There are various trajectories open to students who wish to study economics or management. After obtaining the baccalauréat, or after two years of classes preparing for admission to Grandes Ecoles (CPGE), they can enrol at a university, University technology institute (IUT) or a business school.
Universities, which this study focuses on, offer courses in Management, Economics, Economic and Social Administration (AES) and eco-management multi-sciences.
This variety results in different course content and prospects. For these different courses, the main access route is still the Economic and Social Sciences baccalauréat.
Courses in AES, which is more generalist and multi-disciplinary, appeal to a great diversity of profiles, in particular technological and vocational baccalauréat holders, whereas the Economics route, which has a more theoretical content, attracts scientific baccalauréat holders.
In the end, depending on the course, between 30% and 50% of students obtain their Bachelor's degree in 3 or 4 years. Nearly one-third of Bachelor's graduates continue onto a Master's programme. Depending on the course, 46% to 61% of Master's students complete their studies in 2 years.
In 2008, 78.2% of new baccalauréat holders entered higher education. The general study tracks at university mainly take in students with a general baccalauréat: law, economics, and economic and social administration (¦Administrative, Économique et Sociale - ¦AES) study tracks for those with an economics and social sciences baccalauréat; arts, languages, humanities, for those with an arts and humanities baccalauréat; sciences, physical education and sports science and techniques (¦Sciences et techniques des activités physiques et sportives - ¦STAPS), and medical subjects for those with a scientific baccalauréat. In University technology institutes (¦Institut universitaire de technologie - ¦IUT) 68.5% of students have a general baccalauréat, while those with a technological baccalauréat tend to enrol in Advanced technician's sections (¦Section de technicien supérieur - ¦STS). Those enrolling in a class preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (¦Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles - ¦CPGE) mainly have a general baccalauréat. In the business schools, more than one in two students hold an economic and social baccalauréat. Boxes: study tracks open to different baccalauréat series; sources and scope.
