French Master in Economics - TSE, PSE and Ecole Polytechnique

[duck12]

Hi everyone

 

I am interested in doing a Master in Economics in France. Namely, TSE, Ecole Polytechnique/ENSAE and PSE (I have been accepted at the former two schools).

 

Does anyone have any experience at the programs above? I am particularly interested in the following:

 

 

• The quality of training and administration (for example, size, teaching quality and rigour of the program - from posts five years ago, it seems that teaching at TSE was poor... has this changed more recently?)
  
• RA/reseach work opportunities available to students
  
• Placement into PhD programs (either in the US or other UK/European schools)
  

 

Any information you could share would be very much appreciated (either directly or second hand).

 

Thank you.

Edited March 22, 2018 by duck12

[dregon03]

All of them are good schools!

 

French Masters Programs - TSE, PSE and ENSAE-X

 

You should look at what the previous thread on this topic!

[ChasingTheMoon]

Hey, I can just agree with dregon03, they are all very good schools!

 

ENSAE (Infos just about second year, can't judge first year at all)

 

• The quality of training and administration: Professors are really good, either young and enthusiastic or famous researchers in their field. However, be aware of the French teacher-up-front style, in particular in the majority of subjects which are taught in English.
  
• RA/reseach work opportunities available to students: If you are thrilled to do so there are very good opportunities, however, be aware that this is not common at all in France, in particular at ENSAE as a lot of students do more than one degree simultaneously.
  
• Placement into PhD programs (either in the US or other UK/European schools): Don't know about as the program is quite new and only a small portion wants to continue with a PhD outside France. However, as there are well-known professors you can definitely find strong LOR and a very strong education in everything you need to be prepared for a PhD in Econ.
  

 

TSE/PSE:

I have mainly second hand information, so I can not contribute much to the raised questions regarding these schools. PSE is growing and I got to know several students who are really happy with the training there. In particular as the school is located in Paris, offers a policy-related education and maintains strong ties with international organizations (OCDE etc.). Toulouse on the other hand is a very cool city and if you enjoy a more student-driven city you should definitely go there. Moreover, the nice southern French weather should not be underestimated :) Certainly, the faculty is quite nice and they have very good professors as well. I heard diverse opinions about the different MA programs. Some people were really satisfied while others were more disappointed, but this is certainly true for all programs...

 

In general I would judge based on your specific research interest and the related professors at each school, in particular if you want to head for a PhD afterwards. All three are very good universities, so there will be no wrong choice. However, they are located in completely different environments, which can have a strong influence on your life satisfaction, so I would take that into consideration as well :)