GRADUATE SCHOOL

The Bologna process (LMD) is now in use throughout Europe.
Unlike the French grandes écoles, the European universities award bachelor degrees in 3 years, followed by a Masters in 2 years (M1, M2). As a result, this situation limits the number of students in these establishments who may be attracted by a Polytechnic engineering course, two years of which are at level L and the two others at level M. In addition, while M2 often maintains its former role in France as a preparatory year for the thesis, when doctoral students were recruited freely at the end of the DEA (postgraduate diploma) course, The École Polytechnique is looking to move closer to the great international universities, which attract and keep the best students from M1.

The École Polytechnique Graduate School aims to immerse "graduate" students from the three training programs into a culture of scientific challenge and expertise with high added value.
By training its engineering students in their further studies phase alongside masters students, and by offering them the prospect of a thesis in its laboratories, The École Polytechnique can attract a much broader spectrum of high-potential students. Present in sufficient numbers, these students will help to enhance and diversify its teaching approaches. A thesis in our research centre should be the key prospect for the best students recruited in M1, even if the masters should also lead directly to posts of responsibility. On the other hand, an increasing number of doctoral students should be trained previously in one of our masters programs.

A key factor is to ensure selective entry at the M1 and doctoral levels.
Strengthening numbers and providing continuity between the masters and doctoral programs means increasing the size of the pool of high-quality candidates at the end of the bachelor program and developing competitive systems for accommodating and monitoring students, offering excellence grants, integrating students into the community and helping them move towards a thesis. We need to add to our teaching offer and, at the same time, allow flagship themes to emerge more clearly. In 2008, The École Polytechnique began an in-depth review of its areas of disciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise, including its masters programs, doctoral training courses and research centre areas of expertise. A few new M2 courses should open in 2009 or 2010. New teams are joining the Doctoral School (EDX). This policy enhances The École Polytechnique's position and, at the same time, fits into the ParisTech and Plateau de Saclay context.