International

What the international dimension changes in your programme

Excelia Business School, the management school of the Excelia group, is an international business school: the Excelia network has 233 academic partners in 57 countries and brings together 80 nationalities on its campuses.

In practice, depending on your programme, this takes specific forms:

• a first year abroad, with the BBA International's International Track pathway
• a semester or a year at a partner university
• a double degree, or an end-of-studies internship abroad
• without leaving France, classes in English in mixed cohorts

None of this is reserved for a few profiles: it all depends on the programme and the point at which you join the school, a question you can discuss with our advisers. In the Master in Management (Programme Grande École), if you enter after the baccalaureate, your third year is spent abroad, at a partner university; after a Bac+2 or at master's level, going abroad becomes a choice, whether on exchange or as part of a double degree. In both cases, an international experience is required to obtain the degree.

The BBA International follows the same logic. After post-baccalaureate entry, your third year is spent abroad, or earlier at a European partner of the school, where you study before completing an internship. After entry at Bac+2, you follow a course in English in France.

Going abroad: exchanges, double degrees, internships

With Excelia Business School, you can go abroad in three ways: on an academic exchange, on an international double degree, or on an internship abroad. The first, academic expatriation, involves studying a semester or a full year at a partner university without losing a year, since the exams you pass there earn you credits that count towards your Excelia degree.

This period abroad is prepared with your programme's international officers, who help you choose your destination according to your plans and your languages, before the international relations department takes over for your visa, insurance, scholarships and accommodation. And if you go to a country in the Erasmus+ programme, you can apply for the Erasmus+ scholarship, which helps fund your travel and your stay.

The second way to go abroad is the double degree: 1,500 students in the Excelia network are preparing one, and the partner university's degree is added to yours without ever replacing it. Our FAQ explains what a double degree is, while the map of our partner universities shows the destinations that offer one.

The BBA International even lets you start as early as the first year at a partner university abroad, with its International Track pathway. Another flagship experience, the Disney International Program, takes you to the United States, where a training period precedes a paid internship in support functions.

Lastly, in the Master in Management, the end-of-studies internship takes place in France or abroad, and the Humacité© mission, two months of voluntary community work with an NGO or an association, can also be experienced internationally. If you are unsure about the right time to go abroad, our article studying abroad after the baccalaureate helps you weigh up this choice.

Studying in a multicultural environment, in France

You don't need to go abroad to experience the international dimension. Excelia's campuses bring together 80 nationalities, and you mix with them every day on Excelia Business School's campuses, in La Rochelle, Tours, Orléans and Paris-Cachan, in cohorts that combine French and international profiles; some pathways there are even taught in English.

The Excelia network also welcomes 1,700 international students, supported by an international admissions department from first contact through to graduation. And if you are wondering what level of English is expected to join a business school, our FAQ answers that question.

What the international dimension brings to your career

An international experience stands out on a CV, where recruiters read three qualities: adaptability, language proficiency and multicultural teamwork. A year of study at a partner university, an internship abroad or a multicultural group project in La Rochelle: all experiences you can talk about at interview.

These skills open up positions in France and internationally:

• business developer
• business account manager
• product manager
• supply chain manager

The internships and work-study programmes of Excelia Business School's programmes let you practise them even before you graduate, within an Excelia network of 53,000 graduates in 150 countries.

For families, recognition of the degree matters just as much: depending on the programme, your degree is State-accredited, leading to a Grade de Licence or Grade de Master, a recognition that employers can read clearly in France and abroad. The quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master adds a further benchmark, since these four international labels assess the quality of management schools and fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide hold all of them. The page our accreditations explains what each one guarantees.

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Your questions about the international dimension at Excelia Business School

Can you go abroad from the first year?

Yes: with Excelia Business School's BBA International, the International Track pathway places the first year at a partner university abroad. In the Master in Management, the year abroad comes later, in the third year after post-baccalaureate entry, and remains a choice at master's level.

How long does a period abroad last?

A semester or a full academic year, depending on the programme and the pathway. In the Master in Management, after post-baccalaureate entry, the third year is spent abroad, on exchange or as part of a double degree. In the BBA International, it takes place abroad or at a European partner of the school after post-baccalaureate entry, and in English in France after entry at Bac+2.

Which countries can you go to?

The Excelia network has 233 academic partners in 57 countries, but the destinations open to you depend on your programme and your pathway: the map of our partner universities shows you all of them.

Is a double degree obtained abroad recognised in France?

Yes. Your Excelia Business School degree remains State-accredited, with the Grade de Licence or Grade de Master depending on the programme, and the partner university's degree is added to it without ever replacing it.

Does Excelia Business School welcome international students?

Yes: the Excelia network welcomes 1,700 international students and brings together 80 nationalities on its campuses, where an international admissions department supports every candidate from first contact through to graduation.

Does going abroad cost more?

Sometimes: depending on the host university, additional costs are possible. In a country in the Erasmus+ programme, the Erasmus+ scholarship helps fund travel and your stay, and it can be combined with the means-tested scholarship as well as the regional scholarship: see financial aid for your studies.

How does the school support your departure abroad?

Before you leave, your programme's international officers advise you on your destination, according to your languages and your plans; Excelia Business School then takes over, through its international relations department, for your visa, insurance, scholarships and accommodation.