The humanist dimension of ESSCA is certainly not recent. The history of the school is punctuated with initiatives that put individuals at its heart
stability, the school decided to add three new campuses in France at the same time, in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux and Lyon. This development was carried out with an ambitious policy of also obtaining major international accreditations. When I joined ESSCA at the end of 2018, it seemed obvious to me that the strategic plan should ensure the successful fulfilment of these three ambitious projects. This is why our latest strategy, the Odyssey 2024 plan, is based on principles of action that combine pragmatism and simplicity and which operate under the three guiding principles of organisational design, innovation and quality. The strategy aims to strengthen the school’s position, whether in France or abroad, with SMEs, mid-cap companies or large groups. This multi-campus network is undoubtedly a competitive advantage. ESSCA’s identity is based on humanist values. Can you tell us a bit more about these and how they’re manifested in your culture? The humanist dimension of ESSCA is certainly not recent. The history of the school is punctuated with initiatives that put individuals at its heart. ESSCA opened its doors to women in 1909, long before high schools opened their doors to them for the baccalauréat. In 1967, a few months before the major student demonstrations in France of May 1968, ESSCA welcomed student representatives to its board of directors. At the beginning of the 1990s, it was at the forefront of the deployment of work-study courses to strengthen professionalisation, but also
social openness. As part of this, it is the first French management school to offer the modulation of tuition fees according to family income. When it comes to the curriculum, the first and second years after the baccalauréat focus on general culture, with modern foreign languages, mathematics and the humanities (sociology, philosophy, political science, art history) representing 60 per cent of teaching. The humanist dimension of the school is also formalised
the strengthening of double competence degree-seeking curricula in a professional perspective, (years four and five) like the existing ones with engineering schools. Moreover, there’s the consolidation of the territorial development in mainland France and the welcoming of growing cohorts of international degree-seeking students, or students looking for a double degree (engineering, art, design and political science) at campuses specialised in interdisciplinary curricula (Angers, Paris and Lyon). Plus, we should include here the internationalisation of the master’s cycle (opening English tracks and an extra semester in English). What innovations is your school developing to future-proof its post- graduate business programmes? The vocation of ESSCA is to educate students who can adapt to the managerial issues faced by organisations. This vocation implies anticipating the emerging or potential needs in order to support firms in their development. Programme and curriculum revision is based on several committees such as the yearly steering committees of programmes, which brings together representatives from the world of practice and faculty members to provide recommendations for programme design. Reinforcing teaching innovation and the quality of student learning experience is also of primary importance. In order to improve the learning experience, resources have been allocated to the inclusion of innovative technologies (TEL) in all the teaching activities and support of each programme.
by its legal form because it benefits from the label of Higher Education
Establishment of General Interest issued by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. While being a non-profit private school, ESSCA benefits from a form of public service delegation for its scientific and educational activities.
What differentiates the MiM programme at ESSCA?
The Grande École programme (MiM) is a ‘hub of competences’. Opening it in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux and Lyon in 2016, and in Strasbourg in 2022, brought ESSCA’s MiM closer to significant target populations who did not wish to study far from home. Our strategic plan focuses on the potential side effects of the reform of the baccalauréat to divert high-potential applicants from preparatory classes by offering double-competence curricula in a liberal arts perspective (years one, two and three): applied mathematics, philosophy, literature, sociology, economics, psychology, international relations, sciences and arts. Then there is
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