Embedded Files
The Paris program is, first and foremost, an opportunity for you to expand your personal intellectual and professional horizons. Not only will you have a chance to become part of the new academic community—with different ground rules and expectations—you will also, for the first time in your college career, have real agency over your academic choices.
The French university system, among the oldest in the world, has evolved under a specific set of historical, geographic and political constraints. In Paris, nearly 400,000 students are enrolled in the 7 universities operating in the broader Paris area. With few exceptions, higher education is almost fully subsidized by the state. French students operate in a system that provides almost unlimited academic opportunities, but does not allow for the creation of bespoke course choices or schedules. A typical French student we'll have selected their area of interest well before setting foot on campus. That choice will dictate the department (in French, the UFR: Unité de Formation et de Recherche) to which a student will be bound almost exclusively throughout their undergraduate career. For the next three years, they will follow a standard course sequence, which allows for a relatively limited number of electives.
A word about nomenclature.
In the French system, undergraduate degrees take three years. The years are referred to as L1 (“Licence 1”), L2 and L3. Each year consists of two semesters, and the six semesters required to complete an undergraduate degree are sequentially numbered.
Thus, S1 and S2 refer to the fall and spring semesters of the first year respectively, S3 and S4 describe the second year, S5 and S6, the third year. As a result, if you are looking for courses to take in the fall, your attention will focus primarily on offerings with an S3 or S5 prefix (with rare exceptions, we will actively discourage you from taking any first year course).
The next level, “, Masters”, usually involves two years of additional study. Those years are referred to as M1 and M2. Under certain circumstances, courses being offered at the masters level may be just right for you: keep in mind That M1 courses often correspond to senior level offerings in the American system. Again, the academic director will help steer you to the right offerings.
As visiting students and guests of this system, you will find yourself in between 2 worlds: still able to craft a course schedule that reflects your interests, but also expected to adapt to the realities of the French university system. In practice, you can select courses from various UFRs, and may even find yourself taking courses drawn from different levels (L2, L3 and M1) in the same semester. Nonetheless, you should engage in conversations with the academic director of the Paris program well before your departure. You should continue those conversations while in Paris. Together, you and your director will craft the perfect schedule for you.
Page updated
Report abuse