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| Graduate Study in France | The different institutions propose two types of academic program – long programs and short programs. Short programs take two or three years. They specialise in intense study and training in the fields of manufacturing, trade, and services. The long programs are broader in variety of content.
The first level is roughly corresponding to undergraduate degree of most countries and ends after three years of university study. After that graduate students are awarded the Licence. The second level usually lasts 1 or 2 years. The first year ends in a maîtrise. A diplôme d'études approfondies (DEA) or diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées (DESS) is awarded after an additional year of study.
The third level is composed of graduate research and ends in the award of a doctoral degree following the successful defence of a thesis or dissertation. Equal to a PhD, the doctorat requires 3 years of study after the DEA. Diplômes Nationaux are regulated and recognised by the government, tough some universities and schools propose other unregulated degrees.
The French academic year begins in September or October and ends in May or June. The accurate starting and ending dates differ from institution to institution and from program to program. Most of the academic programs offered in France are taught in French, although there are an increasing number of bilingual alternatives, including some graduate courses taught completely in English.
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