REPORT – Born in 2014, this IEP accessible from the baccalaureate offers attractive specialties in political science, in a green setting.
A second year student, Louisa, 18, lives with the locals about twenty minutes from the IEP Saint-Germain-en-Laye. “The setting is very pleasant, there is a lot of greenery. It is not a very student city but we have Paris next door. I’m not afraid to come home alone in the evening. ” Director of the IEP, Céline Braconnier, presents the approximately 15,000 square meters that make up the IEP of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Created in 2014, it is a member of the network which brings together 7 Sciences Po (Aix-en-Provence, Lille, Lyon, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse). Today, this IEP has found its place and educates 780 students.
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How are studies at IEP Saint-Germain-en-Laye?
The first year is devoted to the fundamentals (constitutional law, history of political ideas, etc.). It is only a year later that students can begin to specialize. In the 3rd year, they have the possibility of an international experience, either in a foreign partner establishment, or in an internship or as part of an international cooperation program. The master 1 is particularly important: it is at this time that the students specialize and that they carry out a compulsory internship lasting 4 to 6 months. “All our students have at least one year of professional experience when they graduate: a first internship in the fourth year, and that of the fifth year. Some are on a work-study program for one year in the last year ”, explains Céline Braconnier.
What support do students receive?
This is the particularity of this IEP: the numbers being small, students can benefit from a “Tight support”, explains the director. “The teachers know them all very well. Our organization allows an individualization of the courses, a high quality attention paid to each of the courses of our students ”.
What is the required level?
Rodolphe, 19, joined the IEP after the baccalaureate, via the common competition, the main access route. Regarding the pace of work, the student immediately warns: “When you haven’t done a year of prep or higher education, which is my case, it’s a shock to go straight from high school to IEP. You have to learn to work regularly, the teachers are not behind you. ” However, it is reassuring: “We still have time to get involved, whether in associations or in sport». Céline Braconnier adds: “The goal is not to work at night and devote your entire life to studies”. La director of the IEP has decided to halve the number of method conferences: per discipline, it is once every two weeks. Time for students to read the necessary books.
How to enter the IEP of Saint-Germain-en-Laye?
Future baccalaureate holders arrive in the first year after having passed the joint competition of the ScPo network, with a hundred places offered by the IEP of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It is a written competition with three program tests: a language test, a history test and finally, a contemporary questions test. “We also take into account, for a small part of the grade, the school record. We value specialty grades whatever they may be ”, specifies the director. “There are a few places maintained in parallel admission on TB mention but which never concern more than 10% of the places offered in the competition for each IEP”, specifies the director.“It’s a way that allows us to welcome students who have brilliantly passed the bac but failed the competition because of an accident.”
How to integrate the IEP into a master?
It is also possible to join the course when entering the master’s degree. “In the 4th year, we have an entrance exam and offer 30 places” , explains Céline Braconnier. The procedure concerns holders of a license, students graduating from business or engineering schools and finally, students from preparatory classes for grandes écoles (in 2nd or 3rd year).
However, it happens that some of these young people holding a bac +3 (ie 180 ECTS credits or equivalent) need additional training. In this case, the IEP sends them to an “integrated preparatory year”, a year of refresher training in short. “We offer this course to students from either a preparatory or a license who have not done Erasmus”, specifies Céline Braconnier. “They will be able to go abroad for a semester but also benefit from an introduction to subjects which they were not able to see during their previous studies: lawyers will do economics, khâgneux, law.”
What jobs after the Saint-Germain-en-Laye IEP?
Jobs in politics, jobs in international cooperation … “This IEP offers masters in traditionally attractive sectors of the Sciences Po network.” Some diplomas are specific to Saint-Germain-en-Laye: the Intelligence and Global Threats diploma (Direm) “That we set up with the Intelligence Academy and in which we welcome 50% of students and 50% of intelligence officers”. And finally, the Influence and Advocacy diploma which is part of one of the specialties of this IEP: citizenship. He “Aims to equip a public engaged in the associative sector with the objective of professionalizing the lobbying activity”. In terms of professional integration, 83% of students have found work, all types of contracts (CDD / CDI), 6 months after having graduated.
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