I am interested in getting my master’s degree and possibly PhD in chemistry at a French university. I am just curious if anyone here is familiar with the curriculum in Europe and if it is the same or different than it is here. I have tried to find the curriculum for a bachelor’s in chemistry at other institutions online but I have struggled. If anyone has studied science abroad and knows, please tell me! Thank you 
Are you fluent in French ?
Do you have a bs in chemistry ?
What’s your GPA and what’s the highest level of college French completed ?
Unlike Germany, there are very few French universities that offer study in English. You will need to be fluent in French. Are you?
^I’m thinking he’d attend a Grande Ecole.
http://www.ecp.fr/cms/lang/en/International_Relations/International_Programs
http://if.insa-lyon.fr/en/node/37
Doing research at an underfunded French university would be miserable. :s I suppose some are well-funded but in France the gold standard remain the grandes écoles.
Here’s a platform:
https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/etudesenfrance/dyn/public/authentification/login.html
You should let him know just how fiendishly difficult it is to get into a Grande Ecole…
Well, for an international who wants to get a Master, it’s way easier than for a French student. No need to go through prépa hell or concours or any of that.
I’m not fluent in French but I’m working on it. I have been studying french for three years. I’m a sophomore currently and I’m hoping to become fluent in the next two years.
Also, I kinda don’t want to post too many credentials about myself online. I just kind of want to get an idea of what the curriculum is like if anyone knows. For example, if french students do a lot of undergrad research, or if they go more in depth than we do in undergrad. Thanks so much for all responses!
French chemistry students would spend all of their undergraduate years studying chemistry and related disciplines only, without a general education component. The degrees are highly structured; students may be given a choice among different tracks or specializations; within each track all coursework will be prescribed. The depth of a French Bachelor’s degree is deeper than the minimum requirements for a chemistry major at an average university in the US, but less deep than possible in the US for accelerated students. Undergraduate research isn’t common in Europe. Prospective PhD candidates would start getting involved in research during their Master’s degree. The PhD phase is for research only and does not involve further coursework. You apply for admission to a PhD program to work with one specific adviser (unlike in the US, where you apply for admission to a PhD program in general and pick an adviser after you get there, maybe after rotating through different labs).
Here’s the curriculum for a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry at a random French university. (I literally took the first Google hit.) Click on L1, L2, L3 for the list of courses in each year. If you’d like to see course descriptions, you can reach out to the chemistry department and ask.
http://www.u-psud.fr/fr/formations/diplomes/licences/sciences-technologies-sante/chimie.html
When you apply for admission to a Master’s program in France, the university may ask you to complete additional undergraduate coursework (courses required for their own Bachelor’s degrees missing from your transcript) before they admit you into the Master’s program.
@ledgamite : no one will guess who you are just from your coursework and GPA.
You can’t become fluent unless you spend several months in the country.
Students don’t do research as undergrads and at the graduate level it’s not as common as in the US. If you’re aiming for a university, keep in mind that they’re dirt-poor.ik a chemistry lab they had to use empty Biro pens as instruments.
You should try for the masters programs in grande ecole d’ingenieurs (they’re not all-engineering ). Also, look at UTT, utc, which are better funded than average.
Because you lack of college level fluency, I’m trying to understand what the draw is:
Is it the science?
Or the scenery?
If it’s the science, then NEWS FLASH! There’s graduate level chemistry in the US of A and it could be free and even offer a stipend.
If it’s the scenery, then you’ve got your whole life to do that.
You could also just do “one year” to see what it’s like, as a sort of gap year, and apply to a US grad school for a PHD in Chemistry (if you’re worth anything it’ll be funded).
Unless you are a language savant you cannot become fluent in a language until you live in that language. First year at a French university is not the time to develop French language skills.
Agreed with TomSrofBoston. You’re setting yourself up for a world of difficulties (and academic struggles) if you go to grad school in France without adequate language skills.
There are levels of fluency… and the kind you gain while studying in America isn’t going to cut it for graduate-level student in France. Fact is, you’re going to have difficulties even understanding what’s being said to you both in and out of the classroom.
^ some of the Grandes Ecoles have one-yea programs in English for international students with mandatory French classes. That may be a good compromise?
There’s also study-abroad/exchanges.
So why a chemistry Masters in France?
BTW, you could try to enter a grad program at McGill. They teach in English and follow the North American system but Montreal is mostly French-speaking.
It’s also worth pointing out that you may have a hard time coming back to the US with your terminal degree from France.
If you want to enter industry, you’ll be handicapped when applying to jobs on a different continent. You can’t easily fly out to interview, and you’ll also miss out on the career services and networking opportunities of an American graduate program. You may not be a competitive applicant until you are physically back in the US.
If you want to go into academia, networking is everything. Even though research positions are advertised nationally, odds are that only candidates known to a member of the department will be seriously considered. While in Europe, most of the people you’ll meet will be located in Europe, as will (likely) be the collaborators of your adviser. Getting a PhD in Europe is setting yourself up for a post-doc in Europe which is setting yourself up for…
Not to forget that there’s also a lot more money for science research in the US than in any other country.
I honestly don’t see the career or academic advantages of pursuing your graduate education abroad. If you are going for personal enrichment, an old-fashioned study abroad, work-and-travel or au pair year may serve your other goals better.
I think it’s worth it ONLY as a one-year (or two-year) experience. The student becomes bilingual, picks up a bit more advanced stuff, returns to the US for a (full) PhD or a terminal Master’s degree. If at a Grande ecole, meets some future industry leaders. But it wouldn’t be comparabke to what would be available in the US, certainly.
The education is cheap and I can’t afford study abroad. If I study in France or another European country then I have the opportunity for scholarships at several universities. It also makes it easier to become a french citizen if I pursue a graduate degree in France.