Beyond great food and fine living, France is home to world-class universities and business school … [+]
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Food, wine and number crunching? The delights of France as a cultural capital are legendary, but a country that celebrates the beauty of art, romance and fine living also has a love affair with mathematics.
France is second only to the United States for the number of citizens (12) awarded the Field Medal, also known as the Nobel for Mathematics. And on the global stage of higher education, the numbers are starting to add up. The University of Paris-Saclay this year ranked #1 for mathematics in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, with Sorbonne University ranking #3 ahead of Stanford, Cambridge University and MIT.
With four Nobel Prizes for Chemistry, Economics and Physics in the last five years, and a record 21 business schools among the world’s top 100 in the FT Masters in Management ranking, one of Europe’s leading economies is blazing a trail in both science and business. From aerospace and energy to telecommunications and pharmaceuticals, the country that gave us the word entrepreneur has also become a dynamic start-up ecosystem, with La French Tech attracting billions of euros of investment to support fast-growing digital technology companies to bring advances in medtech, biotech, cleantech to the international market.
For Christopher Cripps, Director of International Development at Sorbonne University, France does not get the recognition is deserves for the world-class quality of its research and technological innovation. “It’s a great place to carry our research, with more and more Masters and Doctoral programs available in English. Higher Education Institutions have excellent relations with industry, so internships can open doors and provide valuable professional experience.”
He believes that the leading schools are doing a great job to prepare graduates for the workplace, offering a worldly education that is producing globally minded citizens. “If companies get to like you then they hire you after graduation, with the possibility to stay for one to two years.”
Of course if you would rather enjoy literature and philosophy with your coffee and croissant, before visiting one of the country’s 1,218 museums or a trendy art gallery, there is something for everyone. Which perhaps explains why France consistently ranks among the top countries welcoming the most international students each year, with 358,000 foreign students in 2020.
According to Léon Laulusa, Academic Dean of ESCP Business School, the world’s oldest business school founded in 1819, with campuses now in six European cities including Paris, most international students choose to study in France because of the renowned academic excellence of its higher education system. “With universities such as La Sorbonne, business schools like ESCP, or engineering schools like Polytechnique, international students benefit from a wide array of state-recognised and internationally renowned degrees, preparing them to become tomorrow’s leaders.
France is also strategically located at the heart of Europe, at the crossroads between Spain, Italy, the UK, Germany and many more, bringing cultural and social richness, as well as dynamism. And finally, from a business perspective, France provides many opportunities to international students”.
He also thinks France is leading the way in tackling one of the planet’s greatest challenges.
“As the world faces the major challenge of fighting climate change, France is at the forefront of the sustainable transition, with the development of business models based on green growth, a circular economy, and ecological evolutions”.
This desire to make real change is why Paris has become a hotbed for innovation and tech-start-ups. In fact, it’s becoming one of the go-to places in Europe for savvy entrepreneurs looking to secure that all-important seed investment. Just last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an annual €5 billion public-private investment fund.
For Céline Davesne, Associate Dean for Programmes at NEOMA Business School, the French really do support international students with dreams of entrepreneurship.
“Thanks to innovative and comprehensive schemes such as La French Tech – a unique ecosystem that brings together start-ups, investors, decision-makers, etc – France is able to offer its students a wide range of opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial potential. Station F is the world’s biggest start-up campus, which help international students launch and develop start-ups so that they can set off to conquer international markets and build a meaningful future.”
French Visas also allow students to stay between 12 and 24 months on French soil after completing a master’s degree, allowing extra time to get businesses up and running.
But for students with ambitions to work in world-leading companies, France has a lot to offer. The country is home to Orange, one of the largest mobile service providers in the world, as well as cosmetics giants like L’Oreal, which oversees more than 30 luxury brands, including Maybelline and Lancôme.
Beyond both academic and professional development, France is a great place to experience student life. From the Alps to the French Riviera, or gastronomic Lyon and the champagne region of Reims, the country is home to some of the world’s most revered artists, writers, chefs, thinkers and musicians.
“French people cultivate a passion for the art of living,” explains Olivier Cateura, Director of MSc Programs at emlyon business school. “They like to learn history, to visit monuments and museums, to eat in restaurants, to stroll in the shops and to travel through different landscapes. France is a country of diversity, conviviality and sharing, it’s a place where students can truly enjoy their best years.
“As well as the chance to live in a beautiful country, tuition fees for higher education are much lower than those in the United States and are often subsidised by a local chamber of commerce. But these costs are not representative of the high quality of teaching you can expect.”
Christopher Cripps at Sorbonne University agrees that France offers a high quality education at a low price. But he also believes passionately that an international study experience is a priceless opportunity that positively changes lives. ‘For many students this is the experience of a lifetime – a chance for an extraordinary cultural immersion to move beyond your daily routine and your comfort zone. Parents send their children abroad, and welcome back young men and young women on their return.”
