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Pre-College Programme Core Courses
As part of their core courses in the social sciences, all Pre-College students attend a series of 2.5-hour Master Classes, taught by different guest speakers from Sciences Po's faculty. Each Master Class addresses a key contemporary issue through a multidisciplinary approach, typical of Sciences Po education. Structured as interactive lectures with a question-and-answer period, Master Classes encourage lively discussions among students and renowned professors. Through the diversity of topics addressed by the Master Classes, students learn to understand the complexities of the world through the lens of the social sciences.
In preparation for Master Classes, students participate in interactive, small-group tutorials, which develop their understanding of the material and themes addressed in the Master Classes, including key concepts and required readings. Tutorials also prepare students for university studies in France and abroad by introducing them to the academic methodology that they will encounter in higher education.
Below you can find the course overviews for 2026:
- Professor: Jeremy Perelman
- The academic programme will begin on the Monday afternoon with an inaugural course taught by Sciences Po's Vice President for International Affairs, and the Director of the Law School Clinic, Jeremy Perelman.
- Professor: Tancrède Voituriez
- Master Class Overview: The objective of this masterclass is to strengthen students' critical thinking on the climate crisis and the ways in which it can be tackled, including at student/individual level. It will provide students with the latest mapping of consensus knowledge, controversies and available data sources, as well as key knowledge communities. It will enable students to navigate the drivers, obstacles and resistance to the low-carbon economy and refine their valuable contribution to solving the problem of global warming.
Download the Course Overview for Climate Crisis (PDF, 186 KB).
- Professor: Raphaele Xenidis
- Master Class Overview: This masterclass explores major contemporary issues linked to the risks and the regulation of new technologies, artificial intelligence and big data. The course explores how algorithmic decision-making can threaten our fundamental rights, and how European law addresses these risks while avoiding stifling innovation.
Download the Course Overview for The Rise of Algorithmic Governance (PDF, 192 KB).
The course overview will be available shortly.
- Professor: Jan Rovny
- Masterclass overview: This course will introduce the complexity of social change in Europe and its implications for political competition and democracy in the context of European integration and globalisation in general.
Download the Course Overview for Contemporary European Challenges (PDF, 156 KB).
Download the Academic Schedule for the 2026 On-Campus Pre-College Programme (PDF, 112 KB).
