Schoolsystem in France

The French educational system is highly centralised, organised, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages: Image File history File links EducationFr. ... Image File history File links EducationFr. ...

• primary education (enseignement primaire);
• secondary education (enseignement secondaire);
• Higher Education(enseignement supérieur)

Primary and secondary education is predominantly public (private schools also exist, in particular a strong nationwide network of primary and secondary Catholic education), while Higher education has both public and private elements. Catholic Education is an important component of education in the United States. ...

It has been suggested that Freedom of information in France be merged into this article or section. ... Masterpiece painting by Eugène Delacroix called Liberty Leading the People portrays the July Revolution using the stylistic views of Romanticism. ... This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. ... This article is about political groups and tendencies in France. ... Holidays in France: Note: Only labour day (May 1st) is a public holiday by statute. ... In France, the country is often called the patrie des droits de lHomme (human rights homeland), mostly ironically by persons who complain about a perceived violation of theses rights. ... A homeless man in Paris. ... elliot is the worst swimmer (note the sarcasm) ... The social situation in the French suburbs, called banlieues, is a complex topic. ...

History

Jules Ferry

Main article: Jules Ferry laws

While the French trace the development of their educational system to Charlemagne, the modern era of French education begins at the end of the nineteenth century. Jules Ferry, a lawyer holding the office of Minister of Public Instruction in the 1880s, is widely credited for creating the modern Republican school (l'école républicaine) by requiring all children under the age of 15 -- boys and girls -- to attend. He also made public instruction free of charge and secular (laïc). Image File history File links Julesferry. ... Image File history File links Julesferry. ... The Jules Ferry laws are a set of French laws which established first free education (1881) then mandatory and laic education (1882). ... Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ... Jules Ferry, French statesman Jules François Camille Ferry (April 5, 1832 – March 17, 1893) was a French statesman. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Free education is a policy stance in politics that ensures education for its citizens up to a certain level. ... Secular education is a term that refers to the system of public education in countries with a secular or separation between religion and state. ... Motto of the French republic on the tympanum of a church, in Aups (Var département) which was installed after the 1905 law on the Separation of the State and the Church. ...

Organization

All educational programs in France are regulated by the Ministry of National Education (officially called Ministère de l'éducation nationale, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche). The head of the ministry is the Minister of National Education, one of the highest-ranking officials in the cabinet. As of May 2007, the Minister is Xavier Darcos. Image File history File links Logo of the French Ministry of National Education Source : www. ... Categories: French government | France-related stubs | Education in France ... Categories: French government | France-related stubs | Education in France ... Xavier Darcos Xavier Darcos (born 14 July 1947) is a French civil servant and politician, agrégé professor in literature, and general inspector of the French Éducation nationale. ... Funding or financing is to provide capital (funds), which means money for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See Language (journal) for the linguistics journal. ... This article is about the ability to read and write. ... A primary school in ÄŒeský Těšín, Poland Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. ... Secondary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... ... Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticans and the US Census Bureau to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed. ... Secondary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... ... INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ... Categories: French government | France-related stubs | Education in France ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Xavier Darcos Xavier Darcos (born 14 July 1947) is a French civil servant and politician, agrégé professor in literature, and general inspector of the French Éducation nationale. ...

The teachers in public primary and secondary schools are all state civil servants, making the ministère the largest employer in the country. Professors and researchers in France's universities are also employed by the state. A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public_sector employee working for a government department or agency. ... A professor is a senior teacher and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... For the suburb of Melbourne, Australia, see Research, Victoria. ...

At the primary and secondary levels, the curriculum is the same for all French students in any given grade, which includes public, semi-public and subsidised institutions. However, there exist specialised sections and a variety of options that students can choose. The reference for all French educators is the Bulletin officiel de l'éducation nationale, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche (B.O.) which lists all current programs and teaching directives. It is amended many times every year. For a curriculum vitae, see Résumé. In formal education, a curriculum (plural curricula) is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. ...

Find B.O. archives on the Ministry's official website

Académie system

In France, academic councils called académies (English : academies) are responsible for supervising all aspects of University education in a given region. Universities are answerable to their académie, and the académies are answerable to the Ministry of Education. However, private Universities are independent of the state and therefore independent of the académies.

The French territory is divided into 35 académies, 26 of which are located in mainland France and 9 in French overseas territories. One académie often spans a few départements, the most commonly used administrative unit in France. Académies also cover French schools located abroad so that the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in London, for example, falls under the jurisdiction of the Lille académie. The French Overseas Departments and Territories (often abbreviated DOM-TOM for départements doutre-mer, territoires doutre-mer) consist broadly of French-administered or -claimed territories outside of Europe. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... One of the constituent buildings of the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle is a large French secondary school situated in South Kensington, London. ... For other uses, see Lille (disambiguation). ...

The académie headquarters (termed rectorat) is usually located in the largest city in the concerned territory. It is headed by a recteur. The main responsibility of the académie is to manage personnel and state budgets pertaining to the education system. It serves as a link between regional specificities and the centralised governing body in Paris. It ensures the implementation of the official educational programs produced by the Ministry. This article is about the capital of France. ...

At one level down in the national education hierarchy, each département also has its own 'inspection académique' (academic inspection), headed by an inspecteur d'académie (academy inspector).

Note that the académie, as an education-based territorial unit, has no relation with l'Académie française, the authoritative body concerning the French language. The Académie française In the French educational system an académie LAcadémie française, or the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ...

School calendar

In the Metropolitan territory, the school year extends from early-September to early-July. Most students have finished their year by Bastille Day, 14 July. The school calendar is standardised throughout the country, and is the sole domain of the ministry. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Metropolitan France Metropolitan France (French: or la Métropole) is the part of France located in Europe, including Corsica (French: Corse). ... For the Battlestar Galactica episode, see Bastille Day (Battlestar Galactica). ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

For the 2005-2006 school year, the first day of classes across the country was 2 September 2005. The year ends on 4 July 2006. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

But in the secondary, school year may finish before these days because the schools need time to organize the exams like the Baccalauréat. For other uses of Baccalaureate, see Baccalaureate (disambiguation). ...

In French overseas departments and territories, the school calendar is set by the local recteur. The French Overseas Departments and Territories (often abbreviated DOM-TOM for départements doutre-mer, territoires doutre-mer) consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of Europe. ...

Major holiday breaks are as follows:

• All Saints (la Toussaint), one and a half weeks around the end of October and the beginning of November;
• Christmas (Noël), two weeks around Christmas Day and New Year's Day;
• winter (hiver), two weeks starting in mid-February;
• spring (printemps) or Easter (Pâques) , two weeks starting in mid-April;
• summer (été), two months starting in early-July.

All Saints, Christmas and summer vacations occur simultaneously across the country. For the winter and spring breaks, the country is divided into three zones (A, B, and C) and each zone's vacation dates are shifted by one or two weeks to prevent families from crowding up in popular destinations such as ski and seashore resorts. This article is about the Christian holiday. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... This article is about January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... For other uses, see Spring. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... For other uses, see Summer (disambiguation). ...

Obtain the official school calendar

Primary education

Schooling in France is required and mandatory as of age 6, the first year of primary school. Many parents start sending their children earlier though, around age 3 as kindergarten classes (maternelle) are usually affiliated to a borough's primary school. Some even start earlier at age 2 in pré-maternelle classes, which are essentially daycare centres. The last year of maternelle, grande section is an important step in the educational process as it is the year in which pupils are introduced to reading. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Day care is the care of a child during the day by a person other than the childs parents or legal guardians, often someone outside the childs immediate family. ... Reading is a process of retrieving and comprehending some form of stored information or ideas. ...

After kindergarten, the young students move on to primary school. It is in the first year (cours préparatoire) that they will learn to write and perfect their reading skills. Much akin to other educational systems, French primary school students usually have a single teacher (or perhaps two) who instructs in many different disciplines, such as French, mathematics, natural sciences, history and geography to name a few (the latter two are seldom separated). Note that the French word for a teacher at the primary school level is professeur (previously called instituteur, or its feminine form institutrice). A primary school in ÄŒeský Těšín, Poland. ... For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ... The term natural science as the way in which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words. ... This article is about the study of time in human terms. ...

Religious instruction is not supplied by public schools. Laïcité (secularism) is one of the main precepts of the French republic. Pupils therefore have civics courses to teach them about la République, its function, its organization, and its famous motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Freedom, equality, brotherhood). Motto of the French republic on the tympanum of a church, in Aups (Var département) which was installed after the 1905 law on the Separation of the State and the Church. ... Civics is the science of comparative government and means of administering public trusts—the theory of governance as applied to state institutions. ... Liberté, égalité, fraternité, French for Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood), [1] is the motto of the French Republic, and is a typical example of a tripartite motto. ...

In a March 2004 ruling, the French government banned all "conspicuous religious symbols" from schools and other public institutions with the intent of preventing proselytisation and to foster a sense of tolerance among ethnic groups. The law was not welcomed by all though, and some religious and libertarian groups showed their opposition, saying the law hindered the freedom of religion as protected by the French constitution. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the converts previous beliefs; in some cultures (e. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ...

See also: French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools

The French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public (i. ...

Secondary education

Main article: Secondary education in France

French secondary education is divided into two schools: In France, secondary education is in two stages: the collèges (IPA: ) cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15; the lycées (IPA: ) provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between the ages of 15 and 18. ...

• the collège for the first four years directly following primary school;
• the lycée for the next three years.

The completion of secondary studies leads to the baccalauréat. A primary school in ÄŒeský Těšín, Poland. ... For other uses of Baccalaureate, see Baccalaureate (disambiguation). ...

Brevet

The brevet is the first official diploma a pupil has to sit. It is not required in order to enter high school (lycée).
The school marks for the whole of the final year (3ème) and the year before it (4ème) are taken into account for half of the mark. However starting from 2007 only the marks from the final year (3ème) will be taken into consideration. The other half of the mark is comprised of the final exam, the brevet. Pupils are only tested on French, mathematics and history/geography, for the exam. For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Baccalauréat

For more details on this topic, see Baccalauréat.

The baccalauréat (also known as bac) is the end-of-lycée diploma students sit for in order to enter university, a classe préparatoire, or professional life. The term baccalauréat refers to the diploma and the examinations themselves. It is comparable to British A-Levels, American SATs or ACTs, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Australia's Higher School Certificate and the German Abitur. For other uses of Baccalaureate, see Baccalaureate (disambiguation). ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in the United Kingdom, usually taken by students during the optional final two years of secondary school (Years 12 & 13, commonly called the Sixth Form), or at a separate sixth form college or further education college... For other uses, see SAT (disambiguation). ... The ACT® test is a standardized achievement examination for college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. ... The Leaving Certificate (Irish: Ardteistiméireacht), commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert (Irish: Ardteist) is the final course in the Irish secondary school system and culminates with the Leaving Certificate Examination. ... This article is about the New South Wales Higher School Certificate. ... Abitur (from Latin abire = go away, go off) is the word commonly used in Finland and Germany for the final exams young adults (aged 18, 19 or 20) take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling. ...

Most students sit for the baccalauréat général which is divided into 3 streams of study, called séries. The série scientifique (S) is concerned with the natural sciences, physics or mathematics (a lot of stream exists, one of which is called série scientifique sciences de l'ingénieur (SSI), a série scientifique baccalauréat with two more specializations, génie électrique and génie mécanique. There is also the Bac STI, Sciences & industrial technologies. There also exists the option génie mécanique & the options electrotechnique), the série économique et sociale (ES) with social sciences, and the série littéraire (L) focuses on French and foreign languages and philosophy. However, these séries are not exactly specializations and every bac-possessor has the right to integrate any public university in his catchment area if this applies to the subject he wishes to apply for. Students having followed the L series do not have enough scientific knowledge from high school alone to succeed in science university courses, therefore some combinations of baccalauréats and university courses are very rare. The term natural science as the way in which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words. ... The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that study human aspects of the world. ... See Language (journal) for the linguistics journal. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ...

There is also the baccalauréat technologique and baccalauréat professionnel.

Tertiary education

This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. Please improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...

Higher Education

Higher education in France is divided into Grandes écoles like École polytechnique and Universities. Grandes écoles are considered more prestigious than universities and their selection procedure is highly competitive. For example in France most prestigious engineering Grandes École, École polytechnique have about 12 000 candidates for 400 places. For the film released in 2004, see Grande École (film). ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ...

A striking trait of French higher education, compared with other countries, is the small size and multiplicity of establishments, each specialised in a more or less broad spectrum of disciplines. A middle-sized French city, such as Grenoble or Nancy, may have 2 or 3 universities (for instance: science / sociological studies), and also a number of engineering and other specialised higher education establishments. For instance, in Paris and suburbs, there are 13 universities, none of which are specialised in one area or another, and a large number of smaller institutions which are very specialised. Grenoble (Arpitan: Grasanòbol) is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. ... For other uses, see Nancy (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

It is not uncommon for graduate teaching programmes (master's degrees, the course part of PhD programmes etc.) to be operated in common by several institutions, allowing the institutions to present a larger variety of courses. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

In engineering schools such as École polytechnique, it is not uncommon that a large share of the teaching staff is not made up of permanent professors, but of part-time professors hired to teach one specific point only. These part-time professors are generally hired from neighbouring universities, research institutes, or industry. For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ...

Another originality of the French higher education system is that a large share of the scientific research is not done by universities, but by research establishments such as CNRS or INSERM. In many cases, the research units of those establishments are installed inside universities (or other higher education establishments), and jointly operated by the research establishment and the university. It is also fairly common that research staff teach some graduate classes. However, this research staff will not be counted as part of the normal academic staff of the university. The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is one of the most prominent scientific research institutions in France. ... Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) is the only French public organization entirely dedicated to biological, medical and public health research. ...

These traits can cause international university rankings to underestimate French universities due to the criteria used, but however in spite of all these Times world universities ranking placed École polytechnique 10th among world universities and Professional Ranking of world universities placed École polytechnique 4th among all world universities. In higher education, college and university rankings are listings of educational institutions in an order determined by any combination of factors. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ...

Another characteristic is the low tuition costs. Since higher education is funded by the state, the fees are very low: the tuition varies from 150 € to 700 € depending on the university and the different levels of education (licence, master, doctorat). One can therefore get a Master's degree (in 5 years) for about 750-3,500 €. Additionally, students from low-income families can apply for scholarships, paying nominal sums for tuition or textbooks, and even getting a monthly stipend. The tuition in public engineering schools is comparable to universities, albeit a little higher (around 700€). However it can reach 7000 € a year for private engineering schools, and some business schools, which are all private or partially private, charge up to 12000€ a year.

Health insurance for students is free (if they get a scholarship) until the age of 25, so only the living costs and books expenses have to be added.

Universities in France

The public universities in France are named after the big cities near which they are located, followed by a number if there are several. Paris, for example, has thirteen universities, labeled Paris I to XIII, most of them are however not in Paris itself, but in the suburbs. In addition, most of the universities have taken a more informal name which is usually the one of a personality or a particular place. Sometimes, it is also a way to honor a famous alumnus. For example, the science university in Strasbourg is known as "Université Louis Pasteur" while its official name is "Université Strasbourg I". This article is about the capital of France. ... Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in microbiology. ...

The French system is currently undergoing a reform, the Bologna process, which aims at creating European standards for University studies, most notably a similar time-frame everywhere, with three years devoted to the Bachelor's degree (licence in French), two for the Master's, and three for the doctorate. French universities have also adopted the ECTS credit system (for example a licence is worth 180 credits). However, the traditional curricula based on end of semester examinations still remains in place in most universities. This double standard has added complexity to a system which also remains quite rigid. It is for example difficult to change a major during undergaduate studies without losing a semester or even a whole year. Students usually also have few course selection options once they enroll in a particular diploma. The purpose of the Bologna process (or Bologna accords) is to create the European higher education area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe. ...

See also: List of universities in France

A listing of universities and major tertiary education institutions in France. ...

Grandes écoles & CPGE

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles. (Discuss)

The Grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the mainstream framework of the public universities. They are generally focused on a single subject area, such as engineering or business, have a moderate size, and are often quite selective in their admission of students. They are widely regarded as prestigious, and traditionally have produced most of France's scientists and executives. Image File history File links Merge-arrow. ... The Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (nicknames : Classes prépas or simply prépa) are highly selective French undergraduate studies which prepare students to the Grandes Écoles. ... For the film released in 2004, see Grande École (film). ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ...

The classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles (CPGE) is a prep course with the main goal of training students for enrollment in a Grande École ; of which the best known and prestigious are Lycée Saint-Louis, Lycée Louis-Le-Grand, Lycée Henri IV or Lycée Sainte-Geneviève for instance. Admission to the CPGE is usually based on performance during the last two years of high school, called Première and Terminale. The CPGE are located within high schools but pertain to tertiary education, which means that each student must have passed successfully their Baccalauréat (or equivalent) to be admitted in CPGE. Each CPGE receives the files of hundreds of applicants worldwide every year during April and May, and selects its new students under its own criteria (mostly excellency). A few CPGE programmes, mainly the private CPGEs (which account for 10% of CPGEs), also have an interview process or look at a student's involvement in the community. For the film released in 2004, see Grande École (film). ... Lycée Saint-Louis, Paris VIe (Photo from 1929). ... The Lycée Louis-le-Grand, in Paris is one of the most famous lycées providing preparatory classes for grandes écoles. ... Clovis bell tower The Lycée Henri IV (sometimes nicknamed HIV to be pronounced H4) is a public high school located in Paris. ... For other uses of Baccalaureate, see Baccalaureate (disambiguation). ...

CPGE programs have a nominal duration of two years, but the second year is sometimes repeated once, mostly in the scientific sections, where the student gets then the status of cinq demi ("five halves"), for he was only a trois demi ("three halves") during his first second year. The explanation behind those names is that the most coveted engineering school is the Ecole Polytechnique, nicknamed the X (as the mathematical unknown). In French, a student is said to integrate a school when they are allowed to enroll in it. A student is called a 3/2 if he integrates the Ecole Polytechnique between his first and second year of preparatory class since the integral of x from 1 to 2 is 3/2. The same idea is valid for "cinq demi", since the integral of x from 2 to 3 is 5/2. Students enrolled in their second second-year are also called "carrés" (squares), and a few turn to "cubes" for a third and final second-year. These terms probably stem from repeated attempts at applying to "X" (Polytechnique), yielding x² and x³. Some ambitious professors encourage their top students to eschew admittance to other prestigious schools in order to try their hand at X one more time. .. Despite this high standard, the 30 000 students in classes préparatoires must face the fact that they won't all go to the Ecole Polytechnique. The renowned engineering schools Centrale Paris, Supélec, École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, École nationale des ponts et chaussées, École nationale supérieure des télécommunications, Supaéro or École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers , all member schools of ParisTech are also a proud goal to obtain for these students. For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... In computer science and mathematics, a variable (IPA pronunciation: ) (sometimes called a pronumeral) is a symbolic representation denoting a quantity or expression. ... This article is about the concept of integrals in calculus. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... ... The École Supérieure dÉlectricité (generally known as Supélec, formerly ESE) is a leading French electrical engineering grande école. ... The Hôtel de Vendôme, central building of the Ecole des Mines The École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (also known as Ecole des Mines, Ecole des Mines de Paris, Mines Paris or simply Mines) was created in 1783 on the request of King Louis XVI in... The École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) (National school of Bridges and Roads), often referred to as les Ponts, is the worlds oldest engineering school and remains to this day one of the most prestigious French Grandes Écoles of engineering. ... The École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (also known as ENST or Télécom or Télécom Paris) is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France located in Paris. ... The French École Nationale Supérieure de lAéronautique et de lEspace, also known as SUPAERO or ENSAE, was the first engineering school in the world ever dedicated to aircraft construction. ... The École Nationale Supérieure dArts et Métiers or ENSAM is a French Engineering institute and grand établissement and a prominent member of ParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology). ... In 1991, many prestigious French écoles dingénieurs (engineering schools), felt the need to set up a co-ordinating body that would foster closer collaboration among themselves in areas of common interest and thereby acquire international recognition as an entity of sufficient size and importance. ...

The oldest CPGEs are the scientific ones, which can only be accessed by scientific Bacheliers. Scientific CPGE are called MPSI ("Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Science"), PCSI ("Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering Science") or PTSI ("Physics, Technology, and Engineering Science") in the first year, MP ("Mathematics and Physics"), PSI ("Physics and Engineering Science"), PC ("Physics and Chemistry") or PT ("Physics and Technology") in the second year. The classes which especially train students for admission to the elite Écoles Normales Supérieures or Ecole Polytechnique have an "*" added to their name, e.g. MP*. For other uses of Baccalaureate, see Baccalaureate (disambiguation). ... See also École Normale de Musique de Paris. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ...

First year CPGE students are called the 'Math Sup' - or Hypotaupe - (Sup for "Classe de Mathématiques Supérieures", superior in French, meaning post-high school), and second years 'Math Spé' - or Taupe - (Spés standing for "Classe de Mathématiques Spéciales", special in French). The students of these classes are called Taupins. Both the first and second year programmes include as much as sixteen hours of mathematics teaching per week, ten hours of physics, two hours of philosophy, two to four hours of (one or two) foreign languages teaching and two to three hours of minor options: either SI, Engineering Industrial Science or Theoretical Computer Science (including some programming using the Pascal or CaML programming languages, as a practical work). With this is added several hours of homework, which can rise as much as the official hours of class. A known joke among those students is that they are becoming monks for two years. Sometimes three. Pascal is an imperative computer programming language, developed in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a language particularly suitable for structured programming. ... CAML (Categorical Abstract Machine Language) is a version of ML developed by G. Huet, G. Cousineau, Ascánder Suárez, Pierre Weis, Michel Mauny and others from both INRIA and ENS. Implemented in Lisp, it was nicknamed Heavy CAML because of its memory and CPU requirements relative to its successor...

The literary and humanities CPGEs have also their own nicknames, Hypokhâgne for the first year and Khâgne for the second year. The students are called the khâgneux. These classes prepare for schools such as Écoles Normales Supérieures, Ecole des Chartes, and sometimes Sciences Po. See also École Normale de Musique de Paris. ... The École Nationale des Chartes is a grand établissement, an elite French university-level educational institution based in Paris. ... The Institutes of Political Studies (French: Institut détudes politiques), or IEPs, are nine publicly owned institutions of higher learning in France. ...

There are also CPGE which are focused on economics (who prepare the admission in business schools). These latter are known as "Prépa EC" and are split in two parts ("prépa EC spe mathematics" , generally for those who graduated the baccalaureat S and "prépa EC spe éco" , for those who were in the economics section in the lycée.). The most famous of those business schools are HEC School of Management, ESSEC, ESCP-EAP, EM Lyon, EDHEC, EM Grenoble and Euromed Marseille Ecole de Management which propose a Master degree and a MBA. The HEC School of Management or École des Hautes Études Commerciales, is a business school, and one of the most prestigious French Grandes Écoles. ... The ESSEC (École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) is one of the leading business schools in France. ... ESCP-EAP, originally founded in 1819, is the oldest business school in the world. ... EM LYON (Ecole de Management de Lyon) was founded in 1872 by the local business community, and is affiliated to the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. ... EDHEC is one of the largest Grandes écoles of management. ... Template:Recherche scientifique française // Identity Created in 1872 by the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Marseille – Provence Â», Euromed Marseille Ecole de Management is located in Marseille, second city of France. ...

The students of CPGE are also matriculated in universities, and can rejoin college in case of failure of their grandes écoles ambitions or if they just do not wish to become engineers and feel not able to pass the Écoles Normales Supérieures competitive examinations. The ratio of students who failed to enter grandes écoles is low in the scientifics and economics CPGE, but high in humanities, for the only Grandes Écoles aimed in these classes are the Écoles Normales Supérieures. See also École Normale de Musique de Paris. ... See also École Normale de Musique de Paris. ...

The amount of work required of the students is exceptionally high. In addition to class time and homework, students spend several hours each week completing exams and 'colles' (very often written 'khôlles' to look like a Greek word, this way of writing being initially a khâgneux joke). The so called 'colles' are unique to French academic education in CPGEs. They consist of oral examinations twice a week, in math, physics, French and the foreign languages, usually English and Spanish. Students, usually in groups of three, spend an hour facing a professor alone in a room, answering questions and solving problems. In CPGE littéraires (humanities), the system of 'colles' is a bit different. They are taken every trimester in every subject. Students have one hour to prepare a mini-presentation that takes the form of a 'dissertation' (in history, philosophy, etc.) on a given topic, and that of a 'commentaire composé' (a methodologically codified commentary) in literature and foreign languages; as for the Ancient Greek or Latin, they involve a translation and a commentary. The student then has 20 minutes to present his work to the teacher, who ends the session by asking some questions on the presentation and on the corresponding topic. 'Colles' are regarded as extremely stressful, particularly due to the high standards expected by the teachers, and the subsequent harshness that may be directed at students who do not perform adequately. But they are important in as much as they prepare the students, from the very first year, to the oral part of the competitive examination, reserved to the happy few who successfully pass the written part.

Recruitment of teachers

Traditionally primary teachers were educated in Ecoles Normales and secondary teachers by the Agrégation examination. The situation has been diversified by the introduction of the lower level CAPES examination for secondary teachers and more recently by the institution of Instituts Universitaires pour la Formation des Maîtres. University teachers are recruited by special commissions. However many of the successful candidates still have the Agrégation qualification and a large number have been trained at the Ecoles Normales Supérieures.

See also

It has been suggested that Statistics for education in France be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

• Statistics for education in France
• Minister of National Education (France)
• Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger
• Home Education in France

v • d • e  Education by country (Portal)

Australia • Austria • Bangladesh • Belgium • Brazil • Canada • China, People's Republic of (Hong Kong, Macau) • Republic of China (Taiwan) • Colombia • Denmark • Egypt • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Iceland • India • Iran • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Japan • Malaysia • Mexico • Netherlands • Nicaragua • Norway • Pakistan• Philippines• Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • Singapore • South Korea • Spain • Sri Lanka • Sweden • Turkey • United Kingdom • United States • More... Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... The following are some statistics for Education in France. ... The following are some statistics for Education in France. ... Categories: French government | France-related stubs | Education in France ... Agence pour lEnseignement Français à lEtranger (AEFE), or the Agency for French Teaching Abroad is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France. ... Home education or home schooling in France is legal and requires the child to be registered with two authorities, the Inspection Academique and the local mayor (Mairie). ... Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_bookcase. ... This article is about institutionalized education. ... Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_bookcase. ... Educational oversight Minister of Education Ministry of Education Tu Cheng-sheng National education budget NT$ 608. ... This is a list of articles on education organized by country: Education in Afghanistan Education in Albania Education in Algeria Education in Argentina Education in Armenia Education in Australia Education in Austria Education in Bangladesh Higher Education in Bangladesh Education in Belarus Education in Belgium Education in Bolivia Education in...