With very small class sizes, dedicated professors and connections to other local universities and laboratories, each ENS offers unprecedented contact into the world of research within France and Europe. The concept of an ENS was originally created shortly after the French Revolution to do precisely this.
Each ENS functions slightly differently from the others. Generally, the Diplôme de l’ENS is awarded after four years of study. Within the computer science department at ENS Rennes, the first year (L3) gives students an intensive base to continue the rest of their studies and is followed by a summer internship in France. The second year (M1) involves more courses and a year-long project under the guidance of a researcher and another summer internship in a foreign country. I’m currently in the M1 year.
The third year (année intermédiaire) and fourth year (M2) are more complex and depend on whether the student wants to pursue a doctoral degree or become a teacher at a prépa. For the former, a choice of studying a completely separate degree at the L3-level or higher within another institution is an option, or else one year of internships abroad (called a pré-lab). For the latter, students spend a year preparing for the agrégation, yet another long exam to become a teacher within a prépa.
An American at ENS Rennes?
So what am I, an American, doing at ENS Rennes? ENS Rennes participates in the US Fulbright Program and awards two students of up to two years each a scholarship to study in any of their six departments.
