2. French Universities

1. 2.1. Admission
   2.2. Qualifications

2.2. French University Qualifications

There are a wide variety of higher education qualifications and, for the uninitiated, the picture is a very confusing one.

Nevertheless, the situation is improving, as a result of agreement at a European level for greater mobility and transparency in higher education across the EU.

Broadly speaking, it is possible to distinguish between short term studies of two years duration, and more traditional higher education qualification of three or more year’s duration.

2.2.1. Short Term Studies

Universities and the Instituts universitaires professionnalisés (IUT) attached to them offer two year vocationally based courses, following which students enter employment in their specialist field.

The main qualifications which are awarded are the Diplome Universitaire de Technologie (DUT) and the Diplome d’Edudes Universitaires Scientifiques et Techniques (DEUST).

To this list of short courses we should also add two higher education courses offered through the lycées, the Brevet de Technicien Superieur and the Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles (CPGE), both of which are considered in more detail later.

2.2.2. Long Term Studies

Whilst university studies in the UK are categorised as either undergraduate or postgraduate, in France courses are divided into three ‘cycles’ in an attempt to reflect the continuous nature of education and the linkages between the different stages.

The three cycles lead to three levels of qualification often referred to as the LMD – licence, maîtrise and doctorat, which correspond to the internationally recognised structure of higher education qualification – bachelor, masters, and PhD system of qualification.

1. i. Cycle 1

The first cycle of two years (or bac+2) is a broad foundation course leading to the Diplôme d'études universitaires générales (DEUG).

Students can elect to choose from one of three main streams - literature and arts, political and economic science, or science.

1. ii. Cycle 2

The second cycle is more specialist and leads to the award of the Licence (Bac + 3) in the third year and to the award of the Maîtrise (Bac +4) in the fourth year.

The Licence is the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom, whilst the Maîtrise the equivalent of a Masters Degree. Many French students elect to continue with fourth year studies and obtain their Maîtrise.

As an alternative to studying for the general Licence students can study for the Licence Professionnelle, a vocationally based degree, which is often undertaken in collaboration with a Lycée.

There are also different types of masters degree reflecting the nature of their specialisation and going under the nomenclature of Maîtrise de sciences et techniques (MST), Maîtrise de sciences de gestion (MSG), Maîtrise de méthodes informatiques appliquées à la gestion (MIAGE), and Titre d'ingénieur-maître (TIM).

Students from abroad can enter directly into the second cycle, but only on condition that they have already undertaken at least two years course of undergraduate study.

In the case of a Maîtrise they must have already undertaken three years undergraduate study in their home country.

1. iii. Cycle 3

The third cycle courses in the fifth year onwards are akin to PhD research studies with a range of different qualifications ultimately leading to a doctorate.