ISMANS IN THE RACE

MEMBER OF NATIONAL ‘IVY LEAGE’

The French scientific education is organized differently in France than in Anglo-Saxon Universities.
            In France, the education in sciences and technology is generally under graduated:

• Either along a selective way, called “Classes Préparatoires aux   Grandes Ecoles” (CPGE Sciences) and “Institut Universitaire de Technologie” (IUTechnology).
• Or along way with continuous selection, via scientific and technologic Universities.

The entrance in CPGE is reserved to the top ten of the 250 000 scientific students after the certification (BAC) obtained at the end of high school. At the end of CPGE, after two or three hard working years (1000h of academic studies per year), the ~25 000 under graduated students compete for entrance in one of the 240 Grandes Ecoles (GE). Another way for entrance in GE is what we call “IUT Competition”, also a selective way, characterized by more technical skills provided by a selective competition among the top ten of ~100 000 IUT students. The level of the competition is typically the Bachelor level in Sciences.
            There are 240 Engineering GE in France, teaching over 3 years about 75 000 students in different disciplines and graduating ~25 000 students per year. GE are mostly and historically independent from Universities but, nevertheless, mainly under the supervision of the Minister of Education and under the periodic accreditation via an independent commission of experts. The GE can be divided into two groups:

• The top ten (of the top ten :  leading group) competing mostly for a state  technical  employments (Telecommunication, Energy, Defense, Civil Engineering, Statistics): 5 000 students  predominantly educated in Paris and few number of biggest cities
• The second group competing for industrial position (Mechanics, Materials Sciences, Electronics, Informatics etc): 20 000 students

Most of these Engineering Schools are small structures (mean flow 100 students/years) dedicated to the valorization of personal talents especially through industrial and RI&D projects. 40% of the scientific PhD achieved in the scientific French scientific stream proceed via the French GE. 40% of these GE are link together in ‘ivy league’ of Excellence name the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles (CGE). The top ten of these GE have their one State Ivy Leagues (Corps d’Etat). Most of the State Ivy League GE are 200 Years old. The staff of ISMANS, one of the youngest GE ‘chooses’ a more international excellence perspectives. It is European Campus of QuebecUniversity, member of French-GermanUniversity member of the International Project Management Education Union, and mother of Euro Graduation @ccess label.

ISMANS, accredited in 1992, is located in Le Mans, well known at international level for the race (24 hours du Mans race) ISMANS-Paris Down town needs 1 hour by the high speed train, and the access of Roissy-Charles De Gaulle International Airport needs 1h1/2. Its national supervision is the Minister of Industries and not the Minister of Education. The Institute recruits 70-80 students per year, among 2000 applicants from official national competitions & 700 International EG@ competition. The initial salary (23-24 years old).of ISMANS scientist is roughly equivalent to 90k$/y US East Coast salary.