NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

Lycées
Lycées are secondary schools which offer training leading to the baccalauréat. There are general and technical schools and
there are vocational schools. Some secondary schools have a section de techniciens supérieurs (STS) which offers technical
programmes leading to the brevet de technicien supérieur (BTS) and the preparatory classes for the entrance examinations of
the grandes écoles (CPGE). There are approximately 600 preparatory classes in lycées in different regions of France.
Magistère
This is a university degree accredited by the ministère de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, which represents
successful completion of a three-year interdisciplinary course of study after the first university cycle (DEUG or DUT); this
course has not changed since 1990.
Maîtrise
National degree awarded upon successful completion of the second year of the second university cycle.
Module
First and second cycle university programmes are organised according to a course credit transfer system (modules) applied at
many universities since the beginning of the 1993/94 academic year.
Titre
These degrees are diplomas recognised by the government and related to a specific profession (for example, the titre
d’ingénieur or the titre de docteur en médecine). The holder of a degree must be able to prove that he or she was awarded the
said degree by a State-accredited institution.
Unité de valeur
Credits are proof of the successful completion of semester or year-long courses in either compulsory or elective subjects.