New ambitions and main innovations

This programme aims to prepare students to become experts in designing, analysing and evaluating public policies in both developed and developing countries. It combines rigorous training in analytical and quantitative economic methods with an emphasis on both policy and practice.
The curriculum combines classes with a traditional lecture format introducing students to methodological and conceptual frameworks of policy evaluation (especially in the first year) and classes taught by the case method, emphasizing policy applications over pure theory (concentrated in the second year). Most policy areas will be covered following a thematic approach.
Between the two academic years, a compulsory training period or internship takes place in an institution in charge of the design and/or the evaluation of public policies.
The previous years, many international and French renowned institutions have hosted PSE students: OECD, United Nations, J-PAL, World Bank, INSEE, DGTPE...
Download the PPD course booklet

Career Opportunities

The career opportunities for this degree are non-academic positions in national administrations in France, Europe and other countries, international organizations (European Union, OECD, UN agencies, WTO, etc.), development agencies (World Bank, AFD, etc.), non-governmental organizations, banks and large companies.
However, graduates may also choose to get enrolled in the PSE doctoral programme and will be encouraged to do so if they possess interest in the pursuit of an academic career or if they plan to get non-academic positions for which PhD is a prerequisite.
At PSE, all masters’ degrees are research-based. The PhD is a natural continuation of the Masters Degree and graduate students access this path under certain academic and financial conditions. Therefore, there is no direct admission into the Doctoral training. This is the same system as in most US universities, where the first two years of PhD program are devoted to course work (and the admission into the third year is conditional on successful performance on the first two years). Thus, one can think of admissions to PSE master’s in the same way as admissions to the course-work years of a standard US-university-based PhD program.
To learn more visit: Being a PhD student at PSE

Links with French and international institutions

Among the pool of instructors, some are affiliated to CEPREMAP and have strong links with most French administrations such as the Treasury and Economic Policy General Directorate (DGTPE), the Ministry of Labor and Solidarity, the Ministry of Health and the French Development Agency (AFD).
In the development field, professionals from IRD/DIAL and AFD will give the students the opportunity to get in touch with some development practitioners.
On the side of the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), several financial instruments can be mobilized to allow nationals from developing countries to join the program. AFD and IRD local agencies can also receive students for internships.
Two top French academic institutions support the PPD programme : EHESS and ENPC-Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. Finally, this programme is organized in close cooperation with J-PAL and ENS.

First Year - M1:

The first-year M1 has a strong component of general microeconomics, macroeconomics and quantitative methods: all courses are specifically designed to prepare the students for the analysis of policy issues. It also proposes introductory courses to policy design and evaluation in major fields, complemented with conferences on a variety of policy issues by renowned academics, recognized experts and influential policy-makers.

Second year - M2:

The second-year M2 offers in-depth and applied courses covering the most important policy issues at both, national and global levels and the state of the art best practices of policy evaluation.
Apart from three compulsory courses on general issues, the curriculum is individualized. Each student is coached by a tutor who helps him/her in the selection of the nine most relevant courses among a list of more than twenty, according to his/her personal objectives; the master dissertation is directed by a faculty member or alternatively co-directed by a professional in an institution.