| Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Studies) | |
|---|---|
| Sciences Po (Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris) | |
| Motto | Excellence, Innovation, Diversité |
| Established | 1872 |
| Endowment | €110M |
| Director | Richard Descoings |
| Students | 9,000 (42% foreign) |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Website | www.sciences-po.fr (fr) www.sciences-po.eu (en) (data for 2010)[1] |
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris (English: Paris Institute of Political Studies), simply referred to as Sciences Po (French pronunciation: [sijɑ̃s po]), is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective. Established in 1872, Sciences Po has traditionally educated France's political and diplomatic elite.
Its name refers to the political sciences, in the plural. Accordingly, its academic scope includes political science, as well as economics, history, sociology, law, finance, business, communication, social and urban policy, management and journalism. It offers several dual master’s degrees, in partnership with such institutions as the London School of Economics, the Free University of Berlin, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, the University of Pennsylvania Law School and ESADE. At the undergraduate level, it also offers a dual degree program with the School of General Studies at Columbia University.
The campus is located near the Seine River, between Boulevard Saint Germain and Boulevard Raspail; within walking distance of most major sights, such as Notre Dame de Paris, the Grand Palais, the Panthéon, and the Assemblée Nationale. It is housed primarily in 17th and 18th century mansions located on the left bank, on and around Rue Saint-Guillaume, Rue des Saints Pères and Rue de l'Université (in the 7th arondissement).
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The name Sciences Po refers to three distinct, yet complementary institutions:
Sciences Po was established in February 1872 as the École Libre des Sciences Politiques by a group of French intellectuals, politicians and businessmen led by Émile Boutmy, and including Hippolyte Taine, Ernest Renan, Albert Sorel, Paul Leroy Beaulieu, and François Guizot. Following defeat in the 1870 war, the demise of Napoleon III, and the Paris Commune, these men sought to reform the training of French politicians. Politically and economically, people feared France's international stature was waning due to inadequate teaching of its political and diplomatic corps. ELSP was meant to serve as “the breeding ground where nearly all the major, non-technical state commissioners were trained.”[2]
The school developed a humanistic and pragmatic teaching program: instructors included academics as well as ministers, high civil servants, and businessmen. New discipines such as International Relations, International Law, Political Economy and Comparative Government were introduced. In August 1894, the British Association for the Advancement of Science spoke out for the need to advance the study of politics along the lines of ELSP. Sidney and Beatrice Webb used the purpose and curriculum of Sciences Po as part of their inspiration for creating the London School of Economics in 1895.[2]
As per ordinance 45-2284, issued by Charles de Gaulle on 9 October 1945, two entities were created from ELSP: Fondation nationale des sciences politiques (English: National Foundation of Political Science) or FNSP and Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d'études politiques de Paris) or IEP Paris.[3] Both entities were tasked by the French government to ensure “the progress and the diffusion, both within and outside France, of political science, economics, and sociology”[2]
The epithet Sciences Po was applied to both entities, which inherited the reputation previously vested in ELSP.[4] France's Legislature entrusted FNSP with managing IEP Paris, its library, and budget, and an administrative council assured the development of these activities. The curriculum and methodology of the ELSP were also the template for creating an entire system of institutes of political studies (French: Institut d'études politiques) across France, namely in Strasbourg, Lyon, Aix, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Toulouse, and then in Rennes and Lille. They are not to be confounded with Sciences Po's satellite campuses.
FNSP further strengthened its role as a scientific publication center with significant donations from the Rockefeller Foundation. FNSP periodicals such as la Revue française de science politique, le Bulletin analytique de documentation, la Chronologie politique africaine, and the Cahiers de la Fondation as well as its seven research centres and main publishing house, Presses de Sciences Po, contribute to the reputation attained by Sciences Po research.[2]
Sciences Po has undergone myriad reforms under Richard Descoings, Director of Sciences Po (1997–present). Sciences Po has introduced a compulsory year abroad component to its undergraduate degree, and now offers a multilingual curriculum in French, English, and other languages. New educational sites have been set up in Nancy, Dijon, Poitiers, Menton, Le Havre and Reims. Sciences Po also set the length of its undergraduate program to three years and its graduate program to two years in line with the Bologna Process.
Sciences Po also implemented reforms in its admissions process. Previously, Sciences Po recruited its students almost exclusively from elite schools (mostly state-funded) in France, but in March 2001, the school's governing council widened its admissions policy.[5] From September 2002, Sciences Po began accepting a small batch of students from certain schools located in economically depressed suburbs of Paris on the basis of their school record and a 45-minute interview, rather than the name-blind examination all other students must pass to be admitted. The reform is intended to broaden the socio-economic characteristics of Sciences Po student-body, and gained national and international media attention for being the first affirmative action experience in France, despite the initial controversy it brought up it is now broadly accepted by the French and considered a relative success. Moreover, Sciences Po introduced an alternative recruitment method -the so-called procédure internationale- for foreign students or students with an international background, as they are not well prepared for the French written examination. Sciences Po also accepts a large contingent of graduate students from abroad without written exams.
In September 2007, Sciences Po was rated the 8th best university in the world by the annual higher education survey conducted by the École des Mines de Paris thus placing it above both Oxford and Yale. In 2008 Sciences Po ranked 11th, below Oxford and just above Yale,[3] and in 2009 it ranked 15th.[4] The ranking by the École des Mines asks CEOs of the 500 biggest multinational companies where they did their studies. In the Times Higher Education Ranking 2006[5] and in the QS World University Rankings 2010 in Social Sciences,[6] Sciences Po was rated 52nd of the best universities worldwide. In the same ranking in 2011,[7] it was rated 35th worldwide and 1st in France in Politics and International studies.
There are different admission procedures at Sciences Po (figures of 2010):
Since 2002, the number of applicants has steadily increased. In 2002, there were 200 applicants for the international program. By contrast there were 800 applicants in 2008: an increase of 300% in 5 years. For the examination, the number of applicants has doubled in five years. There was an increase of 500% of the number of applicants with a Summa cum laude mention.
Sciences Po is located in the center of Paris, in the 6th and 7th districts (arrondissements) :
There are more than 70 clubs and organizations, such as Paris International Model United Nations and Sciences Po Finance (Finance society).
In 2000, Sciences Po set the length of its undergraduate program to three years and the length of its graduate program to two years in line with the Bologna Process. The first three years of study are referred to as the premiers cycles, which focuses on the full-range of the social sciences, particularly public policy, International Relations, economics and political economy, management studies, finance, geography, constitutional and administrative law, philosophy, and sociology. Students generally spend their third year of the premier cycle abroad, at one of Sciences Po's nearly 300 partner schools around the world. Students are, however, also given the option of spending the year interning for an institution related to their field of study. In addition to academics, Sciences Po's curriculum incorporates more practice-oriented skills like teamwork, effective oral communication and presentation skills, and nurturing leadership potential. Sciences Po's student-body is active, with more than seventy student clubs, councils, and organizations.
As of 2010, almost half of the student body was foreign. In recent years, Sciences Po has adopted a multi-lingual education policy: students are expected to be proficient in at least two foreign languages. More than one-third of classes are provided in languages others than French, including English, Spanish, German, and Italian. Currently, however, fluency in French is required for admission to most Sciences Po degrees.
While all of Sciences Po's graduate programs are taught in Paris, the school has six additional undergraduate campuses in France. Each of the six campuses has its own distinct cultural identity and academic focus. They are designed to widen the academic concentration of the wider Sciences Po community, and allow students enrolled in the three-year Sciences Po undergraduate program, the collège universitaire, to specialize in a given region. Students who wish to study at either of the six satellite campuses usually need to apply through the Sciences Po admission services. Upon completing their undergraduate studies by spending a year abroad, all students usually move to Paris for their graduate studies (Master).
As the satellite campuses are part of Sciences Po Paris, their official designations always include the word "Paris" in order to distinguish them from the so-called "IEP de province". For instance, Sciences Po Paris' Dijon campus is officially named Sciences Po Paris in Dijon:
These are 6 regional campuses:
The French-German Undergraduate Program is located in Nancy, which is at the centre of the Lorraine region of France, and maintains close ties to the German-speaking world given its proximity to the German border. Strasbourg and the European Parliament are also located nearby. This premier cycle focuses on the history of Franco-German relations, and its relevance for the future integration of the European continent. The main languages of instruction on campus are English, German, and French, and the student body is primarily made up of students from France and German-speaking countries.
The European Undergraduate Program is located in Dijon, which is the capital of the Burgundy region of France. The area is renowned for its winemaking and gastronomic heritage. A real Europe in miniature, the European Campus of Sciences Po welcomes students of more than twenty nationalities for the bachelor with a specific focus on the European Union and on the East Central European studies. This premier cycle initiates students into the challenges of the widened European Union, and Central European politics and history. Courses are taught in English and French, but students may also study at least one Central-European language (either Czech, Hungarian, Polish), italian (with an initiation of romanian) or russian.
The Ibero-American Undergraduate Program is located in Poitiers, a small city in western France. This premier cycle specializes in the politics and history of Iberia and Latin America. Courses are taught in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The majority of students come from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.
The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Undergraduate Program is located in Menton, a town on the French Riviera minutes from Monaco and the Italian border. This premier cycle gathers students from North Africa, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Israel, and all European nations. In particular, it focuses on the study of relationships between the northern and southern sides of the Mediterranean, as well as the analysis of the links between Europe and the Middle East. Courses are taught in French, English, and Arabic.
The Euro-Asian Undergraduate Program is located in Le Havre, a city in Haute Normandy in northern France. The biggest port city of France, Le Havre, is UNESCO world heritage city. French/European students can learn Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, and Korean, in addition to English; while Asian students have to study French and one of the Asian languages, other than their mother-tongue. All courses during first year are in English, flavored with French in the background, to put the students at ease; but gradually moves towards French as the medium of instruction by the end second semester. It is therefore important to be able to speak, write, read and effectively communicate in French, else it can become quite challenging, especially when learning an Asian language is manadatory for all.
The Euro-American Undergraduate Program in Reims, housed in a former Jesuit College, has opened its doors in September 2010 and focuses on transatlantic relations. 45 minutes from Paris by train, Reims is famous for being the coronation site of the Kings of France and for its impressive Gallo-Roman heritage. Its rich past, its architecture ans its ancient Champagne producing tradition put this city of the Champagne-Ardennes region at the very heart of European and French history.
Richard Descoings has decided in the reforms he engaged at Sciences Po that every student should spend his third year abroad. Thanks to 350 university partners,[9] students at Sciences Po have multiple possibilities. Students can also do an internship in a company, a cultural association, an embassy, etc.
Upon completion of the third year of undergraduate studies, students return to Paris for a two-year graduate program of their choosing leading to a Master's degree. Students from the school's undergraduate programs make up about half of the graduate programs' student population, the remainder having completed undergraduate studies elsewhere in France or abroad. Most programs are taught in more than one language though English-only programs are also available. Students can choose from a wide array of programs designed either by Sciences Po alone or in conjunction with other universities.
The school's traditional "single" Master's degrees are suited for those seeking to develop professional skills in a specific area without losing the benefits of a generalist education. The curriculum generally comprises a set of generalist courses known as the "tronc commun," specific courses related to the chosen field of study, and an internship semester.
Students eyeing with an academic career can apply for admission into research-based programs with an additional focus on scientific methods. The requirement to gain work experience during the internship semester is replaced with a requirement to write a Master's thesis. The school has offered Master recherche programs in such fields as economic governance, theory of organisations, political theory, sociology, and history. However, as of early 2009, the school is overhauling all of its research-based programs.
Alternatively, students can apply for admission into one of the school's double degree programs designed in conjunction with partner universities in France and abroad. Students are awarded two degrees upon studying one year at each university. As the writing of a Master's thesis is often part of the graduation requirements at partner universities, dual programs can also be suited for those interested in an academic career.
In addition to its pre-experience graduate programs, Sciences Po is offering a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Instruction is provided by a staff of around 1,400 teachers, a majority of whom are practitioners in their respective fields. Most recently, instructors included or still include former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, current WTO president Pascal Lamy, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French foreign minister Hubert Védrine, Nobel Prize Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz, former Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghassan Salame and former Economics minister as well as former Managing Director of IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn. These instructors are anchored by around 800 tenured professors
Sciences Po offers dual master’s degrees with the London School of Economics, the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. This collaboration has existed since the early 1990s, but was formalized in September 2005 with the official launch of the Global Public Policy Network in Beijing, China. The partnership is meant to foster greater academic collaboration between students, faculty, and research centers of four leading public policy schools in what could arguably be termed four world capital cities.[6] The network is further intended to facilitate collaboration on public policy research, student and faculty exchanges, and international conferences and fora with policymakers from the USA, Germany, UK, France and Singapore. This alliance has produced five degree programs with LSE, including masters degrees in International Relations, Negotiation, International Political Economy, Public Affairs, the Practice of International Affairs, and Urban Policy, two degree programs with Columbia, specifically a Master in International Affairs, dual Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Administration with the Hertie School of Governance, and a Master in Public Affairs, and one degree program with LKS, a Master in Public Policy.[7]
The Doctoral School is currently directed by Hervé Crès and includes 175 faculty members and 600 doctoral students. It was created in 1988 and welcomes students for their Master and PhD studies.
The Research Master’s program entails two years of interdisciplinary instruction in four basic social sciences: political science, history, sociology and economics. This interdisciplinary approach is designed to reinforce and round out graduate-level training. The Research Master’s program prepares students for doctoral studies and subsequent careers in research and higher education. But it also opens out into a wider range of career options (work in consulting, expertise, public opinion polling, publishing etc.) thanks to the links between the Sciences Po Master’s degree and Research Master’s programs in the form of joint courses and degrees.
The Research Master’s program offers:
Students in the Research Master’s program can choose from among six concentrations: History and Theory of Politics, International Relations, Politics and Society in Europe, Comparative Politics, Sociology of Action, Economic Governance.
Sciences Po is accredited to confer PhD degrees in economics, history, political science and sociology.
The Sciences Po PhD Program counts roughly 600 doctoral candidates, a third of whom hail from abroad. About 40 defend their dissertations each year. The program has a long-standing tradition of multi-disciplinary scholarship.
The PhD Program covers 15 fields of study, which follow up on those offered in the Master’s program: Latin America, Sociological Analysis of Change, Asia, Economics of International Relations, United States, Europe, International Finance, Economic Governance, History, Muslim World, Political Thought, Russia/CIS, Political Science of International Relations, Sociology of Action, Political Sociology and Public Policy.
In addition to academic training, the PhD Program provides a number of student services, including financial aid for PhD studies as well as for research abroad, support and promotion for publications, and job placement guidance and assistance.
Sciences Po awards a French postdoctoral degree called Habilitation qualifying the holder to supervise doctoral research in economics, history, political science and sociology.
Habilitation is the crowning degree for university studies in France: it attests to the holder’s high level of scholarship, the originality of their approach, the ability to master a research strategy in a sufficiently broad field of inquiry and to supervise young scholars. It qualifies the holder, moreover, to join the corps of university professors.
FNSP manages the research faculty and facilities of Sciences Po, and is one of the largest social sciences research bodies in Europe. FNSP manages research centres, a doctoral school, a library and a publishing house. The FNSP manages eight research centres (five jointly with CNRS). The foundation of Sciences Po predates by a few decades the creation of political science, as such the Institute focuses on all the social sciences that study the political field.
Euredocs is a network run by Sciences Po made up of doctoral students and recent PhD recipients (who have defended their dissertations within the past three years). The network addresses the Europeanization of higher education and research, including such issues as the structure of academic curricula, evaluation/accreditation procedures, changes in national education policies and university governance, academic career patterns, the production of knowledge, the impact of internationalization/globalization etc.
Funded under the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme, the GARNET network gathers 42 leading research centres and universities in Europe and operates with a budget of 5,4 millions euros over 5 years (2005–2010). Sciences Po is represented in the network by CERI who runs a specific “dissemination of excellence” programme. A number of GARNET activities address doctoral students and finance their participation:
CONNEX is a network set up under the 6th Framework Programme for European Research and Technological Development (2002–2006) to analyze various facets of democratic governance in Europe.
Founded in 1871, the nucleus of the school’s research is Bibliothèque de Sciences Po, which "houses" 650,000 books about social sciences and 4,500 journals and annual publications, although only approximately one fifteenth of these is available to students at any given time. The Bibliothèque is also the hub of the Documentary Service which maintains 18,000 press dossiers on a wide range of sub-topics, and which each years abstracts and indexes some 10,000 articles from 1,200 periodicals each year.[8] In 1982, the National Ministry of Education made the Bibliothèque the Centre for Acquisition and Dissemination of Scientific and Technical Information in the field of political science, and since 1994, it has been the antenna associated with Bibliothèque Nationale de France.[9] Bibliothèque de Sciences Po is also the main French partner in the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, which is based at the London School of Economics.[10]
Presses de Sciences-Po is the publishing house of Sciences Po. It publishes academic works related to the social sciences, and is the leading French publisher in the fields of public policy, international relations, political history, French government, and economics.[11] It publishes 6 French academic journals in the social sciences, and has 900 titles in its catalogue, with 30 new titles added annually.
Sciences Po alumni and former staff include twenty-eight heads of state or government, specifically the two immediate past French presidents (Jacques Chirac and François Mitterrand), thirteen past or present French prime ministers, twelve past or present foreign heads of state or government, a former United Nations Secretary-General, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, the current head of the European Central Bank and the former head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
If nearly every French politician or diplomat has attended Sciences Po since its inception, the school is also well-known for educating top business managers, notably six current CEOs of France's forty largest companies (Frédéric Oudéa of banking group Societe Generale, Michel Bon of Carrefour, Jean-Cyril Spinetta of Air France, Serge Weinberg of PPR, Gérard Mestrallet of Suez, Philippe Camus of Alcatel-Lucent), private bankers such as David René de Rothschild, the CEO of Lazard Italy, the CFO of Morgan Stanley Europe, the Director of Credit Suisse World and the Chairman of Credit Suisse Europe as well as the current head of the European Federation of Businesses, Industries and Employers and the current head of the French Businesses and Employers Union and many others.
Graduates of Sciences Po are usually referred to as Sciences Po. "Rue Saint Guillaume" is the Sciences Po's alumni magazine. The vast majority of teachers and professors working in Sciences Po are alumni.
Some French students further their studies at École nationale d'administration (ENA), which is often viewed as the compulsory educational step before serving in French politics or diplomacy.
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