Grande Ecole program
ISIT’s government-certified degrees in intercultural management and communication, legal communication, international relations, and conference interpreting are recognized by the world’s most competitive companies and influential organizations.
The aim ? To produce competitive multilingual and intercultural experts, able to tackle the intercultural challenges of companies, organisations and NGOs.
Introduction
The Grande Ecole program is composed of a 3-years course in the International and Intercultural Studies, followed by a 2-year master’s degree.
With native teachers, compulsory international internships and exchanges, courses in 9 working languages, double degrees and joint degrees with renowned international universities in the fields of multilingualism and interculturality, our Grande Ecole program has a resolutely international outlook
- ISIT’s Grande Ecole program also offers a lawyer-linguist program, organized in partnership with leading law schools. ISIT provides language and intercultural training while students complete a law degree program at another university. ISIT has partnerships with the Faculté de Droit Jean Monnet – Université Paris Saclay and with Paris II Panthéon-Assas Université.
Teaching methods
Students receive a demanding multidisciplinary and multilingual education, combined with a strong focus on research. ISIT’s Grande Ecole program combines theory and practice, training and professional experience, teaching and research.
ISIT’s teaching is based on a range of complementary learning methods designed to meet students’ expectations as well as the needs of the business world and of wider society.
Work experience and time abroad
- 13 months of compulsory internships over 5 years, of which 4 months must be spent abroad.
- 6 months to 1 year of international academic exchanges.
- A 5th year which can be done as a work-study program
- Consulting assignments to be carried out in teams for client companies.
- Research dissertations on intercultural themes
- Individual career development support in collaboration with employers.
Courses
Year 1
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT & ISSUES
- Introduction to Law Economics 1
- History and Civilization 1
- Working methodologies workshop
- Key Global Issues & Current Affairs 1
- History of the Media
- Fundamentals of Intercultural Studies
- Social Media
- Digital Culture 1
- Introduction to International Relations
- History of Art
- Management, Marketing & Communications 1
LANGUAGE EXPERTISE
- Text Analysis
- Voltaire Project
- Analysis of A language
- Written and Oral Production 1
- General Translation into A language
- Written Expression in B languages – Level 1
- Oral Expression in B languages – Level 1
- Language Development of B languages – Level 1
JOINT PROJECT
- Based on the “theme of the year”
CAREER SUPPORT
- Support for personal and professional development
- Extra-curricular activities within and outside of the school
- 1-month international internship
Year 2
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT & ISSUES
- Economics 2
- European Institutions
- Fundamentals of Geopolitics
- History and Civilization 2
- Intercultural Dialogue
- Challenges of Interculturalism
- International Law
- Digital Law
- Management, Marketing & Communication 2
- Fundamentals of Communication
- History of Cinema
- Digital Culture 2
- History & Principles of Translation
- Sustainable Development
- Key Global Issues & Current Affairs 2
LANGUAGE EXPERTISE
- Text Correction and Revision
- Written and Oral Production in A language – Level 2
- General Translation into A language
- Written Expression in B languages or General Translation into B languages
- Oral Expression in B languages
- Language Development of B languages – Level 2
JOINT PROJECT
- Based on the “theme of the year”
CAREER SUPPORT
- Support for personal and professional development
- Extra-curricular activities within and outside of the school
- 6-month international internship
Year 3
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT & ISSUES
- International Economics
- Practical Approach to Intercultural Studies
- Digital Culture 3
- Political Science
- A choice of 3 specializations:
- Intercultural Management
- Translation & Intercultural Communication
- International Relations & Multilingual Communication
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- Applied Semiotics
- General Translation into A language
- Current Affairs Analysis & Debate in B Languages
- Language Development of B
- Languages – Level 3
RESEARCH
- Introduction & critical essay
ENTREPRENDRE
- Sensibilisation
UN PROJET COMMUN À TOUS
- Autour de la thématique de l’année
- Project game
INSERTION PROFESSIONNELLE
- Accompagnement au développement personnel et professionnel
- Activité associative / vie de l’ISIT
- Stage de 2 mois à l’international
ÉCHANGES ACADÉMIQUES
- Semestre en échange dans l’une des 100+ universités partenaires
- Rédaction d’un retour d’expérience interculturelle
Prerequisites and past papers
Prerequisites
3 languages at least
Our program is open to candidates who are able to communicate effectively in two working languages in addition to their mother tongue. French and English are compulsory, and students must choose a 3rd language from Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Russian.
- Minimum language level required under the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages
- B2 for English
- B1 for other working languages
- Students may add any other language to their degree certificate provided they pass an examination in that language at the end of their degree program.
IMPORTANT : you cannot select a language as one of your working languages if you are a beginner in that language. However, you can choose a 4th language to study ab initio as an extra, outside of your assessed classes. The languages offered include Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese and French Sign Language.
Qualifications required
- First-year admissions: You must currently be enrolled in your final year of high school or have earned the equivalent of a high-school diploma
- 2nd-year admissions: You must have completed your first year of university studies (L1) or currently be in your first year of Classes Préparatoires
- 3rd-year admissions: You must have completed your second year of university studies (L2) or currently be in your second year of Classes Préparatoires
- 4th-year admissions: You must have completed your third year of university studies (L3) or have completed one year of a master’s program (M1).
- 5th-year admissions: You must have completed one year of a master’s program (M1) – Specific conditions for each master’s program
Past papers
- See recommended reading for undergraduate admission (2nd and 3rd year only)
- You will find some sample exams and past papers below.
Click to watch the video in English played at the beginning of the exam (March 2016)
Double degree programs
- With international universities of excellence in China, the United States, Italy, Portugal and Lebanon.
- With complementary courses in France: CFJ Paris, Excelia Group, University of Paris Faculty of Societies and Humanities
Important: you must have been admitted to the partner institution concerned in order to be eligible for these double degrees.
Two years of learning & consolidating the fundamentals
Each student follows a multilingual core curriculum which aims to lay the foundations of intercultural, digital and international skills.
At the end of each academic year, all students complete an internship abroad to strengthen their language skills through immersion in the countries of their working languages.
Year 3: pre-master’s
This transition year sees the addition of two cross-disciplinary modules to the core curriculum, as well as a choice of 4 specializations to prepare students for one of our Master’s programs.
- An Entrepreneurship course to raise students’ awareness of the challenges of innovation, digital transformation and leadership.
- An introductory research module to understand the keys to effective research and develop critical thinking skills.
A 6-month academic exchange is to be carried out in Europe or outside Europe with one of our partner universities. The year ends with another 2-month internship to be carried out abroad.
Years 4 & 5: Becoming a professional
The final two years of ISIT’s Grande École program are devoted to professionalization. There is a choice of 6 Master’s degree specializations, each of which is driven by the strong multilingual and intercultural dimension that is part of ISIT’s DNA.
ISIT produces graduates with a strong general knowledge and a solid understanding of intercultural issues who are able to show agility in an international environment and to grasp the complexity of globalized organizations and businesses.