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A widely-known, acclaimed, and friendly-sized university

Sciences Po Rennes, a state higher education establishment founded in 1991, is part of a network of ten ‘Sciences Po’ Institutes of Political Studies in France.Over the years, Sciences Po Rennes has established itself as a key player in higher education and research – in Rennes itself, throughout western France, and nationwide.

Excellence spanning a range of academic disciplines

Sciences Po Rennes’ mission is to train students from all social backgrounds, preparing them to take on responsibilities in the public and private sectors in France, Europe, and the rest of the world.

This training provides excellence across a range of disciplines: human and social sciences (law, economics, history, and politics), based on an approach that is both humanistic and innovative, combining individual and group aspects, instilling a sense of personal responsibility and the public interest, and nurturing open-mindedness in respect of the major issues facing society today.

The initial course leading to a Master’s level diploma lasts 5 years and is divided into two stages: a 2-year common core covering the basics (Bachelor’s degree) followed by 1 year abroad and a 2-year vocational/specialisation course (Master’s degree).

Students can transfer to Sciences Po after their Baccalaureate (with the first-year entrance examination valid for all 7 Sciences Po institutions in the network), or after having gained a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, or to prepare for specific competitive examinations. Foreign students and individuals with one or more years’ professional experience can also enrol for courses at Sciences Po Rennes for one or two semester(s).

Courses designed to secure job prospects

Sciences Po Rennes’ Master’s offering is structured around four Schools, all of which share the same aims of nurturing excellence, covering a wide range of subjects leading to a variety of opportunities:

• The State School of Politics, whose courses are jointly accredited with the Rennes Ecole Normale Supérieure.
• The School of International Affairs, with outward-looking courses involving international partnerships.
• The School of Organisational Management, providing sandwich courses to facilitate employability.
• The School of Journalism, training professionals in skills in demand across all types of media.

Courses are vocational, including classes given by professionals as well as internships.

Spanning all five years, this course structure enables Sciences Po Rennes to deliver a distinctive educational programme that is in line with the requirements of the job market, helps students to understand the world around them, and anticipates the future.

Our campus in Caen, Normandy

in 2012, Sciences Po Rennes opened a campus in the centre of the city of Caen in Normandy, with a course delivering second- to fifth-year studies focusing on sustainable development, local administration, and transition.

The specialist course majors in consultation, dialogue, forward planning, and renewable energy, particularly at local government level.

Adopting the multi-disciplinary approach that is a characteristic strength of the Sciences Po model, the syllabus reflects current and future concerns in terms of jobs, career prospects, research, cooperation between regions, and public policy.

The educational philosophy of Sciences Po Rennes involves gradual specialisation. In the second year, specialisation accounts for some 30% of the teaching content, structured around classes on human and social sciences that address issues relating to sustainable development.

After a mandatory third year abroad (at a university or on an internship), students choose between two courses on offer on the Caen campus:

• Master’s in ‘Consultation and territories in transition’: the two pillars of this course are consultation and forward planning, seen as providing vital and complementary decision support resources for all private and public-private sector stakeholders in sustainable development with responsibility for project design and implementation. This second-year master’s course is a sandwich course.

Master’s in ‘Innovative territories and Scandinavia’. Run by the School of International Affairs, this master’s course focuses on innovative urban territories in France and Northern Europe. Its main aim is to prepare students for jobs in the public or private sectors relating to urban studies, town planning, mediation, local development and planning, and EU projects and affairs. This second-year master’s course is a sandwich course.