerial charter Cemagref is a public research institute in France focusing on Land management issues such as water resources and agricultural technology The Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique ( INRIA) ( English National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control) is The Institut de recherche pour le développement/IRD ("Institute of research for development" is a French public science and technology Research institute Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale ( INSERM, insɛʁm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research is the only French public organization The Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (Atomic Energy Commission or CEA, is a French “public establishment of an industrial and commercial character” whose Ifremer is the "Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer" an oceanographic institution in France, whose name translates French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Unlike French public universities which have an obligation to accept all candidates of the same region who hold a Baccalauréat in the same academic field, the selection criteria of Grandes écoles rests mainly on competitive written and oral exams, undertaken by students of dedicated preparatory classes. The baccalauréat (bakaloʁeˈa often known in France colloquially as le bac or le bachôt, is an academic qualification which They do not have a large student body (3,000 at the largest establishment; most have a few hundred students each year) and are generally focused on a single subject area, mainly engineering, business or humanities. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to The humanities are academic disciplines which study the Human condition, using methods that are primarily Analytic, Critical, or Speculative

They have traditionally produced most of France's high ranking civil servants, politicians and executives as well as many scientists and philosophers. Corporate titles are titles conferred on individuals as a means of identifying their function in the Organization.

Classification as Grandes Écoles

Origins

After the French Revolution

The expression "Grandes écoles" came after the French revolution, in 1794 with the creation of the École Polytechnique by the mathematician Gaspard Monge and Lazare Carnot. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an For other Écoles Polytechniques see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Gaspard Monge Comte de Péluse ( May 10, 1746 &ndash July 28, 1818) was a French Mathematician and inventor of Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Comte Carnot ( May 13, 1753 &mdash August 2, 1823) the Organizer of Victory in the French In fact, the model was probably Mézières' military academy of which Gaspard Monge was an alumnus. Gaspard Monge Comte de Péluse ( May 10, 1746 &ndash July 28, 1818) was a French Mathematician and inventor of It should be noted that some schools included in the category are older than the expression. For example the École des Ponts et Chaussées and the École d'Arts et Métiers were founded during the 18th century. The École nationale des ponts et chaussées (ENPC ("National school of Bridges and Roads" often referred to as les Ponts, is the world's oldest civil The École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers or ENSAM is a French Engineering institute and Grand établissement and a prominent member Other prestigious schools such as the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures (Centrale Paris), the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP-EAP) and the École supérieure d'électricité (Supélec) were established during the 19th century. École Centrale Paris is a renowned French university-level institution ( Grande Ecole) in the field of Engineering. The ESCP-EAP European School of Management (acronym from French École supérieure de commerce de Paris–École européenne des affaires) is a top ranking international École supérieure d'électricité, commonly known as Supélec, is one of the most prestigious and selective Grandes écoles in France, and one of the finest

Since then France has had a unique higher education system, where small and middle size specialized schools are totally cut off the university system yet fully integrated within the national education system. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Some fields of study are nearly exclusive to one system, like engineering in the Grandes écoles, or medicine in universités.

Today

There is no standard definition nor official list of Grandes écoles. Legislation involving Grandes écoles generally uses the term "Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles". The French educational system is highly centralized organised and ramified The term "Grandes écoles" is not employed in the Code of Education, with the exception of a quotation in the social statistics. It generally employs the expression of "Écoles supérieures" to indicate higher educational establishments which are not universities.

The Conférence des Grandes Écoles (Grandes Écoles Confederation) is a commercial association (under the French law 1901). It uses a rather broad definition of the concept of "Grandes écoles", not restricted to the school's selectivity or the prestige of the diploma. The list of the members of CGE does not draw up an official or even an "accepted" list of "Grandes écoles". For example some engineering school members of the CGE cannot deliver state recognized engineering degrees.

Methods of recruitment for the Grandes écoles

The methods of recruitment are the main difference between Grandes écoles and French universités. Public universities are forced by law to admit any student with the Baccalauréat and living within the university's area.

The methods of recruitment may be very different from one school to another. Certain schools are reserved for French citizens, while others have been so until recently. Here are the main three scenarios:

Preparatory classes to the Grandes écoles (CPGE)

The Lycée Louis-le-Grand, in Paris, is one of the most famous lycées providing classes for preparing for Grandes écoles. (Here, on the right side of the rue St Jacques; on the left, the Sorbonne. The historic University of Paris (Université de Paris first appeared in the second half of the 13th century )

Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE) or Prépas literally Preparatory classes for the Grandes Écoles, sometimes nicknamed the "royal way," because it's the only way to get into the most prestigious schools.

The preparatory classes, either in literature, sciences or management (generally two or three years) is the traditional way to enter the most prestigious Grandes écoles. Most of them are in state high schools; there are a few private preparatory classes but they are expensive. Admission in preparatory classes are based on an academic report. Many students register in more than one class to maximize their chance of admission. Some of these classes are very selective and successful at placing students into the top schools.

The workload is generally very high and in-class competition between students is encouraged. The classes are psychologically stressful, and some students give up before the completion of their studies. The goal of preparatory classes is to prepare the student to match the academic level expected to pass the competitive recruitment examination of the main Grandes écoles. If the student is not admitted to a Grande École, they are given the option of repeating the last year of preparatory classes and attempting the exam the following year.

Preparatory classes do not give any degrees, nor do universities officially credit preparatory subjects.

There are five main categories of Prépas:

• Mathématiques Supérieures, Mathematic and Scientific themed preparatory class. These prepare for the engineering schools and teach mathematics, physics, chemistry, and technology. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt They are broken down in sub-categories according to the emphasis of their dominants teaching.
  • 1^st year Mathématiques Supérieures; familiarly called Math Sup or Hypotaupe ; students are known as 1/2 ("un demi")
  • 2^nd year Mathématiques Spéciales ; familiarly called Math Spé or Taupe ; students are known as "3/2", or "5/2" if they are repeating second year.

• Lettres humanities preparatory class, exclusively for the Écoles normales supérieures
  • 1^st year Lettres supérieures; familiarly called Hypokhâgne
  • 2^nd year Première supérieure; familiarly called Khâgne

• Prépa Economique et Commerciale mathematics and economics, . The humanities are academic disciplines which study the Human condition, using methods that are primarily Analytic, Critical, or Speculative École Normale de Musique de ParisThe École normale supérieure (also known as Normale Sup’, Normale, ENS, ENS-Paris, ENS-Ulm or Khâgne is an informal term used by French students for classes préparatoires littéraires, the two year cycle of classes taken after Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. They prepare for the competitive entrance exams to the French business schools), and are broken down between Science (mathematics) and Economics tracks. A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration
  • 1^st year Première Année; students familiarly known as bizuths
  • 2^nd year Deuxième Année; students familiarly known as carrés (literally: squared) (2^nd year students who failed the exam and repeat for another year are known as cubes)

• Prépa Chartes humanities, with a stress on history and languages, known as Prépa Chartes from the name of the school : École Nationale des Chartes. The humanities are academic disciplines which study the Human condition, using methods that are primarily Analytic, Critical, or Speculative A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them This article is about the school For the academic journal please see Bibliothèque de l'École des Chartes The École Nationale des Chartes is The smallest prépa in number of students.
• Prépa Agro, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics;

While most students in Taupes and Prépa HEC manage to get admission to a Grande École, there are fewer seats offered to khâgneux and chartistes and most of them will continue their studies within universities. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties

Recruitment at Baccalauréat level

Some schools are accessible after a competitive entrance exam directly after the Baccalauréat.

Many of these schools remain highly selective and prestigious, with most former students holding high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. Often, students of these schools will go on and enter an administrative school, for which they are better prepared than the former university students.

Others include a two-year preparatory class directly in their program. These years of preparation are highly focused on the school program so students have higher chance to succeed in the admission exam or contest in their school, but really lower their chances to succeed in the contest for other schools.

Parallel admission

In many schools, there is also the possibility of “parallel admission” to Grandes écoles. Parallel admissions are open to university students or students from other schools. The Prépas years are not required to sit the entrance exams, provided that the candidates performed well in their previous studies. This method of recruitment is proving increasingly popular, with many students choosing to go first to university and then enroll in a Grande école. Some Grandes écoles have dual diploma arrangement in which a student can switch establishments in the last year to receive diplomas from both establishments.

Categories

The Grandes écoles can be classified into several broad categories:

Écoles Normales Supérieures

These schools train researchers, professors and may also be a starting point for executive careers in the public administration or business. Usually a researcher or scientific researcher is someone who is professionally engaged in Scientific research, technological research or Engineering research The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies Many french Nobel Prize or Fields Medal laureates come from the École normale supérieure in Paris (Rue d'Ulm). The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two three or four Mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical École Normale de Musique de ParisThe École normale supérieure (also known as Normale Sup’, Normale, ENS, ENS-Paris, ENS-Ulm or Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city There are four ENS in total:

• the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, nicknamed "Ulm" from its address rue d'Ulm (Ulm Street) (sciences and humanities);
• the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Lyon (sciences);
• the École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines in Lyon (humanities). École Normale de Musique de ParisThe École normale supérieure (also known as Normale Sup’, Normale, ENS, ENS-Paris, ENS-Ulm or The École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (also known as ENSL, ENS-Lyon or Normale Sup' Lyon) is an Elite Grande école ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. The École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines, or ENS-LSH, is one of the two French École normale supérieure (ENS an elite French ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France.
• the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan in Cachan, a suburb of Paris (applied sciences, engineering, social sciences, economics and management, foreign languages)

Their competitive entrance exams are considered to be extremely selective. École Normale Supérieure de Cachan (ENS Cachan Normale Sup' Cachan is a prestigious Grande École located in Cachan, a suburb of Paris, in Cachan is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. They recruit mainly from Taupes, biology Prépas and Khâgnes, even though a small number of their students (less than 10 each year) are recruited separately on the basis of highly selective exams.

Until recently and unlike most of the other Grandes écoles, the Écoles normales supérieures (ENS) did not award any specific diplomas (students who had completed the curriculum they had agreed to with the office of the Dean upon arrival were simply entitled to be known as "ENS Alumni" or "Normaliens"), but they keep encouraging their students to obtain university diplomas in partner institutions whilst providing extra classes and support. Many ENS students obtain more than one university diploma.

The Normaliens, as the students of the several ENS are known, attain a high level of excellence in the various disciplines in which they are trained. Normaliens from France and other European Union countries are considered civil servants in training, and as such paid a monthly salary, in exchange for an agreement to serve France for 10 years, including those of their studies. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

Grandes Écoles d'Ingénieurs (Engineering Schools)

Most famous Engineering Schools

There is a broad spectrum of engineering schools, many recruiting after scientific preparatory class. Things may be a bit confusing since many schools have a lengthy official name (often beginning with École nationale supérieure or École supérieure), a shortened name, an acronym and, for the most famous, a nickname (and often a nickname for their students). Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name Some of them are grouped in league, like Centrale and Supélec, ParisTech, Mines, UT, etc. In no particular order:

• the École centrale Paris, (ECP or Centrale);
• the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, (ENSMP or the Mines de Paris or simply the "Mines");
• the École nationale des ponts et chaussées, (ENPC or simply the "Ponts");
• the École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique, (ENSAE);
• the École nationale supérieure des télécommunications, (ENST or Télécom Paris);
• the École nationale supérieure des télécommunications de Bretagne, (ENSTB or Télécom Bretagne);
• the École nationale supérieure de techniques avancées (ENSTA);
• the École supérieure d'électricité, (ESE or Supélec);
• the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers (ENSAM or Arts et Métiers ParisTech);
• the Institut national des sciences appliquées (INSA);
• the École polytechnique, nicknamed X;
• the Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l'environnement (AgroParisTech, nicknamed Agro)
• the École nationale supérieure d'informatique pour l'industrie et l'enterprise, (ENSIIE, the renamed IIE);

Grandes Écoles d'Ingénieur located in France (non-exhaustive list)

• "Centrale Graduate Schools": École centrale de Lille, École centrale de Lyon, École centrale de Marseille, École centrale de Nantes;
• the other "Mines": the Mines de Saint-Étienne, Mines de Nancy, Mines de Douai, Mines de Nantes, Mines d'Ales, Mines d'Albi;
• the École nationale supérieure de l'aéronautique et de l'espace, (Supaéro);
• the École supérieure d'optique (SupOptiqueor Institut d'Optique);
• the Institut national des télécommunications, (Télécom INT);
• the École nationale supérieure de l'électronique et de ses Applications (ENSEA)
• the École supérieure d'ingénieurs en électronique et électrotechnique (ESIEE);
• the École nationale supérieure d'électronique, informatique et radiocommunications de Bordeaux(ENSEIRB);
• the INSA : INSA Rennes, INSA Rouen, INSA Strasbourg, INSA Toulouse;
• the Universités de technologie group: Compiègne (UTC), Troyes (UTT); Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM)
• the École spéciale des travaux publics du Bâtiment et de l'Industrie (ESTP, civil engineering);
• the "ENSI": École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs, whose denomination encompasses about 40 engineering schools (including some listed below);
• the ENSEEIHT, which is considered the largest ENSI, with more than 400 graduates every year, and one of the schools of the INP Toulouse;
• the Institut national polytechnique de Grenoble, Grenoble Institute of Technology or INPG, which has six departments (ENSIMAG, ENSE3,PHELMA, ESISAR, Génie Industriel, Pagora)
• the École supérieure de chimie physique électronique de Lyon (ESCPE or CPE Lyon);
• the École Supérieure d'Informatique et Applications de Lorraine (ESIAL);
• the other Écoles nationales supérieures agronomiques;
• the École nationale supérieure de géologie (ENSG), whose graduates are Géoliens;
• the École supérieure d'ingénieurs en informatique et génie des télécommunications (ESIGETEL);
• the École Pour l'Informatique et les Techniques Avancées (EPITA);
• the École d'ingénieurs des technologies de l'information et du management or EFREI
• the École nationale de l'aviation civile (civilian air academy) also recruits Taupins. École Centrale Paris is a renowned French university-level institution ( Grande Ecole) in the field of Engineering. The École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (also known as Mines ParisTech, École des Mines de Paris, ENSMP, Mines Paris or simply The École nationale des ponts et chaussées (ENPC ("National school of Bridges and Roads" often referred to as les Ponts, is the world's oldest civil The École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique or ENSAE is one of the French Grandes Ecoles of Engineering and The École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (also known as ENST or Télécom or TELECOM ParisTech) is one of the most prestigious and selective The École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne ( ENST Bretagne, sometimes known as Télécom Bretagne or even Télécom Brest The École nationale supérieure de techniques avancées (National Higher School of Advanced Techniques also known as ENSTA, is a French Grande école École supérieure d'électricité, commonly known as Supélec, is one of the most prestigious and selective Grandes écoles in France, and one of the finest The École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers or ENSAM is a French Engineering institute and Grand établissement and a prominent member The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences is a Grande école - a French Engineering University For other Écoles Polytechniques see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique pour l'Industrie et l'Entreprise or ENSIIE or Institut d'Informatique d'Entreprise, ENSIIE is one of Centrale Graduate School is the group formed by the following Graduate Schools of Engineering: École centrale Paris established in 1829 École Located in the campus of the University of Lille in France, the Ecole Centrale de Lille is a renowned Graduate Engineering school established in 1872 École Centrale de Lyon is one of the most prestigious French Grandes écoles of Engineering. The École centrale de Marseille is a Grande école of Engineering in Marseille, France, that was created in 2006 by the merging of different École centrale de Nantes is one of the leading French Grandes écoles of Engineering. The École des Mines de Douai also called "École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Douai" (ENSMD is one of the most prestigious French School of Engineering The École des Mines de Nantes, or EMN, ENSTIMN, EMNAntes, is a French engineering school based in Nantes, in the west of France. This article is about one of two French engineering schools called ENSAE The École supérieure d'optique ("Higher school of optics" nicknamed "SupOptique" is the leading French Grande école in the The Institut National des Télécommunications (INT groups two French Grande Ecole located in Evry, a town just south of Paris. Telecom INT is a French state-funded Graduate School for engineers accredited by the Commission des Titres d’Ingénieurs École Nationale Supérieure de l'Electronique et de ses Applications (also known as ENSEA) is a graduate school ( Grande école) of Electrical engineering ESIEE, École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Électronique et Électrotechnique, is a French Engineering school located in Marne-la-Vallée ( The École Nationale Supérieure d'Électronique Informatique et Radiocommunications de Bordeaux, or ENSEIRB - which can be translated as Graduate School of electronics The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences is a Grande école - a French Engineering University The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rennes or INSA de Rennes is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs, a School of Engineering under the authority INSA de Rouen (literally the National Institute of Applied Sciences is a French Grande école, that is to say a five-year curriculum which aims at training engineers who possess The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse or INSA Toulouse is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs, a School of Engineering under the authority The Universities of Technology (French Universités de Technologie) are public institutions awarding degrees and diplomas that are accredited by the French Ministry The University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC is a University of Engineering located in Compiègne, France, and is under the The University of Technology of Troyes ( Université de Technologie de Troyes or UTT is a French university in the Academy of Reims. The University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM is a university of engineering located in Belfort and Montbéliard, France École Spéciale des Travaux Publics, du bâtiment et de l'industrie (ESTP is a technical college in Paris, founded in 1891 by Léon Eyrolles and was officially The École Nationale Supérieure d'Électronique d'Électrotechnique d'Informatique d'Hydraulique et des Télécommunications ( ENSEEIHT, nicknamed N7 after the phonetically Funded in 1969 the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (also called INP Toulouse or INPT is a French university system based in Toulouse, France. The École nationale supérieure d'informatique et mathématiques appliquées de Grenoble, or ENSIMAG, is a Grande École located in Grenoble, ESISAR (Ecole Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Systèmes Industriels Avancés Rhone-Alpes is an engineering school of the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble. École Supérieure de Chimie Physique Électronique de Lyon or CPE Lyon is one of the French Grandes Ecoles of Engineering. Located in the scientific campus of the Université Henri Poincaré, the École Supérieure d'Informatique et Applications de Lorraine (ESIAL is one of the French ESIGETEL ( École supérieure d'ingénieurs en informatique et génie des télécommunications) was founded in 1986 by the Melun Chamber of Commerce. The École Pour l'Informatique et les Techniques Avancées (the "Graduate School of Computer Science and Advanced Technologies" more commonly known as EPITA EFREI ( École d'Ingénieurs des Technologies de l'Information et du Management) (lit Engineering School of Information Technologies and Management) is a French EFREI ( École d'Ingénieurs des Technologies de l'Information et du Management) (lit Engineering School of Information Technologies and Management) is a French The École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile ( ENAC) is a French grande école and a national French civil Aeronautics academy

Grandes Écoles de Commerce (Management Schools )

Most French business schools are semi-privately run, often by the regional chambers of commerce. A chamber of commerce (also referred to in some circles as a board of trade) is a form of Business network.

The most prestigious and selective Management schools are the three "Parisiennes"^[1][2][3], located in the Paris Metropolitan area. There has been talk of merging the three schools in order to give them a higher international visibility. ^[4] Other schools are found outside Paris, some highly selective, and sometimes compared to the three Parisians (such as EM-Lyon):

"Les Trois Parisiennes"

Located in/near Paris, these Écoles compete to admit the best candidates. The order below reflects the level of internationalization starting with most local : HEC located in Jouy en Josas ( France) , to Essec having one campus in Cergy ( France ) and one in Singapore and to the most international : ESCP-EAP European School of Management having campuses in Paris , London ,Berlin ,Madrid and Torino and being the only Business school in the world to award 5 national State validated Masters degrees in Management sciences on top of its AMBA EQUIS and AACSB accrediations :

• École des hautes études commerciales (HEC)

• École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales

• ESCP-EAP European School of Management

All three schools are regularly ranked amongst the top in international rankings

The best other schools (according to rankings)

• École de Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord (EDHEC)
• École de management de Lyon(EM Lyon)
• Audencia Nantes Ecole de Management
• École Supérieure de Commerce de Toulouse
• Grenoble École de Management(Grenoble-EM)
• Bordeaux École de Management(BEM)

• École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen
• École Supérieure de Commerce de Reims
• École supérieure de commerce de Lille

Grandes Écoles without Preparatory Classes

Some schools are accessible after a competitive entrance exam directly after the Baccalauréat. ESSEC (École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales is a Business school and Grande école in France. The ESCP-EAP European School of Management (acronym from French École supérieure de commerce de Paris–École européenne des affaires) is a top ranking international EDHEC or École De Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord is a French Business school and Grande école founded in 1906 EMLYON Business School (that means "Lyon Management School" was founded in Lyon ( France) in 1872 by the local business community and is Founded in 1900 as École Supérieure de Commerce Audencia Nantes School of Management has grown since the late 1970s to become a well-ranked French management school Grenoble École de Management is a French Grande École situated in Grenoble. The Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen (ESC Rouen or "Rouen School of Management" is a leading French Business school. École supérieure de commerce de Reims ("ESC Reims" or "Sup de Co Reims" is one of the Grandes Ecoles Management School They remain highly selective and extremely prestigious in French society, with most former students holding high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. Often, students of these schools will go on and enter an administrative school, for which they are better prepared than the former university students. These schools include (non-exhaustive list):

• the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (IEP). The most famous one, located in Paris, is called Sciences Po. Other IEPs are found in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Rennes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Toulouse. They deliver a generalist program centred around political sciences, history, sociology and economics;
• the École du Louvre, for archaeology, history of art and anthropology;
• the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, best-known as "les Beaux-Arts", for fine arts;
• the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles (ENSAV), for architecture;
• the Instituts Nationaux des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in Lyon, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg, Toulouse, delivering diplôme d'ingénieur degrees in 5 years;
• the Institut Catholique des Arts et Métiers and École Catholique des Arts et Métiers, offering a generalist program based on Mechanics and Electronics
• the École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d'Angers (ESSCA), best french business school without Preparatory Class, delivers various master degrees in 5 years;

Administrative Schools

These schools train students for certain civil service and other public-sector positions. Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The École du Louvre is an institution of Higher education and French Grande École dedicated to the study of Archaeology History of Art Anthropology and Epigraphy Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The history of art usually refers to the History of the Visual arts, such as Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts (ENSB-A is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France. Fine art is any Art form developed primarily for Aesthetics rather than Utility. The École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles is a French architectural school located at the ancient stables of the Versailles Palace. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences is a Grande école - a French Engineering University The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon or INSA de Lyon is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs. The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rennes or INSA de Rennes is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs, a School of Engineering under the authority INSA de Rouen (literally the National Institute of Applied Sciences is a French Grande école, that is to say a five-year curriculum which aims at training engineers who possess The Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse or INSA Toulouse is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs, a School of Engineering under the authority The diplôme d'ingénieur is a French diploma of higher education awarded by French institutions which can be independent schools of engineering or universities with internal school The École catholique des arts et métiers of Lyon is an engineering school Mechanics ( Greek) is the branch of Physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to Forces or displacements Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical However, some students who undertake studies in these schools do end up working in the private sector. All theses schools are very selective. As an example, the most selective one is the École nationale du patrimoine, which enrolls about 1. 5% of its candidates (who already hold a minimum of a master's degree). The ENA is certainly the most famous one, with a large cohort of alumni joining the government and cabinets. To join ENA or ENM, on top of their initial studies, most students follow a one year dedicated training course to succeed (IEJs - Instituts d'études judiciaires, see French law schools -, IEPs - Instituts d'Études Politiques see Sciences Po - or dedicated programs). Sciences Po is a French abbreviation of sciences politiques, or Political science, which is a division of the Social sciences. Most of these schools are reserved for French citizens.

• École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), whose alumni are known as énarques and generally take up high-level positions in government;
• École Nationale de la Magistrature (ENM), which trains magistrates;
• École Nationale des Impôts (ENI), which translates as "National Tax School";
• École Nationale du Patrimoine ([1]), which trains curators;
• École Nationale de Police (ENSP), ie national police force school;

Military Officer Academies

While École Polytechnique, also known as X is run by the Ministry of Defence and its French students are reserve officers in training, it is no longer formally denominated as a military academy. The École Nationale d'Administration ( ÉNA) one of the most prestigious French schools ( Grandes écoles) was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle The Grandes écoles ("Graduate schools" literally in French "Grand Schools" or "Elite Schools" of France are higher The Minister of Defence ( Ministère de la Défense) is the French Government cabinet member charged with running the Military of France A military academy or service academy (American English is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the Army the Navy Air Force A small number of its students do however embrace a military career afterwards. A large proportion of its students end up working for the State's technical administrations.

• The École Spéciale Militaire de St Cyr (it used to be located in Saint-Cyr l'École but is now in Coëtquidan in Brittany) is the Army Academy. The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr ( ESM, literally the "Special Military School of St Cyr" is the foremost French Military academy. Saint-Cyr-l'École is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. Camp Coëtquidan ( Camp de Coëtquidan) is a French military educational facility located in Guer, Morbihan département, in Brittany Nicknamed Cyr and whose graduates and students are Cyrards;
• The École de l'Air (EA) is the Air Force Academy, located in Salon de Provence. Salon-de-Provence Air Base (Base aérienne 701 Salon-de-Provence or BA 701 is a base of the French Air Force located near Salon-de-Provence in southern Nicknamed Salon and whose graduates and students are Zizis;
• the École Navale (EN), nicknamed Navale and whose graduates and students are Bordaches;

Influence in French culture

Some Grandes écoles are very prestigious, providing similar status to their graduates in France as Oxbridge in the UK or the Ivy League schools in the U. The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy. Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of '''Ox'''ford and the University of Cam'''bridge''' in England, and the term is now The Ivy League is an Athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. S, although of course their admission policies have differed. The top rated schools are truly elitist: the students of the top Grandes écoles equal to around 1% of French higher education nationwide are accepted and fewer than 5,000 students graduate from them every year. -This dozen of schools, which the French praise for being "généralistes", i. e. , interdisciplinary, have traditionally produced most of France's high ranking civil servants, politicians and executives and many scientists and philosophers. Corporate titles are titles conferred on individuals as a means of identifying their function in the Organization.

See also

• Education in France
• List of universities in France
• List of public universities in France
• Grands établissements

References

External links

• Research and higher education institutions in France
• Graduate Schools
• La Conférence des Grandes Ecoles, which is an association of directors of higher educational establishments with selective admission. The French educational system is highly centralized organised and ramified A listing of universities and major Tertiary education institutions in France. This is a list of the eighty-three autonomous public universities in France including the one French "university centre" which are distinguished as being state institutes of higher education The grands établissements are French public institutions under ministerial charter
• "Understanding the Grandes Ecoles"
• "Faut-il sauver les grandes écoles ?"