Top Master’s in Management Programs in France

HEC Paris was crowned king of the MiM by The Economist this year, when the elite French business school topped the magazine’s list of the best 40 courses worldwide. HEC Paris is one of the Grande Ecoles, super selective French schools that created the MiM and have educated many of France’s top business leaders. 

SKEMA Business School was established in Lille in France, but has globalized, launching campuses in Brazil, China and the US. That gives its MiM program, ranked third globally by the Economist, global cachet. Students can crisscross continents, studying portions of the MiM on the three campuses. 

ESSEC Business School is another of the Grande Ecoles, and it was ranked fourth globally by the Financial Times in the newspaper’s list of the 100 best Masters in Management programs around the world last year. The course stands out for its work placements, with 100 percent of the cohort working for leading global companies during the MiM, often paid and the tuition fees are also typically covered. 

ESCP Europe Business School is another established French school with global connections. It has bases in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid and Turin in Italy, so students take different MiM modules in countries of their choosing, giving them global exposure that is valued highly by employers. 

EDHEC Business School in Lille is ranked highly by the major publications and the program is customizable, with students choosing global economic transformation and technology, financial economics, or business management focuses. EDHEC is also has “triple crown” accreditation from the EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA awarding bodies, which ensures high teaching standards. 

EMLYON Business School is one of France’s oldest and most prestigious graduate schools of business. That means it has 32,000 alumni in 120 countries, giving students superior access to a network that can help them land jobs. Indeed, EMLYON works with 1,600 companies and 95 percent of its graduates are employed within six months of graduating from the MiM. Times Higher Education ranked EMLYON 34th globally for employability. 

NEOMA Business School is a Grande Ecole with a rich history and tradition of excellence in teaching and research around the world. Students study the MiM on either the school’s Rouen or Rems campuses and they are not book worms: NEOMA is renowned for practical learning through simulations, consultancy projects and academic exchanges overseas. 

IESEG School of Management in Paris runs a well-regarded Master in Management program that is built as a combined degree, a bachelor’s followed by a master’s that runs for five years. The school focuses on building an international learning experience, for example through a mostly foreign faculty body, an entirely English curriculum and exchange programs abroad. 

Audencia Business School in Nantes is among the 1 percent of business schools in the world that are triple accredited. The school’s MiM degree can be taken in French or English and students also can work for between four and 18 months in a company as part of the course, a good pathway to a top job at a global firm. 

Grenoble Ecole de Management is another triple accredited institution with a long history of excellence in France. It’s ranked highly by the FT, Economist and QS. Grenoble benefits from its high-tech industrial base by the French Alps. With the presence of companies like HP, Xerox, Caterpillar and Schneider Electric, students gain valuable knowledge of working in industries that are important to the future of the global economy.