Sciences Po

   Name used, even formally, by the Institut des Etudes Politiques de Paris, an autonomous state-funded school of higher education (grand établissement), founded in 1872, and a university in all but name. The undergraduate course at Sciences Po, designed to produce graduates with a solid understanding of the workings of the modern world, is a pluridisciplinary degree covering a range of social sciences, including history, law, politics, economics, sociology, and foreign languages. Many leading French politicians, businessmen and civil servants have degrees from Sciences Po, and the school's increasing success has led to the opening of smaller campuses, offering specialist courses, in Dijon, Poitiers, Menton and Nancy.

   Sciences Po is one of the top ranked institutes of higher education in France and in Europe, and competition for places is stiff. The school runs joint degree courses with several top international schools, including the universities of Columbia and Georgetown in the USA, and LSE in Great Britain. Many leading French politicians, businessmen and civil servants have degrees from Sciences Po, and the school's increasing success has led to the opening of smaller campuses, offering specialist courses, in Dijon, Poitiers, Menton and Nancy.

   The official Aeres audit of Sciences Po in 2008 described the institution as being "seen from abroad as a typically French institution, rather difficult to situate and to comprehend." It defined the school's mission as being to train graduates with "knowledge, but also understanding, of society and the world... in short to educate them".

   The name 'Sciences Po' is also used commonly to refer to Instituts d'Etudes Politiques (IEP) attached to a number of universities.