1. To benefit from a pluridisciplinary education in social science…
Unlike many undergraduate universities, Sciences Po provides a pluridisciplinary and general education to its students. Its core curriculum comprises six disciplines, namely history, sociology, economics, political science, law and humanities. In addition, students are also required to take mathematics and statistics classes, as well as participate in artistic workshops where they can pursue various skills such as photography, calligraphy or theater. And if that were not enough, students must also study one foreign language, ranging from Korean to Arabic. All in all, we promise you will not get bored at Sciences Po!
2. … while still specializing
Although studies remain quite general, students progressively focus on certain disciplines. During their second year, they choose from one of three majors offered: Politics and Government, Economics and Societies, or Political Humanities. More importantly, they also benefit from a Geographic Minor linked to their campus. This allows students to focus their studies on one part of the world and acquire in-depth knowledge about its history, culture and challenges!
3. To enjoy an international and diverse environment
All Sciences Po campuses count around 50% (or more!) of international students. Overall, more than 150 nationalities are represented in the school. No matter your campus, you will interact on a daily basis with people from all over the world: get ready to hear ten different languages every day! French students also come from all over the country and very diverse socio-economic backgrounds and educational systems. This diversity is one of Sciences Po’s greatest assets, as you will meet people with widely different life experiences, opinions and ambitions.
4. … as well as a tightted-knit campus
All Bachelor campuses of Sciences Po are much smaller and tight-knit than what you would experience in other universities. In fact, the cohorts vary from around 80 to 800 students a year. Although each campus has its own unique atmosphere, all offer a cohesive and united environment for students. Students tend to be friendly with one another, and very supportive of their peers.
Countless dinners, parties and get-togethers take place each week. Students experience everything together, from homesickness to sleepless nights before exams. As All Sciences Po students will tell you, your peers quickly become your family and the friendships you form in the school are unlike any other. As cliche as it sounds, you might leave the campus after two years, but the lifelong friends you made along the way will always remain by your side.
5. To discover a rich associative life
Sciences Po is well known for its diverse campus life, with more than 300 clubs and associations active on all campuses, and more than 2000 student-organized events a year.
Do you feel like joining three cultural clubs and practicing two different sports a week? Well, as long as you’re well-organized, it is technically possible. Do you just want to focus on studying and enjoy a few events on an occasional basis? That is possible too.
Every student can freely build their own experience of the student life, and balance work and associative life as they wish. But one thing is sure, if you’re looking for people to share your passion with, Sciences Po has clubs and associations for almost everything: dance, debate, music, MUN, theatre, languages, wine-tasting (welcome to France), cinema, law, writing, culture, etc.
6. To go study abroad
As part of the diploma’s academic requirement, every Bachelor’s student at Sciences Po goes to study abroad during their third year. Regardless of their initial geographic specialization, 2nd year students are asked to choose and rank six international universities they wish to visit the year after.
Students are then all assigned to universities according to their preferences and coherence of their choices. It allows them to live a unique experience of studying abroad, and discover new cultures and ways of learning while pursuing the study of their major.
Find more about all the university partnerships here.
7. To enjoy diverse job prospects
Students who completed their Bachelor’s degree at Sciences Po are given the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree at Sciences Po if they wish, as they can freely join the Graduate School of their choice among seven (except for the School of Journalism and dual master’s degrees, which remain selective even for students already at Sciences Po):
- The School of Public Affairs
- The Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA)
- The Law School
- The Urban School
- The School of Management and Impact
- The School of Journalism
- The School of Research
Even though the « Po » in Sciences Po stands for politics, the school offers much more! All these different options allow Sciences Po graduates to enjoy a great diversity of professional opportunities: journalism, politics, finance, law, international affairs, communication, marketing, consulting, urban planning, public affairs, research in social sciences, and so on.
As the Bachelor’s degree provides pluridisciplinary education, with still a bit of specialization, it gives you some time to refine your professional project while keeping doors open in a wide range of fields through all those available options (there is no prior major requirement for any of these graduate programs).
Find out more about the master’s degrees here.