Conférence des Grandes écoles facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Conférence des Grandes écoles

Nickname	CGE
Formation	16 May 1973; 52 years ago (1973-05-16)
Founder	Philippe Olmer
Founded at	Assemblée générale constitutive (consultative general assembly) at: École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (Paris)
Type	Association of Grandes écoles
Legal status	(association law 1901)
Purpose	Advocacy. National and International.
Headquarters	11 rue Carrier-Belleuse
Location	Paris, France
Origins	French student protests of May 1968
Products	Summaries, studies and surveys in higher education for the French national education plan
Services	Accrediting body. Guarantees the quality of educational programs.
Method	Think tank, commissions, working groups.
Fields	Primarily engineering, management, architecture, design, and political studies
Membership	227 Grandes écoles, all recognized by the State, delivering a master's degree or higher.
Official language	French

The Conférence des Grandes Écoles (which means "Conference of Grandes Écoles" in French, often called CGE) is an important French organization. It was started in 1973. Its main job is to represent special French schools called Grandes Écoles. It also does research and makes sure these schools offer high-quality education.

A Grande école is a unique type of higher education school in France. These schools are separate from, but often linked to, the main French public university system. Many Grandes Écoles have joined new university groups since 2010. Examples include PSL University and Saclay University.

Grandes Écoles are known for being very selective. Students must pass tough exams to get in. Many people who graduate from these schools go on to hold important positions in French society. Not all Grandes Écoles are part of the CGE. To join, a school must offer postgraduate degrees and meet strict rules. These rules cover how students are chosen, what is taught, international connections, links with businesses, and student support.

What is Accreditation?
- Types of CGE-Approved Programs
Why are Grandes Écoles Prestigious?
Founding Members
See also

What is Accreditation?

The CGE helps make sure that nearly 600 different study programs are of high quality. These programs offer training and research that match what jobs are available in France. When a program has a CGE label, it means the school's training is excellent. It also means the school helps students find jobs, has an international focus, and offers approved training.

To do this, the CGE has an Accreditation Commission. This group of 32 experts checks schools and their programs. They make sure schools keep their high standards. They review new programs and check existing ones regularly.

Types of CGE-Approved Programs

The CGE approves several types of study programs:

Programme Grande École (PGE): This is a main five-year program. It leads to a high-level diploma, like a Master's in Management or Engineering.
Master of Science (MSc): This program focuses on a specific international field. At least half of the classes are taught in English. Examples include Artificial Intelligence or Luxury & Fashion Management.
Specialized Master (MS): This offers advanced learning in a particular area. It leads to an even higher-level diploma. Examples include Biomedical Technology or Wines.
BADGE: This is a training certificate for people who have finished two years of college or have five years of work experience.
CQC (Certificate of Qualification and Skills): These are shorter courses that teach specific job skills.

Why are Grandes Écoles Prestigious?

Grandes Écoles are highly respected schools. They can be public or private, but the CGE accredits them. The French Ministry of Higher Education approves their degrees, which are recognized worldwide. Most Grandes Écoles focus on business and engineering. However, there are also schools for teaching, political studies, veterinary medicine, and journalism.

These schools often have smaller class sizes than public universities. Many of their programs are taught in English. A key feature of Grandes Écoles is their strong connections with governments and businesses. They also offer chances for students to do internships abroad or study in other countries.

Out of about 250 business schools in France, only 39 are members of the CGE. Many of these CGE member schools are among the best business schools in Europe.

Top Business Schools (CGE Members)

Here are some CGE member schools that have been highly ranked by the Financial Times for European Business Schools:

Financial Times – European Business Schools (CGE members-only)	2019	2020	2021	Female faculty 2021
HEC Paris	1	1	1	30%
Insead, Sorbonne University Alliance	5	3	3	22%
ESSEC Business School, CY Alliance	7	6	8	36%
ESCP Business School, Panthéon-Sorbonne Alliance	14	8	14	38%
EDHEC Business School, Catholic University of Lille	15	14	10	33%
EMLyon Business School	20	20	19	40%
Grenoble Ecole de Management	25	28	36	47%
Audencia	40	45	31	44%
EM Normandie Business School	81	83	86	40%
ESC Clermont Business School	95		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}
ESSCA School of Management	76	70		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}
Excelia Business School	79	63	64	51%
Burgundy School of Business	81	80	82	49%
ICN Business School	69		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}	80	55%
IÉSEG School of Management	64	55	62	46%
Institut Mines-Télécom Business School	75	73	84	48%
ISC Paris	88		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}
Kedge Business School	31	34	40	33%
Montpellier Business School	69	72	75	45%
Neoma Business School	50	39	44	44%
Paris Dauphine University, PSL University	89		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}
Paris School of Business		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}	88		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}
Rennes School of Business	56	68	88	34%
Skema Business School	49		1=Expression error: Unrecognized word "x". }}	48	37%
TBS Education	57	58	58	50%

Top Small Universities (CGE Members)

The Times Higher Education also ranked some Grandes Écoles among the top small universities (with fewer than 5,000 students) worldwide:

Times Higher Education – top 20 small universities worldwide (CGE members-only)	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
École Polytechnique, Polytechnic University of Paris	4th	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd
École normale supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon	7th	5th	7th	9th	11th (tied)
Télécom Paris, Saclay University				6th	11th (tied)
École des Ponts ParisTech			9th		7th
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, Saclay University		18th
École normale supérieure (Paris), PSL University	2nd

Oldest Grandes Écoles

Many CGE member schools have a long history, some dating back to the 1700s. These older schools first focused on training government workers and military engineers. They taught mostly math and science. In the early 1800s, more Grandes Écoles were created to support industry and trade. Some of these schools are among the oldest continuously running educational places in France.

Here are some CGE member schools that are over 200 years old:

CGE member: founded 200+ years ago	Founded as	Year founded	Founding affiliation
École nationale supérieure de techniques avancées, Polytechnic University of Paris	École nationale supérieure du génie maritime	1741	Started to teach Naval engineering.
École des ponts ParisTech	École nationale des ponts et chaussées	1747	Originally trained engineering officials and civil engineers.
École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort		1765	A Grande école for veterinarians.
Arts et Métiers ParisTech	Ecole d'Arts et Métiers	1780	Provided training for military officers and their children.
Mines ParisTech, PSL University	École pratique des Mines du Mont-Blanc	1783	An engineering Grande école running since 1794.
École Polytechnique	École centrale des travaux publics	1794	Started during the French Revolution to teach math and science.
École normale supérieure (ENS Paris)	École normale de l'an III	1794	Created to train teachers in France.
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers		1794	Created during the French Revolution for science and technology training.
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr		1802	Created by Napoleon Bonaparte for military training.
École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne	École nationale supérieure des mineurs	1816	An engineering Grande école running since 1816.
Beaux-Arts de Paris	Écoles des beaux-arts	1817	Founded by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture to teach arts.
ESCP Business School	Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris	1819	The world's oldest continuously running school of commerce and management.
École Nationale des Chartes	École des Chartes	1821	Created to train archivists and historians.

Founding Members

The CGE was founded by several important schools, including:

École Centrale Paris
HEC Paris
Ponts - ENPC
ISAE-SUPAERO
Arts et Métiers ParisTech - ENSAM
Mines ParisTech - ENSM.P.
MINES Saint-Étienne
Mines Nancy
ENSTA Paris
Télécom Paris - ENST
École Polytechnique - EP or l'X
Supélec - ESE
ESPCI Paris
Institut national agronomique Paris Grignon INA-PG