About Sciences Po
Sciences Po is France's leading university in the social sciences, and has seven multicultural campuses in France. Founded in 1872, Sciences Po has been educating decision-makers in the public and private sectors for over 140 years. Half of the students are recruited internationally, and form an inter-cultural community representing 150 nationalities.
Sciences Po offers programmes from the undergraduate to the doctorate level:
- The Undergraduate College: Students obtain a Bachelor’s degree
- Graduate Schools: Master's degrees are completed in two years in one of our seven schools, all located on the Paris campus
- Doctorates: the Sciences Po Doctoral School offers 5 PhD programmes, each corresponding to an academic discipline: Law, Economics, History, Political Sciences, Sociology
Sciences Po offers more than 50 dual degrees with French and international partners.
Sciences Po is a research university. It contributes to knowledge and debate in five overarching disciplines: law, economics, history, political science and sociology. Through ten research units and several cross-cutting programmes, more than 230 faculty members study such as public health, education, urban development, security, the environment and democracy all over the world.
Alumni include seven French Presidents (including Emmanuel Macron), former prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former President of the International Monetary Fund Michel Camdessus and former President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet. 86 percent of our graduates are hired within 6 months of graduation and 37 percent start their career outside of France.
ADMISSION
Our admission procedures are designed to give all talents their best chance to integrate Sciences Po. Candidates are given the opportunity to tell us about themselves, express their motivation, academic and professional goals, and put forth their strengths, foreign language skills and extracurricular activities. The selection of candidates is based on students’ background and experience as well as their motivation and academic excellence.
CAREERS
Sciences Po graduates are highly sought after by employers in both the private and public sectors. Common professions for Sciences Po graduates include:
- Audit and Consulting: 19% of graduates
- Public Administration, Public Sector: 17% of graduates
- International Organisations: 8% of graduates
- Banking, Finance: 8% of graduates
- NGOs, Associations: 6% of graduates
Key figures (2020 Graduate Employability Survey)
- 9 graduates out of 10 who decided to enter the job market are currently employed (same statistic as the previous year), which is a 5-point increase since 2014.
- 43% of graduates are recruited prior to graduation
- 86% found their first job within 6 months of graduating (87% in 2017), which is a 5-point increase since 2014.
- 66% work in the private sector (compared to 70% of the Class of 2017)
- 37% have started their career outside of France (34% in 2017)
- The average annual gross income abroad (excluding bonuses) remains stable at an average of 40,205 €
Where our graduates work
- Strategy/Development, Audit/Consulting, Finance
- Public Administration & Politics
- Human Resources
- Legal Careers
- Entrepreneurship
- Marketing & Communications
- Careers in Urban Affairs
- Research & Think-Tanks
- Press, Media & Publishing
- International Cooperation and Development
90,000 Alumni
Sciences Po alumni play an important role in political life, international organisations, multinational corporations, academic research, as well as in the media and art world. Notable Sciences Po alumni include:
Heads of State or Government
Chandrika Kumaratunga, former President of Sri Lanka,
Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada,
Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, etc.
French Presidents: Jacques Chirac, François Hollande, Emmanuel Macron, François Mitterrand, Georges Pompidou.
French Prime Ministers: Edouard Balladur, Michel Debré, Dominique de Villepin, Lionel Jospin, Alain Juppé, Edouard Philippe, Michel Rocard, etc.
Heads of International Organisations
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO,
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN Secretary General,
Nicole Fontaine, former President of the European Parliament,
Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization,
Jean-Claude Trichet, former President of the European Central Bank,
Simone Veil, former President of the European Parliament, etc.
Business and Finance
Alexandre Bompard, CEO of Carrefour,
Agathe Bousquet, CEO of Publicis France,
Maëlle Gavet, COO of Compass Inc,
Jean Lemierre, Chairman of BNP Paribas,
Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles, CEO of Credit du Nord,
Laurence Parisot, Vice-President of IFOP,
François Riahi, CEO of Natixis,
Sibyle Veil, President of Radio France, etc.
Academia, Journalism, Literature and Arts
Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, historian, member of the Académie française,
Stanley Hoffmann, professor emeritus at Harvard University,
Jean-Marie Colombani, former president of Le Monde,
Michèle Cotta, journalist,
Marcel Proust, novelist,
Christian Dior, fashion designer, etc.