Student societies

A student society life built into the curriculum

At Excelia Business School, student society life is not an activity on the margins of study: it is built into the curriculum for all students, under the name of the "student society engagement mission". This principle has existed since the school was founded, which chose from the outset not to separate management training from its practice.

In practical terms, half a day a week is set aside for this mission, whatever programme you are following, and it earns ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System), in the same way as a standard course. Joining one of the school's student societies therefore does not eat into your class time: it is a recognised, assessed and credited part of your training.

This principle is part of a wider approach to student life at Excelia Business School, where collective experiences count as much as theoretical teaching.

Many sixth-formers worry that getting involved in a student society might weigh on their results, and their parents often share the same concern. This framework answers that very question, since the student society engagement mission is built into the official timetable, in the same way as any other course, rather than added on top of an already busy week.

This is better understood in pictures than in words:

What student society engagement develops

Steering a student society project means managing a team, a budget and a schedule: a training ground for management that recruiters know how to read. It also means learning to embody concrete values: team spirit, solidarity, responsibility or integrity, which are developed in real situations rather than in a lecture.

This support is open to any student who gets involved, with a dedicated kit to start a project. Students elected to a society's board benefit, meanwhile, from additional training and one-to-one coaching, which turn a student responsibility into a genuine management experience: project management tools, methods for recruiting a team, conflict management and a managerial stance are among the topics covered.

This type of responsibility leaves a concrete mark on a path: deciding, making trade-offs on a budget or motivating a team are experiences you do not have in a lecture theatre.

Some programmes go further and offer a pathway dedicated to student society management, which allows elected students to steer their society like a genuine business project, with enhanced support. The Master in Management (Programme Grande École) and the Bachelor in Business each set out the details and the timetable.

Wondering how this mission fits in practice with the programme you are interested in? Our detailed brochure of our programmes sets out, for each programme, its pathways and arrangements.

Student society engagement is only one of the ways to get involved at Excelia Business School: discover also our student engagement schemes, focused on sport, entrepreneurship and social openness.

The student societies on our campuses

Excelia Business School's student societies cover highly varied families of projects, grouped into six main themes:

• communication and media
• team sports and watersports
• international and solidarity
• arts and culture
• student life activities
• business network development

Depending on your interests, you will therefore find a project that suits you, rather than a single structure to join by default. On each of Excelia Business School's four campuses, this network of student societies takes a form specific to the site: a Students' Union (BDE) is present everywhere, and a Sports Office (BDS), an Arts Office (BDA) or more specialised societies are added depending on the campus.

• Students' Union (BDE), present on all four campuses: La Rochelle, Tours, Orléans and Paris-Cachan
• Sports Office (BDS), in La Rochelle and Tours
• Arts Office (BDA), in La Rochelle and Tours
• Humanitarian Office, in Tours
• ISSE'O, in La Rochelle
• OXYGEN, in La Rochelle
• XL Junior Consulting, in La Rochelle
• XL Ambassadeurs, in La Rochelle
• La Rochelle Actions, in La Rochelle

This diversity is reflected in practice, since each student society has its own name, project and campus. To discover the identity of the one that interests you, head to our campuses.