Elite Education in France: The case of the Grandes Ecoles

Credentials Evaluation Service

Elite Education in France: The case of the Grandes Ecoles
Presented at the 2021 AACRAO Conference (Virtual)

Presenters:
Emily Tse, Director of Evaluations, IERF
Robert Watkins, Assistant Director, Foreign Credentials, University of Texas at Austin Graduate
School

This session explored the unique and competitive system of education provided by the
French Grandes Ecoles. The presenters also discussed the findings of a series of AACRAO
meetings held in Paris with the French educational authorities on this topic.

Elite Education in France:
The Case of the Grandes Ecoles
Session ID: 12969

                     The 2021 (106th) Annual Meeting

Robert Watkins
Assistant Director, Foreign Credentials
University of Texas at Austin Graduate School

Emily Tse
Director of Evaluations
International Education Research Foundation

History of EDGE and
French Engineering Credentials
 Historically Diplôme d'Ingénieur was viewed as a US bachelor’s.
 1st degree allowing for professional practice like the US BS Engr
 CampusFrance pushed to have AACRAO re-consider.
 In 2012 an AACRAO group of experts attended a 2-day meeting in Paris with French
      grandes écoles faculty and administrators as well as representatives of the
      Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur (CTI).
 The CTI, founded in 1934, approves schools to offer engineering programs at higher
     education institutions (similar to ABET/Accrediting Board for Engineering and
     Technology).

History of EDGE and
French Engineering Credentials (cont’d)
During the course of the meeting the AACRAO delegation agreed that the
evidence for a change of credential advice in EDGE was compelling:
 Diplôme d'Ingénieur was NOT an entry-level degree from the
      Baccalauréat.
 Classes préparatoires (CPs) were a mandatory 2-year pre-requisite for
      anyone planning to attend an engineering grande école.
 The Dip d’Ing program of three years after CPs meant that holders of
     this degree would ALWAYS have a total of 300 ECTS (5 years).
 The Dip d’Ing was then made legally equivalent to the university
     Master of the L-M-D sequence (2+3 compared to 3+2).

AACRAO EDGE and French Dip d’Ing
 The AACRAO delegation subsequently reported back to the International
     Education Standards Council (IESC) which approves credential advice
     in EDGE.
 IESC voted unanimously to change the advice to a US master’s.
 This only solved part of the grande école problem in EDGE France.
 The degrees awarded by the business grandes écoles still needed to be
     reviewed and advice determined.
 This was done with a smaller group from the IESC during the Groningen
      Declaration Network Conference in Paris in 2018.

Grandes Écoles: Elite Education in France
Associated with training the political, military and
corporate elite:
       Engineering
       Business and commerce
       Civil service and administration
       Communications and media
       Architecture
       Teaching

Examples of Grandes Écoles
 École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne [ENISE]
   (National School of Engineering, Saint-Etienne)
 ESC Rennes Business School [formerly École Supérieure de
   Commerce de Rennes (Higher School of Commerce of Rennes)]
 Institut d'Études Politiques [Sciences Po]
   (Institute of Political Studies)
 École de l’Air (Air Force Academy)

University Sector in France         2-yr Master

Signatory of the Bologna Process    3-yr Licence

3-year Licence + 2-year Master
(3-year Bachelor + 2-year Master)
                                    Baccalauréat
Following the Baccalauréat            (12 yrs of
                                    elementary &
                                    secondary ed)

Université                     Grande École

 more theoretical in           more practical /

  orientation                    technical

 multi-disciplinary            specialized discipline

 larger in size                smaller in size

 3-yr Licence + 2-yr Master    5-year degrees

Pathways
  Year 5                          Year 5

                Grandes
  Year 4                           Year 4
                 Écoles

                                            Grandes
  Year 3                          Year 3     Écoles
                   Classes
              Préparatoires aux
CPGE Year 2    Grandes Écoles     Year 2
                      or
               Classes Prépas
CPGE Year 1           at           Year 1
                    Lycée

5-Year Qualification or BAC + 5:
 Engineering Grandes Écoles: Diplome d’Ingenieur
 Other Grandes Écoles: Diplôme de [grande école]
 Bologna Process: may possibly also have the designation Grade de Master
 automatic for the Diplome d’Ingenieur, a protected title
 For Business Grandes Écoles, must be evaluated by Haut Conseil de
  l'Évaluation de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur or HCERES
  (High Council of Evaluation of Research & Higher Ed)
 Conferral of Grade de Master = status of 3-yr Licence + 2-yr Master
 Access to further study, including doctoral programs

CPGE: Classes Préparatoires
aux Grandes Écoles

French Version

English Version

Follow-Up Meetings in 2018: Business Grandes Écoles
 Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation (MESRI)
 Conférence des Présidents d'Université (CPU)
 Conférence des Directeurs des Ecoles Françaises d'Ingénieurs (CDEFI)
 École Supérieur Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC)
 IESC also voted to change the advice to a US master’s.

Diploma
Supplement from
a Grande École

Section 8 of
Diploma
Supplement

Grandes Écoles: Unregulated Term
 Public as well as private institutions
 Quality can actually vary despite general association with
   elite education
 Many business schools private or consular – local
   chambers of commerce
 School-specific diplomas not under the MESR

Translation of Legalese
 Having regard to the Code of education and in particular articles L443-2 and 641-5,
 Having regard to the Code of education and in particular articles D612-34,
 Having regard to the decree of Avril, 4 2001 establishing the Commission for the
  Evaluation of Training and Management Diploma,
 Having regard to the order of 8 March 2001 on diplomas awarded by institutions of
  higher technical education recognized by the State,
 Having regard to the order of 20th July 2012 authorizing the establishment to deliver
  a diploma aimed by Minister for higher Education,
 Having regard to order of 29 August 2013 concerning the list of diplomas confer to
  the Master's degree,
 According to the report of the jury dating of the 3 November 2014 attesting that the
  person concerned satisfied all the obligations laid down for the award of the
  diploma…

Attestations, although
official records of study,
have limited text.

It is recognized by IACBE,
the International
Accreditation Council for
Business Education.

Commission d’Evaluation des
                           Formations et Diplômes de Gestion
                           (Commission on the Evaluation of
                           Management Training and Degrees)
                           www.cefdg.fr

Commission des Titres
d’Ingénieurs
(Commission of Titles of
Engineering)
www.cti-commission.fr

https://www.enseign
ementsup-
recherche.gouv.fr/cid
20256/liste-des-
ecoles-d-
ingenieurs.html

Annual list of schools
authorized to award
title of Engineer and
degree of Master

https://www.aacrao.org/resources
/AACRAO-International/iesc

Merci
Thank you

            The 2021 (106th) Annual Meeting