What is the Grande École Program (PGE)?

09 Dec 2019

A student smiling at the camera

As the flagship programme of the best business schools, the Grande École Programme raises many questions: what does this curriculum include? What are the international opportunities? What are the career prospects? In which activity sector? Is it a recognised diploma? Etc. Today, we tell you more about this programme worthy of the best business schools!

What is the Grande École Program?

Also known under the name “PGE”, a Master Grande École Program is a bachelors to master’s degree course which grants a diploma at the Bac +5 level. Taking place over 3 to 5 years of study, depending on the management or business school, this program is widely recognised in the professional world for its practical dimension, its selectivity, and its excellent employability rate.

Designed to help students build a solid professional foundation from the ground up. A typical master Grande École program will focus on the different areas of business management from a national and international level. These topics include;

SESAME competition: How to prepare for it

  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Human Resources (HR)
  • International trade

Master Grande École Program Admissions:

Provided by the most prestigious business schools, the Grande École course is increasingly coveted among students pursuing bachelor degree level education. This is why the admissions process is quite selective, and requires prospecting students to go through competitive examinations, according to your level of studies. Relevant knowledge, professional experience, and capability are all typically measured in an application. As the course strives to train future managers for international operations, cultural experience and worldliness are also sought after.
 

Undergraduate level of study

 

After obtaining your baccalaureate/A-Levels or equivalent at UK Sixth Form or US High School level, it will be necessary for all students wishing to obtain a business degree at a prestigious management university or business school to complete a post-baccalaureate exam. At IPAG Business School, we primarily use the SESAME competition, which is used across 14 business schools.

 

Level of studies bac+2 /+3


If you wish to join a Master Grande École Program after obtaining your undergraduate degree, such as a Bachelors, you can apply to begin the PGE in its 4th year as a 2-year master’s degree.

We offer regular preparation sessions for free for the admissions competitions; SESAME, in order to give you the best chance of success!

Register here to apply for a Grande École Program as an international student

How is a Grande École Program organised?

The Grande École Program takes place over 3 to 5 years of study, depending on the school and course entry point. Generally, the program is structured in two parts:

  • The first three years are relatively general to business management, and prepare you for the various course professions. This will allow you to discover the different fields to help you to choose your specialisation.
  • The last two years at masters level will specialize in a particular field, and train you in very specific management industries. 

As the Master Grande École Program is a complete course which allows you to obtain a bac + 3 level after three years, but does not grant you the possibility of obtaining a bachelor level diploma. For this, it is necessary to continue the course until the 5th year to obtain the recognized masters level diploma.

At IPAG our American Track PGE course has 10 specialisations, or majors, available to choose from:

The PGE is a professionalising program accompanied by professional experience. Whether it's an internship or work-study training, a Grande Ecole Program ensures students undertake practical learning spent in a company. At IPAG, students can gain up to 34 months of professional experience on the PGE course. These experiences can also be carried out internationally for those who opt for an international career. 

Our advice for finding a work-study program

Some schools also give you the opportunity to take a gap year during the course, which allows students to to carry out humanitarian projects, go on an international adventure, or work in their preferred industry. This is a great opportunity to gain some life or professional experiences, and consider the specialisation and professional project topic you’d like to focus on for the course.

The advantages of the Grande École course

The advantages of the Grande École Program are numerous, there’s no surprise the course is very popular with students.

Due to its selectivity and comprehensive educational content, the Grande École Program is widely recognised by companies all over the world, and offers many future career opportunities. In particular, thanks to its large portfolio of partner companies, a student from a top Grande École university benefits from the support and opportunity of a professional network of professionals all over the world.

With a PGE degree, the professional experiences acquired during your studies are widely recognised and appreciated by recruiters. They allow you to put into practice the theoretical lessons given throughout the first few years of the degree and ensure your CV is competitive once you graduate.

The Grande École Program is a fast track for students looking for an international career in management and business. They also provide an array of international opportunities and experiences, thanks to networks of universities around the world supporting the course.

Learn more about our Full-time, English-taught Master Grande École Program in Paris or Nice, France