Study Business in France: All you need to know

Get your Business degree in France and you can combine world-class management education with the French joie de vivre - joy of life. Read on to learn all you need to know about business schools and study options:

What business subjects can I study?

“Business” is a broad area that includes all kinds of subjects. French business schools offer virtually any discipline in English; either as a standalone programme or as a specialisation. For example:

• Business Administration & Management
• International Business
• Finance
• Business Analytics
• Entrepreneurship
• Supply Chain Management & Logistics
• ...and many others

Considering France’s impressive wine and spirits industry, some business schools also offer unique programmes specifically for this sector. Look for “Wine Management” or similar names.

Most English-taught programmes are at Master’s level

While there is a diverse range of study options in English, it’s important to know that most available programmes are actually at the Master’s level.

Find Business Master’s degrees in France

If you are looking for a Business Bachelor’s programme in English, there are not that many options in France. Or rather: If universities offer a Business Bachelor, they often group a lot of possible specialisations into one programme. So you might find a “Bachelor in Management”, but then you can cover your desired discipline through electives.

Find Business Bachelor’s degrees in France

The best business schools in France

France is home to many of the best business schools in Europe and, in fact, the world. Business school rankings are one indicator in support of that claim. Such rankings are certainly neither flawless, nor always applicable to an individual student’s requirements and goals. But there’s a certain element of a “self-fulfilling prophecy” as company recruiters rely on them, among other factors.

One popular ranking is that of the Financial Times (FT). In the most recent edition, out of the 90 best business schools in Europe, 23 were based in France or had branch campuses there. No other country had that many in the league table, not even the UK. Here are the top 10, as ranked by FT:

Rank in France	Rank in Europe	Business School
1	1	HEC Paris
2	4	ESCP Business School
3	7	Edhec Business School
4	9	Essec Business School
5	10	emlyon Business School
6	18	Insead
7	25	Audencia Business School
8	29	Kedge Business School
9	33	Grenoble Ecole de Management
10	34	Neoma Business School

Triple-accredited French business schools

Good business schools strive to receive accreditation by external authorities. The most reputable accreditations are those provided by AACSB, AMBA and EFMD/EQUIS. Any one of them is a seal of high educational quality; securing all three is typically referred to as the “triple crown”.

And like with rankings, this is where France can shine: It is home to more triple-accredited business schools than any other country in Europe except the UK.

For example, these schools are accredited by AACSB, AMBA, and EFMD/EQUIS:

• Audencia Business School
• Burgundy School of Business (BSB)
• emlyon Business School
• Kedge Business School
• TBS Education

For an overview of all “triple crown” business schools in France and elsewhere in Europe, check out our full list of triple-accredited business schools and university faculties.

Tuition fees

Attending business school is generally not cheap; even in France, which is otherwise known for low tuition fees. But as an investment in your development and your future opportunities, expect a high ROI that makes it worth it!

Considering their reputation, most French business schools are also relatively affordable when compared to those in other European countries. At highly ranked institutions with reliable accreditations, the typical tuition fees are:

• ca. 8,000 to 12,000 euros per year for a Bachelor’s degree;
• ca. 16,000 to 24,000 euros for a Master’s degree;
• ca. 32,000 to 40,000 euros for an MBA.

Top-ranked elite institutions like HEC Paris or Insead, on the other hand, charge substantially higher fees.

Here is an overview of fees at some of France’s most popular business schools:

Business School / University	Tuition fees per year
Audencia Business School	Bachelor: ca. 8,000 euros Master: ca. 16,000 to 20,000 euros MBA: ca. 32,000 euros
emlyon Business School	Bachelor: ca. 12,000 euros Master: ca. 25,000 euros MBA: ca. 39,000 euros
ESC Clermont	Bachelor: ca. 8,000 euros Master: ca. 9,000 to 12,000 euros
Grenoble EM	Bachelor: ca. 11,000 euros Master: ca. 22,000 to 24,000 euros MBA: ca. 32,000 euros
HEC Paris	Master: ca. 21,000 to 40,000 euros MBA: ca. 80,000 euros
Insead	Master: ca. 50,000 to 70,000 euros MBA: ca. 90,000 euros
Kedge Business School	Master: ca. 18,000 euros MBA: ca. 39,000 euros
PSB Paris School of Business	Bachelor: ca. 9,000 euros Master: ca. 14,000 to 22,000 euros MBA: ca. 17,000 euros
TBS Education (formerly Toulouse Business School)	Bachelor: ca. 12,000 euros Master: ca. 17,000 to 19,000 euros MBA: ca. 35,000 euros

Language: Is English enough - or do you need to speak French?

You do not need to speak French to study in Business in France. Of course, knowledge of the local language is always helpful - anywhere in the world! But you have so many study options in English that you can easily get by, even if all you can say is bonjour, baguette and merci.

Things may look a bit different when you want to stay and work in France after graduation. Solid knowledge of French will definitely help you when applying for jobs; in fact, it may be extremely difficult to land a promising position without any French skills.

If you want a statistic on it: The EF English Proficiency Index ranked France 30th in Europe, with “good proficiency” and an upward trend.

Even if you choose to study in English, use your time to learn French. Not only will you make the most of your time in France. The language is also widely spoken around the world and will be of use to you in lots of other countries around the world!

It’s not all about Paris: There are other exciting cities!

While France is Paris-centric in many ways, there are other important business and industry hubs that you should consider - especially with an eye on the next steps of your career. Here are a few ideas:

• Nantes: This beautiful city is located near France’s Atlantic coast; and with a 300,000-strong population one might say “not too small, not too large”. Praised for its quality of life and environmental efforts, it received the European Green Capital Award in 2013. Nantes is home to Audencia Business School.
• Toulouse: Located near the border to Spain, Toulouse is known for the strong presence of the aerospace industry. Airbus is based here, and you’ll find many other companies in the sector here or in the region between Toulouse and Bordeaux (the so-called “Aerospace Valley”). Toulouse is home to TBS Business School, formerly “Toulouse Business School” - now renamed, as they operate additional campuses in Paris, Barcelona and Casablanca (Morocco).
• Lyon: Founded by the Ancient Romans, France’s third-largest city looks back at 2,000 years of history and today is a vibrant, multifaceted metropolis. The local economic landscape is diverse, with large companies in the financial services, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. Lyon is home to emlyon Business School.

Staying after graduation: Visas

Getting an education in France is usually the ideal gateway to also finding a job and starting your career in the country. Business schools are good at supporting you - after all, it’s in their best interest that their graduates are successful! There will be career fairs and events; and some programmes even have internships embedded in the curriculum, sometimes mandatory, sometimes as an optional addition.

France generally welcomes qualified expats. EU citizens don’t need a visa to stay. Graduates who are citizens of countries outside the EU either need a job to obtain a residence permit; or they need to apply for France’s version of a post-study work visa, the APS (for "Autorisation Provisioire de Séjour" - Temporary Residence Permit). The APS allows you to search for employment for up to 12 months.

Salaries for business graduates in France

At the risk of providing a less-than-satisfactory answer, typical salaries are hard to generalise. They depend on several factors like:

• the location - Paris, for example, has a much higher cost of life, so the gross salaries offered are generally higher, but that says little about what remains after cost of living;
• the job and function - a Junior Strategy Consultant will earn more than an Internal Auditor at an engineering company;
• prior experience and whether it’s relevant to the position you seek.

As a rule of thumb, you should expect that a degree from a high-ranking business school will enable you to earn more money later on. After all, higher alumni salaries are a ranking factor; so, one reason for that school ranking higher was that employers are willing to pay its graduates more money.

Top reasons to get a Business degree in France:

Among the many destinations where you can go to business school, France is possibly one of the best choices. Let’s revisit the top reasons

1. Highly-reputed education: There are many highly ranked, well-regarded universities and business schools in France.
2. Multicultural, with many opportunities: France is a large, diverse country with many career opportunities for international graduates. You might need to work on your French skills during your studies - but it’s worth it!
3. You won’t only experience France: Living and studying in France is an adventure in itself, but there are often opportunities to also venture to other countries. Many business schools offer very good exchange programmes; and some, like TBS, even have their own campuses in other countries. This means an even more international experience if you want it.

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312 Business & Management Programmes in France