If you’ve stumbled upon this article chances are that you either are looking to get your master’s in France’s top education, want to learn more about the French education system, or just accidentally stumbled upon it and now you’re intrigued to keep reading. Whatever the reason is, by the end of this article you’re sure to learn more about what exactly it takes to get a Master’s in France, duration, cost, and how you can get one.
What Exactly Is a Master’s Degree in France?
In France, a master’s is both a degree and a grade. It’s the last university grade to be established and it’s studied between the License (Bachelor’s) and PhD. The Master’s level was added to establish a common framework across Europe universities: LMD – License, Master’s, Doctorate. A Master’s degree in France typically lasts from 2 to 6 years depending on your chosen university’s curriculum and level of difficulty.
How Can You Get a Master’s Degree in France?
The Master’s degree is granted by your chosen French University after completing Diplôme National de Master (DNM), or a similar graduate-level course, usually granted after five years’ worth of studying after the license (bachelor’s). Higher education institutions, for example specialized schools of arts, architecture and business, are entitled to give the grade of Master’s for some of their degrees, for programs lasting from 2 to 6 years.
In conclusion, you cannot get a master’s degree unless you meet the minimum study requirements agreed in the Bologna Declaration for a Master’s.
Types of Master’s Degree in France
In France, there are standard Master’s degrees like everywhere else in the world, and there are also Master’s degrees created specifically from and for a university. For example arts, business, engineering etc. There are 4 types of Master’s in France and all of them of course have their own subject and duration.
1. Mastère Spécialisé (MS)
This degree was created in 1985 for graduate courses, completed four to five years after A-levels. To get this degree, Mastère Spécialisé courses are evaluated based on professional needs, hourly course content and length (at least two semesters), completing an internship and finally presenting a thesis.
2. Mastère en Science (MSc)
This degree is granted to courses mostly carried out in English, during a minimum of 3 semesters, and ending with a research dissertation. These labels are granted for each course for a length of 1, 3 or 6 years. The studies are structured with this duration so that a Master program lasts long enough for the student to gather a total of 300 ECTS credits.
3. Master of Art (MA)
The degree of Master of Arts comes from the University of Paris designed to produce “masters” who were graduate teachers to their subjects. It contrasts with Master of Science because those with a Master of Arts have studied subjects in the scope of arts and humanities. It is often taught in English and requires a research dissertation.
4. Master of Business Administration (MBA)
The main courses in an MBA program cover different areas of business administration such as accounting, applied statistics, human resources, business communication, business ethics, business law etc. This degree is mainly for experienced professionals, but also offered by some schools to students 4 or 5 years after A-levels.