EPSCI School of International Management

EPSCI School of International Management - France

The EPSCI School of International Management, a 4-year undergraduate program offered by ESSEC Business School, prepares students for careers in international management. It is a leading school among European management schools and was the first school outside of North America to be accredited by the International Association for Management Education (AACSB). This school hosts recruitment fairs and offers internships to students. Extracurricular involvement is stressed. The student body is dynamic and demonstrates initiative. Students may also participate in sports or one of the 160+ associations active at EPSCI.

Location
Located 30 kilometers from Paris (35 minutes from Charles de Gaulle Etoile at the top of the Champs Elysées, by RER A), Cergy-Pontoise is in the Val d'Oise department on the edge of the Oise River. It is a modern city that is culturally rich, has beautiful parks, and has an industrial thread. It is a city that is constantly developing. Cergy is also an important university center with many schools (including ESSEC), the Saint Louis Polytechnic, the University of Cergy, the University of Neuville. There are many historical towns and villages to be discovered and explored in the region.

Approximate Term Dates
Fall Term - Late August to December
Winter (Spring term) – Late February to Mid-June

Academic Information
The preferred teaching methods at EPSCI are lectures, tutorials, and group work. Language courses cover the cultural, political and economic aspects of the countries studied.

Credit Equivalency
5 EPSCI courses (4 ECTS each) = 5 SSB courses
20 ECTS = 15 SSB credits

* Most courses at EPSCI have 42 lecture hours.

Language
French and English
(More English courses offered in the Spring than Fall)

Facilities
Students at EPSCI have access to many school facilities. The campus cafeteria offers discounted student meals and downtown Cergy hosts a number of restaurants, sandwich and fast food outlets. The university also has an impressive library collection holding around 50,000 books, dealing in areas such as economics, marketing, management, accounting, finance, logistics, social sciences and law. EPSCI, part of the ESSEC Business Schools, has an Ethernet of over 2000 plugs covering both campuses at Cergy and Paris la Défense. Coordinated around a switch, relayed by several dozen local hubs, the network offers individual access of 10 or 100 Mb/s, according to the type of workstation.

The university also has 80 classrooms, all equipped with computer and video-projectors, including 23 amphitheaters with ultra-modern multimedia equipment and Internet connections. The ‘market room’ is equipped with 15 computers and has specialized software (Reuters connections) and students have free-access computer rooms, as well as language laboratories

Accommodation
ALEGESSEC, the student residence association of Group ESSEC, provides over 600 rooms to members. Three residence halls are located on or within close proximity to the main Cergy-Pontoise campus. On-campus housing is guaranteed if students apply and send their deposit by the deadline. If students prefer off-campus housing they will need to find it on their own.

Health Insurance
Exchange students must be covered by a health insurance policy that is valid in France during their exchange term.

Visa
For visa information, please contact:

Consulate General of France in Toronto
130 Bloor Street West, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1N5
Tel : (416) 925 8041
Fax : (416) 925-3076
Web site: www.consulfrance-toronto.org

The International Student Office
The International Student Office facilitates the integration of international students to the EPSCI community and helps them fulfill their administrative requirements. It assists students in getting their residence and work permits, searching for housing and obtaining housing subsidies, and in all other practical questions that students might have about services and resources at ESSEC.

All the latest information and events organized by the International Student Office are outlined on the ESSEC Intranet. ESSEC students can find more information by consulting the Intranet.
The International Student Organization also helps exchange students improve their French language skills by organizing cultural activities, intercultural debates and language practice sessions. In addition, they assist students in writing and proofreading resumes, motivation letters, professional projects and administrative mail.

Student Associations
The International Student Organization helps students get oriented with French lifestyle. While not part of the curriculum, sports are strongly encouraged. The Student Sports Association offers all ESSEC Business School students a wide range of individual and group sports, from ju jitsu to rowing, from rugby to dance, including rock climbing, juggling and adventure raids.

A well-established institution, the Student Council (BDE: Bureau des Eleves) is elected annually after a memorable campaign. It is in charge of many school activities, the internal newspaper, trips, and so forth. Associations are a fundamental part of student life, contributing to students' sense of belonging, and stimulating the general atmosphere. A range of activities means that EPSCI students can choose to market their program (EPCSI Promo) in secondary schools, look for jobs (EPSCI Job), carry out market surveys (EPSCI Enterprises). Seventy associations operate at ESSEC Business School, enabling students to join according to their tastes, needs and interests: sports, trips, music, internship search, radio, humanitarian, culture, fine foods, conference organization, promoting the school, and so forth.

Cost of Living
(Exchange Rate Link http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/english/exchform.htm)

Further Research:
The official Web site for EPSCI Ecole de Management International is:

http://www.essec.fr/essec/

*For more information about EPSCI, please visit the Resource Library in Room W263.