What to do after a Bac+3?
A Bac+3 in hand changes everything: the question is no longer "how do I succeed in my studies?" but rather "what do I do next?". A master's at university, direct entry to a business school, entering the job market or a gap year: the options multiply once it's time to choose. This article presents the different options and what each one involves.
In brief
After a Bac+3, you can continue to a master's at university, join a business school through direct entry (sometimes on a work-study basis), enter the job market or take a gap year.
If you choose a business school, two master's-level formats await you: specialised Master of Science (MSc) programmes, or the Master in Management (Programme Grande École), which you join in the first year of a master's after a Bac+3.
What are the options after a Bac+3?
A Bac+3 that has been completed or is being completed opens up four main directions, whether it's a licence, a BUT (which confers the Grade de Licence and 180 ECTS credits) or a Bachelor's.
- Continue to a master's at university, following on from your licence
- Join a business school through direct entry, a route distinct from the post-baccalaureate or post-prépa competitive exams, which generally has you entering the first year of a master's
- Enter the job market, a Bac+3 giving direct access to employment
- Take a gap year
In several of these pathways, work-study remains a possible arrangement rather than a separate route: it changes the rhythm and the funding of your studies, not the direction you choose.
A master's at university or at a business school?
On paper, the answer is the same on both sides: a university, like a business school, awards a Bac+5 qualification that confers the Grade de Master, state-recognised, and therefore legally equivalent.
What differs depends on the model. Leading business schools can obtain international accreditations that French universities generally do not have: Excelia Business School holds a quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master, held by fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide. These accreditations attest to the quality of the programmes and facilitate graduates' international mobility, an important criterion when choosing. They also maintain close partnerships with companies: dedicated offers, forums, enhanced support towards work-study.
To find out more, our article on the comparison between business school and university details each of these criteria.
Master of Science or Master in Management?
At a business school, the master's level comes in two formats at Excelia Business School. The Master of Science (MSc) moves directly into a specialisation: a professionalising programme, accessible after a Bac+3 or a Bac+4, offered in classic format or on a work-study basis, whose duration depends on your entry level.
The Master in Management takes the opposite path: it first builds a broad vision of management, in strategy as much as in finance, before specialisation, and is joined, depending on the level validated, in the first year of a master's with a Bac+3; it also targets the Grade de Master. Access to the Master in Management in the first year of a master's details the requirements.
If your project is already clear, the MSc moves more quickly into subjects linked to the specialisation; the Master in Management leaves you time to refine a project. To choose between an MSc and the Master in Management, our article details the criteria. If your hesitation concerns which specialisation to choose, a quiz helps you identify the Master of Science that matches your project, in just a few minutes.
Can you work directly with a Bac+3?
Yes. A professionalising Bac+3, such as the Bachelor in Business, trains operational profiles in commerce, administration and management, immediately employable in field-based roles.
Entering the job market after a Bac+3 is a genuine choice, not a stopgap, and nothing stops you resuming your studies later.
What if you took a break before the master's?
It's an option in its own right. A gap year is possible at every stage, including between a licence and a master's, with the institution's agreement; it can even begin as soon as you enrol on the next programme.
The gap year helps you plan it without losing sight of your project.
How do you join a business school after a Bac+3?
This route in has a name: direct entry, or admission on qualifications.
Depending on the school, selection generally combines an application, written tests and a motivation interview. At Excelia Business School, it is based on an online application, supporting documents and a motivation interview, to guarantee equal opportunities. For entry at master's level on the Master in Management, the panel focuses above all on:
- your career project
- its link with your background
- your past assignments
- your efforts to secure an internship or a work-study placement
The original discipline of your licence, your BUT or your Bachelor's therefore matters less than the clarity of this project and your ability to argue for it. Direct entry to business school is something you prepare for: our article details the steps.
Discover the Master of Science (MSc) programmes
Frequently asked questions
- Can you enter directly into a master's after a Bac+3?
Yes. A Bac+3 that has been completed or is being completed gives access to direct entry, a selection process specific to business schools. It lets you join the first year of a master's directly, whether on the Master in Management or in a Master of Science.
- What further studies are available after a Bac+3 in business or management?
Two main routes exist: the university master's, which extends a licence, and the master's level at a business school, in the form of a specialised MSc or the Master in Management. Both confer the Grade de Master, state-recognised.
- Can you join the Master in Management after a Bac+3?
Yes: depending on the level validated, the Master in Management is joined in the first year of a master's with a Bac+3. Admission is based on an online application, supporting documents and a motivation interview, where the panel above all assesses your career project.
- Can you work directly with a Bac+3?
Yes: a Bac+3, such as the BUT, confers the Grade de Licence and gives direct access to the job market, in operational roles in commerce, administration or management. Nothing stops you resuming your studies later if your project evolves.
- Do you need a precise career project to apply for a master's after a Bac+3?
It matters more than the original discipline of your licence, your BUT or your Bachelor's. In direct entry, selection combines an application, written tests and a motivation interview, where knowing how to argue your case makes the difference.
