Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles

The classe aux grandes écoles préparatoire (abbreviated CPGE, colloquially classe prépa or prépa; German preparatory class ) is a section of the French higher education career.

It involves a two-to four-year preparatory course of studies after the baccalauréat (equivalent to the Abitur or Matura ) for the selective entrance exams of the grandes écoles. The classe préparatoire is either directly to high schools ( lycées ) offered by certain grandes écoles or even a so-called 1er cycle ( " basic studies " ) or prépa intégrée ( integrated preparatory classes '). The latter entitle but usually - If sufficient power - only for the transfer to these same university. Already in the preparatory classes, there are unofficial gradations that are reputable which the schools Lycée Louis -le- Grand, Lycée Henri IV, Lycée Saint- Louis, Lycée Stanislas in Paris, Lycée privé Sainte -Geneviève and Lycée Hoche in Versailles, Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux, Lycée du Parc in Lyon, Lycée Thiers in Marseille and Lycée Pierre de Fermat in Toulouse.

The classes prépa are not fully comparable with the German bachelor's degree, as in France the first two years of study are subject-oriented substantially less, but provide a more general basic training. A degree of Classe préparatoire is useful only in France, because it is not recognized as a university degree. Usually, however, the students receive from a university is an equivalence certificate in one or more of the subjects studied, which certifies that they have a university degree. Obtained in the Concours no place at the chosen university or college class at least, one can enroll at a university, and then usually begin in the third year of study.

This preparation classes can be divided into three types:

• The classes scientifiques prepare the engineering schools, which before Écoles supérieures normal and some military academies. At 63 %, the vast majority of students who have chosen a prépa enrolled in these science classes.
• The economics classes économiques et commerciales prepare you for the business schools and the normal écoles supérieures. (22%)
• And the humanities designed classes littéraires prepare the normal supérieures écoles, the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, the business schools and the Institute d' études politiques ago. (15%)