Institute of political studies

The institutes of political studies (IEP) are nine public corporations of higher education French located at Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Their vocation is to diffuse the knowledge and to develop research on the contemporary, the “political” adjective given that in its broadest meaning, including social questions, international and economic political questions.

They are sometimes indicated in the familiar language, even in their own communication, under the nickname “Sciences Po” followed by the name of the city where they are located (for example “Sciences Po Rennes”). In general, name “Sciences Po” without precision of place indicates the IEP of Paris, because of its anteriority (he is the heir to the Private school of political sciences, origin of the expression) and of its prestige.

On the use of the expression “Sciences Po”, to see the article Sciences Po

Nine IEP

Oldest of the political institutes of studies is that of Paris, created in 1872 under the name of Private school of political sciences and nationalized in 1945. Its international radiation, the influence of its former students in policy circles and economic, its notoriety in the university world get a special place to him among the IEP and the universities. The eight others were created on this model between 1945 and 1991.

The nine IEP are by order of creation:

in 1872, the institute of political studies of Paris;
in 1945, the institute of political studies of Strasbourg, institute interns university of Strasbourg-III;
in 1948, the institute of political studies of Bordeaux, attached to the university Bordeaux-Iv;
in 1948, the institute of political studies of Grenoble, attached to the University of Grenoble-II;
in 1948, the the Institute of Political Studies of Lyons, attached to the university of Lyon-II;
in 1948, the institute of political studies of Toulouse, attached to the university of Toulouse-I;
in 1956, the institute of political studies of Aix-en-Provence, attached to the university of Aix-Marseilles-III;
in 1991, the institute of political studies of Lille, attached to the university of Lille-II;
in 1991, the institute of political studies of Rennes, attached to the university of Rennes-I.

Only the IEP of Paris is a “Grand establishment”, independent of the universities, this statute having been created by article 37 of the Loi Savary. The IEP of Strasbourg is an internal institute of a university, pursuant to article 33. The seven others are public corporations related to administration attached to a university, pursuant to article 43.

The institutes founded between 1945 and 1956, Paris included/understood, were called in the beginning “Institute of political studies of the University of …”, and took their current name in 1969.

Bonds

There does not exist any statutory bond between the political institutes of studies, or between the institutes of province and the national Fondation of political sciences.

The nine institutes form a “network” only in the direction of a relationship of goals and formations. They also collaborate by meetings of the directors and personnel, and by a specific attention given at the requests of access to the masters coming from students of the other IEP, step which is organized gradually by conventions of mutualisation.

Moreover, the FNSP is bound by convention with two other IEP (Bordeaux and Grenoble) for the reception of laboratories and researchers. See in the article national Foundation of political sciences: Bonds with other IEP

Project of a new IEP

The creation of a tenth institute of political studies is considered on the campus of Villetaneuse of the Northern Paris university, because of the continuous growth of the number of candidates franciliens. Richard Descoings, Directeur of Sciences Po indicates Since there is a need, I proposed in the State and the area francilienne to open a first cycle out of Paris. They study my proposal.

According to the president of the university Paris-North, it would be a IEP of unballasting for Sciences Po Paris, and full exercise. Recruitment would be done on the same entrance examination as that of Paris, except that some allowed will be assigned to Villetaneuse. It will not be a IEP dedicated to the young people of Seine-Saint-Denis. However, the site of Villetaneuse is in competition with that of the Université of Marne-the-Valley and that of Creteil.

This new IEP would propose an attractive specialization, not taught with Sciences Po, such as the transatlantic relations, the euro-Asian relations or a formation on Africa in order to prevent that this new establishment is not regarded as “under-Sciences Po”.

Mission

Article 2 of the decree of December 18th, 1989 gives them for mission: 1° to contribute, so much in initial training than in continuing education, with the training of the senior officers of the sectors public, parapublic and private of the nation, and in particular of the public office of the State and the territorial collectivities; 2° to develop, in particular in relation to the establishments of higher education, the national Foundation of political sciences and the National center of the scientific research, research in sciences political and administrative.

Recruitment

The recruitment of the pupils is done by various selective procedures of admission, giving access in first year, second year or fourth year. The general rule is the contest, even if it accepts exceptions more and more.

For the contest 2008, a major reform is set up: in order to lower the costs of organization of the contests for the students (transport, lodging…) and the IEP, a contest common to the six IEP which are those of Rennes, Lille, Aix, Lyon, Toulouse and Strasbourg, will take place. Only Grenoble, Bordeaux and Paris will continue to have their own distinct contest.

Teaching

The political institutes of studies do not prepare with a trade in particular but deliver a fundamental formation and multi-field including Droit, economy, history, Political science, Géographie, Sociologie and living languages, in order to give to the students a solid general culture, an ease in the oral expression and a strong capacity of synthesis. This intellectual formation opened with international makes it possible to apprehend an active large range of professions of the policy to the public administrations while passing by the businesses, the Journalisme or the trades of the right.

The IEP of province present moreover one or more specialities of teaching, for example the Arab world in Aix-en-Provence or the Asian world in Lyon.

The IEP also prepare, for some of them, with the contests of the high public office. The majority of allowed with the National school of administration and the National institute of the territorial studies are thus graduate of a IEP, generally that of Paris (80% of the receipts with the ENA for the external contest).

Schooling

In the beginning, the schooling in these establishments was three years after the baccalaureat and was used for the preparation with the contest of the public office. The very large majority of the graduates thus continued their studies in third cycle in a university or a school of training of the civils servant (ENA, etc). At the end of the years 1990, one year of caesura abroad spread, carrying the schooling at four years.

Following the reform known as " LMD ", the formation of the IEP from now on is organized in five years, cut out in two cycles. The courses of certain institutes include one year abroad.

The first cycle, in three years, is multi-field, and the second cycle, in two years, allows a specialization.

The rank of master is conferred to the holder of the diploma of end of studies, they do not receive on the other hand the rank of bachelor.

Resources

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