The Republic of France is a country situated in the northwestern part of Europe and has an immensely rich background in terms of culture and history. Its capital, Paris, is often referred to as the City of Love with around 68 million individuals residing in the country. The country’s official language is French, but many residents speak English too. When it comes to religion, the majority of the French are Christians, while there are also Muslims as well as those not affiliated with any religion at all.
Additionally, it is the most visited country in Europe, and anyone who knows of at least one or two of their popular tourist attractions would know why. In line with this, a few landmarks that are widely known around the globe include the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Château de Versailles, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, and the Provence countryside.
The country’s educational system has three stages. It begins with primary education then followed by secondary education. Afterward, students can opt to pursue higher education. For this, students can choose to attend universities, specialized schools, or grandes écoles.
Let’s take a look at the best schools for humanities in France!
Top Schools Offering Humanities Programs in France
1. Sorbonne University
Sorbonne University, known as part of the University of Paris, is one of France’s top humanities universities and prestigious institutes for higher education. The Center of Learning has an extensive historical background as it was founded in 1150. Currently, 55,300 students are thriving at Sorbonne and handling study programs in the fields of arts and humanities, medicine, and science and engineering.
Over the years, many of Sorbonne’s alumni have gone on to be influential and successful individuals like paleontologist and academician Maria Vasilievna Pavlova, novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac, physician and philanthropist Rodolfo Robles, economist Darmin Nasution, and politician and professor Pridi Banomyong.
Sorbonne boasts of having the largest faculty for Arts and Humanities in the country, with specializations including classical and modern literature, foreign literature and civilizations, geography, history, history of art and archaeology, languages, linguistics, musicology, philosophy, and sociology. Study programs in these said learning areas are offered across bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. levels.
2. European Global School University – Paris
The European Global School University (EGS University) in Paris is an excellent school for humanities in France and is an international center of excellence. This specific campus in France is only one out of the institution’s three other campuses in Turkey, China, and Kuwait.
At EGS, there are 100 programs and 40 majors distributed across its faculties which are the Faculty of Arts and Design, Faculty of Business and Management, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of International Relations and Diplomacy, Faculty of Science and Health, and Faculty of Medical Science.
The university’s Faculty of Humanities focuses on these aspects of the field: criminology, education, journalism, languages, politics, and sociology. Programs in these subjects are offered for all incoming undergraduates and postgraduates.
3. Catholic University of Lille
The Catholic University of Lille is a private institution and a leading school for humanities located in the region of Hauts-de-France. It was established in 1875. Today, France’s biggest private and not-for-profit university offers 217 degree programs spread out across its numerous faculties, schools, and institutes.
Additionally, the eminent learning center is the alma mater of several distinguished personalities like current Saint-Denis bishop Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy, historian and academic Roland Delmaire, Domestic prelate John L. McNulty, and perfumer Constantin Mikhailovich Weriguine.
The institute’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FLSH) offers programs for bachelor’s and master’s students, centered on subjects like culture, communication, international business and relations, languages, media, psychology, and teaching. While the institution offers courses and programs in English, incoming students are advised to take up French as a foreign language (FLE) at the Language and Intercultural Center (CLARIFE) to help give them the best educational experience at this university.
4. University of Pau and the Adour Region
The University of Pau and the Adour Region (UPPA) is a public university and a recognized institution for humanities in France that was founded in 1972. In French, it is referred to as Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour. The Center of Learning has three colleges and schools: The College of Sciences and Technology for Energy and Environment, The College of Social Science and the Humanities, and The College of European and International Studies. As for the campuses, UPPA has five and these are the Anglet Campus, Bayonne Campus, Mont-de-Marsan Campus, Pau Campus, and Tarbes Campus.
UPPA’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities covers a handful of subject areas and some of these are Applied Modern Languages, History of Art, Human Sciences, Modern French Literature and Language, and Sociology.
5. University of Burgundy
The University of Burgundy (uB) is a public institute of higher education and a top humanities university in France that was established in 1722. It is called Université de Bourgogne in French. uB’s main campus is the Dijon one, while the other campuses include: the Le Creusot Campus, Nevers Campus, Auxerre Campus, Chalon-sur-Saône Campus, and Mâcon Campus. Currently, there are 34,000 students and 3,000 staff members at uB.
Furthermore, there are 16 faculties, schools, and institutes at uB that offer around 400 degree programs and most of these utilize French as the medium of instruction but recently, more and more programs are being taught in English as well.
Lastly, UB’s Faculty of Humanities is divided into six departments: Geography, History of art and archaeology, Musicology, Psychology, Sociology, and Story.
FAQs: Studying Humanities in France
What is the Most Employable Humanities Degree?
If you have decided to study humanities and are wondering which humanities degree is the most employable, consider pursuing a degree in fields like languages, cultural studies, history, politics, journalism, and urban studies. They are also some of the most paid careers. For example, a European History major earns around $94,600 a year.
As France is a country known for its art and literature, it can be safe to say that a Humanities-related career path would be a good one to take in France. Furthermore, many higher education institutions offer study programs in the Humanities. In line with this, the country is home to several esteemed artists and authors like painter Claude Monet, writer Victor Hugo, Cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, and essayist and poet Francis Ponge.
We hope that this article on the Best Humanities Universities in France was helpful. To know more information, check out the Study in France and Available Programs in Europe for International Students sections.
