Sciences Po Executive Education offers multi-disciplinary programmes. We know that human sciences and social sciences are omnipresent, but they’re also complemented by the realities and current events taking place within industries. Sciences Po Executive Education offers programmes designed to help you to acquire the skills you need to achieve your goals. 
Here are our 5 tips for finding the programme that aligns best with you and what you aim to achieve: 

• Take Stock Of Your Career Goals 
• Decide The skills You’re Looking To Developp
• Assess The Time You Have Available
• Explore The Various Options available To Finance Your Course
• Find Out More About Sciences Po Executive Education (The Adventure)

1. Take Stock of Your Career Goals

This is the first step in finding the programme that suits you best: define your career goals in-depth. Are you working in an evolving business sector, and looking to upskill? A short training course ensures you remain aligned with your organisation’s expectations, competitive in your job, and even keep you ahead of the pack.
Are you aiming for more significant job growth? If so, you can choose from among several certificate or diploma courses offered by Sciences Po Executive Education. 

If, at some point in course of your career, you want to invest time in gaining perspective that helps you see your job, and the technological, environmental and societal challenges your business sector faces in sharper focus, a long diploma course is the obvious choice (Executive Masters). Not only can you use it to enhance your skills, but also to examine problems and engage in deep reflection of your economic landscape. To develop your critical perspective and acquire new keys to comprehension, you’ll benefit from drawing on the field of social sciences, the cornerstone of Sciences Po Executive Education’s programmes. It guides you towards the in-depth knowledge required for that leadership position, or to successfully embark on a career change. Moreover, a graduate course (certificate or diploma) will be issued under the aegis of Sciences Po, a hallmark of recognition and excellence, internationally. 
What’s more, you’ll gain access to a network of Sciences Po alumni, a community of more than 90,000 graduates - a source of sharing, influence and belonging. 

2. Define The Skills You’re Looking To Develop

Whether you’re looking to hone your operational skills or expand your knowledge of new disciplines, Sciences Po Executive Education offers specific programmes to meet your needs.
Are you looking for advanced input, focused on a specific area of expertise? Several short training courses allow you to develop professional skills (“design thinking”, “administrative litigation practice”, etc.) or focus on a topic increasingly being addressed in organisations (“religion as a social and cultural phenomenon”, “business management”, etc.). Certificate courses also allow you to hone in on a specific issue (“cooperative company governance”, and “ecological transition and company transformation”, etc.). You can also develop your soft skills by opting for short courses on interpersonal skills (“gaining buy-in easily and effectively”, “emotional intelligence”, etc.). 

Do you prefer to immerse yourself in the intricacies of a particular field? Our Executive Masters programmes offer a specific perspective on the key challenges your company faces (“healthcare policy and management”, “digital and media management” and “leadership paths” among others), complementing academic inputs with personal discussions with experts and professionals. You can attend them not only to acquire theoretical knowledge and develop soft skills and real-time involvement in the action thanks to practical role play scenarios, but also to further personal reflection (writing of a dissertation). 

3. Assess The Time You Have Available

How does your preferred programme fit into your schedule? This is a key question you need to ask yourself before embarking on a course. Some of them involve long-term participation. The Executive Masters is run over one to two years, based on two to three teaching days per month. It also requires work to be done independently outside of the contact sessions. You therefore need to ensure that this commitment can fit into your work and personal schedules. If you only have limited time to dedicate to the programme, short courses offer much flexibility: held over one to five days, some offer several sessions throughout the year. Finally, certificates can represent a middle-of-the-road, balanced solution. They are run for around 10 days over several months, so you don’t have to take extended work leave.

4. Explore The Various Options Available To Finance Your Course

Your company can, in fact, cover the cost of various programmes as part of its skills development plan. In monetary terms, the financing issue can influence programme choice. That is why it’s important to know the price ranges upfront (approximately €1,000 to €4,000 for a short training course, €5,000 to €16,000 for a certificate course, €17,000 to €30,000 for an Executive Masters), as well as the various means available to finance it. These vary according to your working status (employee in the public or private sector, self-employed worker, etc.) and your company. You’re welcome to contact your HR representative for more details. 

Also note that many programmes can be financed from your personal training account (French “CPF”) or Career Transition Project (previously known as “Individual Training Leave”).

Finally, please note that Sciences Po Executive Education benefits from training accreditation for local officials, which allows them to finance their course.

5. Find Out More About Sciences Po Executive Education 

Want to know more about the programmes offered? Feel free to visit our website or follow us on social media to get a true reflection of former candidates’ experiences. We also offer articles that shed light on the key challenges faced in your business sector.

You are also welcome to contact Sciences Po Executive Education directly. The Executive Masters programme departmental heads are at hand to advise you. 
You can also find out about the programme eligibility criteria, which are intended to offer wide accessibility. It’s not necessary to have completed any prior courses at Sciences Po to join us, or even currently hold a managerial position.
Finally, you can meet our course consultants who can personally guide you in sourcing financing tailored specifically to you and your career goals.

Discover Our Programme Offering. 

To Find out More

• 7 tips for the perfect work, life and study balance
• Article: Executive Master or MBA: which programme is right for you?