Master in Management

What is a Master in Management (Programme Grande École)?

The Master in Management (Programme Grande École) is the emblematic management programme of the French business school model, and Excelia Business School's version stands out for its academic rigour, its international dimension and its openness to societal issues. It is a State-accredited qualification, awarded by the Ministry of Higher Education, which leads to a Grade de Master: a recognition that secures your career entry, in France and internationally.

Excelia Business School is a private higher education institution of general interest (EESPIG), a not-for-profit status, which means that the school's resources are reinvested as a priority in the quality of its programmes rather than distributed to shareholders. It is on this basis that the Master in Management is aimed at secondary school students, students and young graduates who want to combine a recognised qualification, an international experience and solid career entry, whatever their starting point.

"Grande école" does not refer to a single entry route: the preparatory class is one, direct admission after the baccalaureate or after a Bac+3 is another. Getting into a business school without a preparatory class is therefore possible, whichever route you choose.

Two entry routes: after the baccalaureate or after a Bac+3

Excelia Business School's Master in Management is completed over five years after the baccalaureate or two years after a Bac+3: it is the same programme, with two entry points depending on your background. The question, therefore, is not which of two different qualifications to choose, but which door lets you in.

If you are coming straight from secondary school, Undergraduate entry into the Master in Management takes you through the full pathway, from the generalist foundation of the first years through to specialisation in the Master cycle, whereas if you already hold a Bac+2 or a Bac+3, Postgraduate entry entry into the Master in Management lets you join the Master cycle directly, without going back through the first three years.

Both routes lead to the same State-accredited qualification, which confers the same Grade de Master. Do you want to compare the courses, the timetable and the admission requirements for each route before choosing? Request the Master in Management brochure to receive the full details of each pathway.

A flexible, international pathway

The Master in Management pathway at Excelia Business School is flexible and can be tailored over five years, which lets you build your trajectory year by year rather than fixing it from the outset. A generalist foundation in management, finance, marketing and strategy therefore comes before an in-depth specialisation in the Master cycle, as you refine your career project.

Since 1997, this pathway has also been available on a work-study basis, which lets you fund your studies while building solid professional experience even before you obtain the qualification. Work-study can be combined with the programme's international dimension and mobility between campuses, without you having to choose between the two. The rhythm of work-study, and the year from which it becomes available, are set out on our page devoted to work-study. Outside work-study, estimate the cost of your studies to get a concrete assessment of what the programme costs.

The programme also offers double degrees with our Master of Science (MSc) programmes, to combine a generalist manager's expertise with a recognised career-specific specialisation, which builds a hybrid profile able to engage with several areas of expertise rather than remaining confined to a single function. The international dimension, meanwhile, runs through the whole curriculum, whether through academic mobility, an English-taught pathway or day-to-day multiculturalism on campus, and you can explore the international dimension of our programmes to find out about the available formats.

A pedagogy focused on impact

Beyond the qualification, the Master in Management commits you concretely to ecological and social transitions, with a Humacité© mission and a Climacité© mission that are part of the programme. These are not options on the fringes of the curriculum: they confront you with real situations, where performance is also measured by the impact produced, for the organisation as much as for society. To place these schemes within the whole of student life at Excelia Business School, you can consult student engagement at Excelia Business School.

This rigour is underpinned by strong academic recognition: Excelia Business School holds a quadruple accreditation, EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master, which places it among the fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide to hold all four labels. This benchmark of quality sets the Master in Management apart beyond the qualification alone, and makes it a programme recognised by companies and by candidates from other countries alike.

What are the two entry routes into the Master in Management?

The Master in Management is completed over five years after the baccalaureate, following the full pathway, or over two years after a Bac+2 or a Bac+3, with direct entry into the Master cycle. Both pathways lead to the same State-accredited qualification, conferring the Grade de Master.

Does the Master in Management last five years or two years?

It depends on your entry point: five years if you join after the baccalaureate, with a generalist foundation followed by a specialisation in the Master cycle, or two years if you join the Master cycle directly after a Bac+2 or a Bac+3.

Do you have to sit a competitive exam to enter the Master in Management?

Admission is based on an application and a competitive exam, the arrangements for which differ depending on the entry route chosen. It does not require you to have come from a preparatory class: discover how to get into a business school without going through a preparatory class.

What does "State-accredited qualification conferring the Grade de Master" mean?

The Master in Management's qualification is State-accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, which certifies that its quality is monitored by the State. It also confers the Grade de Master, an academic recognition that supports further study as well as career entry, in France and internationally.

Is the Master in Management open to international students?

The Master in Management is aimed at secondary school students, students and young graduates seeking a recognised qualification combined with a genuine international experience, in France as well as during stays abroad. Its international dimension runs through the whole pathway: discover the international dimension of our programmes.