Programme Grande Ecole - Excelia Business School

Master in Management - postgraduate entry

Bachelor (5 years of higher education)

Presentation

What is direct entry to the Master in Management (Programme Grande École)?

The Master Grande École, the two-year cycle of Excelia Business School's Master in Management, can also be joined directly in M1: this is direct entry. You do not have to go through the first three years of the curriculum again. From M1 to M2, full-time or on a work-study basis, you follow the cycle to the standards demanded of students who entered straight after the baccalaureate and you obtain the same State-accredited degree, which leads to the Grade de Master.

This degree is obtained on a programme that holds the quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master. Fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide hold it: Excelia Business School is one of that small number. You follow your two years on the La Rochelle, Tours or Paris-Cachan campuses, within cohorts that bring together 80 nationalities: a multicultural environment that prepares for the international roles that most of our graduates aim for. The double degrees with a Master of Science (MSc) are also rolled out in Orléans.

Who is this entry into the Master for?

This route is for you if you are studying for or hold a Licence, a BUT or another Bac+3-level degree validating a minimum of 180 ECTS credits (the European Credit Transfer System), and you want to join the Master level directly rather than start again from scratch. With a Bac+2, you enter the 3rd year: go to the Master in Management pathway from the post-baccalaureate level.

Entry is based on an online application and supporting documents, followed by an online video interview in French or English depending on the chosen programme and track. The Apply tab on this page presents the stages of the application process, as well as work-study, returning to study and the off-cycle intake. To find out more about this route in, read our article on direct entry to business school.

Language

Anglais / Français

Diplôme obtenu

Bac+5 State-recognised degree at Master’s level. 2024 graduation rate: 93%

Location

La Rochelle Paris-Cachan Tours

Tarif & Financement

En résumé

Double qualifications, Management, Marketing, Finance

4 reasons to join the Master in Management (Programme Grande École)

A benchmark degree, from the moment you arrive in M1

  • Master in Management ranked 39th worldwide (Financial Times 2025)
  • 3rd Master in Management in the Le Point 2026 ranking of post-baccalaureate Masters at the management Grandes Écoles
  • An Excelia Business School degree State-accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, which leads to the Grade de Master and is identical to that of students who entered straight after the baccalaureate

A Master to build around your project

  • The cycle: two years at Master level to develop your managerial skills and finalise your professional project
  • The offer: 50 à la carte pathways, among them 30 specialisations, MSc double degrees and entrepreneurship
  • The partnerships: engineering schools (Efrei, EIGSI, EPF) and digital schools (ISART), in support of a dual skill set
  • The support: business creation and project management

A pathway with an international outlook

  • 129 partner universities
  • 80 nationalities on the campuses
  • 14 international double degrees, including 4 MBA double degrees (Pittsburg, Zagreb, Taiwan, HEC Montréal)
  • An English-language pathway possible from entry into M1, in La Rochelle and Paris-Cachan

A programme in contact with business

  • In M1, work-study is possible over 24 months (M1 and M2), or a vocational internship
  • In the classic pathway, a group project of your choice from M1: consultancy, entrepreneurship, association management or applied research
  • In M2, a 6-month management-level internship
  • A 100% active, professionalising pedagogy: business game led by professionals, workshops, real-life projects with partner companies

Programme structure

International Track

September-June
Academic Expatriation (Those students joining the programme in Year 4 can choose to spend one semester abroad at one of our partner universities)
June - August
Vocational internship (2-3 months)

Classic Track

September-April
Lessons
April-August
Vocational internship (3-5-months) OR Internship (3 months) + Humacité©/Climacité© project (2 months) for students joining directly in Year 4

Work-study Track

September-August
1 week school-based/3 weeks company-based

Hybrid Track

September-August
A 1- or 2-year study path, carried out either on a Classic Track or a Work-study Track, depending on the specific agreement signed with our French partner higher education establishment

Companies that already work with our Exceliens

Palmarès

  • 39

    Financial Times 2025
    Worldwide ranking of best Masters in Management (TOP 12 of French schools featured)

  • 3

    Le Point 2026
    Best post-High School Master programmes offered by major French business and management schools

FAQs

Can you join the Master in Management directly at Master level?

Yes. You can join the first year of the Master’s programme (Bac+4) at Excelia Business School if you hold a Bac+3-level qualification worth at least 180 ECTS credits. Admission is based on an application file followed by a motivation interview. You then continue for two years to obtain the Bac+5 degree.

What degree do you obtain by entering the Master directly?

The same degree as students who entered straight after the baccalaureate: a State-accredited degree that leads to the Grade de Master. The Master in Management also holds the quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA, EFMD Master.

Which specialisations should you choose when entering the Master?

You choose in M2, after an M1 which, in the classic pathway, consolidates and pre-specialises. A management major lets you go deeper into a field, while a double degree with a Master of Science (MSc) at Excelia Business School allows you to target a specific career. Each profile in the Specialisations tab gives the campus, the language and the rhythm, which should help you decide.

Can you take this Master on a work-study basis?

Yes. The Master cycle of the Master in Management can be followed on a work-study basis, at a company/school rhythm across M1 and M2. All tuition fees are then covered by your employer. Find out about work-study at Excelia Business School.

Which careers can you pursue after the Master in Management?

Graduates of Excelia Business School's Master in Management go on to roles such as business developer, product manager, consultant, management controller or marketing manager, mainly in business development, communications and marketing, or administration, management and finance.

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