Institut d'études politiques de Paris | |
Former names
|
École libre des sciences politiques |
---|---|
Type | Public, Grande école |
Established | 1872 |
Endowment | €173 million |
President | Olivier Duhamel |
Director | Frédéric Mion |
Academic staff
|
200 |
Students | 13,000 |
Undergraduates | 4000 |
Postgraduates | 3900 |
Location | Paris, Reims, Dijon, Le Havre, Nancy, Poitiers, Menton, France |
Campus | Urban |
Nickname | Sciences Po |
Mascot | The lion and the fox |
Website | sciencespo.fr |
Sciences Po (French pronunciation: [sjɑ̃s po]), or Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d'études politiques de Paris, French pronunciation: [ɛ̃s.ti.ty de.tyd pɔ.li.tik də pa.ʁi]), is a selective university (known as a Grande École in French) located in Paris, France.
Its main campus is located on rue Saint-Guillaume in the 7th arrondissement. It maintains departments in political science, economics, history, sociology, law, finance, business, communication, social and urban policy, management, and journalism. The university is organized into eight schools: the University College, Sciences Po School of Public Affairs, the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po Law School, Sciences Po School of Management and Innovation, the Urban School, the Journalism School and the Doctoral School.
Sciences Po is ranked 4th in Politics and International Studies globally by QS 2016 World University Rankings. Sciences Po is a member of several academic consortia (including APSIA and the College Board).
The school was created in 1872 to improve the training available for public servants and politicians following a series of political catastrophes.
It is seen in France as an elite institution and many notable public figures are among its alumni, including the past five French presidents. It has also, however, been strongly criticized for creating an oligarchy in French society and being at the centre of several scandals.
Sciences Po was established in February 1872 as the École Libre des Sciences Politiques by a group of French intellectuals, politicians and businessmen led by Émile Boutmy, and including Hippolyte Taine, Ernest Renan, Albert Sorel and Paul Leroy Beaulieu. Following defeat in the 1870 war, the demise of Napoleon III, and the Paris Commune, these men sought to reform the training of French politicians. Politically and economically, people feared France's international stature was waning due to inadequate teaching of its political and diplomatic corps. ELSP was meant to serve as “the breeding ground where nearly all the major, non-technical state commissioners were trained.”