Sciences Po: Connecting France & India, expanding opportunities

In an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal, Michael Hauchecorne, Director of the Sciences Po Campus in Le Havre, and Alexandre Mariani, International Affairs Manager for China and Southeast Asia, discuss how the institution is shaping global social sciences education.

- Simple Vishwakarma MUMBAI

They speak about Sciences Pos interdisciplinary model, its multilingual approach, new programmes, growing Indian student presence, and the expanding academic partnerships connecting France and India.

FPJ: For students who may be unfamiliar, could you briefly describe Sciences Po and its key areas of specialisation?

Mariani: A quick word about the name of the institution. French people love shortening words, so science politique—political science—became “Sciences Po”. I mention this because we sometimes receive emails asking about chemistry, biology, engineering and so on. And yes, I understand why it sounds like that. But we only do social sciences. And even then, it’s much broader than just politics. If you look at the name, you might think we only deal with politics or political studies. But it’s far wider than that. Within social sciences, we cover history, law, economics, international relations, sociology, and humanities, basically everything under the social sciences umbrella. And we also happen to be one of the top universities worldwide for social sciences. In the rankings, were actually competing with Oxford in social sciences. I always tell students: if you choose Sciences Po, I hope it’s because of the content of the programs, not just the rankings.

FPJ: How does Sciences Po structure its programmes for international students, particularly in terms of language options, interdisciplinary learning, and global partnerships?