Long Term Studies

In France courses are divided into three ‘cycles’.

The three levels of qualification often referred to as the LMD – Licence, Master and Doctorat, which correspond to the internationally recognized structure of higher education qualification – bachelor, masters, and PhD system of qualification.

Cycle 1

The first cycle of three years (or bac+3) is a broad foundation course leading to the Licence. The old Diplôme d'études universitaires générales (DEUG) corresponded to the first two years of the Licence.

Students can choose from one of three main streams – Science, literature, and arts.

Cycle 2

The second cycle leads to the award of the Maîtrise (Bac +4) in the fourth year and of the Master (Bac+5) in the fifth year.

There are different types of master’s depends upon the nature of their specialization. ‘Masters 2’ is a specialized executive style programme which requires a prior 'Masters 1' post-graduate degree.

Masters exist with different names including Titre d'ingénieur-maître (TIM), Maîtrise de méthodes informatiques appliquées à la gestion (MIAGE), Maîtrise de sciences de gestion (MSG), and Maîtrise de sciences ET techniques (MST). The Master can be research based or vocational. The latter is ideal for students wishing to take a PhD.

Non EU students can enter directly apply for a Post graduation provided that they have already hold a three year under graduation.

Cycle 3

The third cycle commences from the sixth year onwards and is similar to our PhD research studies, which ultimately leads to a doctorate.