A decree signed on 31 July 1868 created the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. Victor Duruy, Napoleon III’s Minister of Public Instruction, drove the project, aiming to add research-based teaching to what the traditional university offered. Today it is a grand établissement, a public institution of scientific, cultural and professional character, and a component of Université PSL.
The EPHE is organised in three sections: Life and Earth Sciences, Historical and Philological Sciences, and Religious Sciences. Its headquarters are in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, and teaching also takes place at other French sites and in French Polynesia. About 270 teacher-researchers belong to the institution, working in research units that are hosted or supervised by the school.
Among the scholars associated with the school over its history are the historian Fernand Braudel and the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. The EPHE awards master’s and doctoral degrees and its own institutional diplomas, and it is one of the founding institutions of the Campus Condorcet, the humanities and social sciences campus north of Paris.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Diploma, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Constituent college of Université PSL. Collaborations with CNRS, INSERM, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, and international research institutions.
Research:
Neuroscience and cognitive sciences, Evolutionary biology and ecology, Paleontology and earth history, Environmental science and biodiversity, Coral reef studies.
Famous Alumnis:
Claude Lévi-Strauss, Georges Dumézil, Fernand Braudel (historical/social sciences primarily)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
500
Current students***:
3000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Excellence in research-led teaching, specialized advanced studies, strong laboratory connections, part of PSL.
Cons
Highly specialized, primarily at Master and PhD level for sciences, unique research focus.
Best For
Advanced research and higher education in Life & Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Cognitive Sciences.
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle shares the EPHE's interest in the life and earth sciences, with evolutionary biology, biodiversity and paleontology among its fields.
Observatoire de Paris - PSL is located in the same city and, like the EPHE, forms part of the PSL family; its work is in astronomy, planetology and time metrology.
The University of Vienna, in Austria, is public and covers humanities and natural sciences, much like the EPHE's two-sided profile.
University of Turku (Finland) is a public university offering humanities alongside medicine and science.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Why was the EPHE created in the nineteenth century?
It was founded by decree in 1868 at the initiative of the Minister of Public Instruction, Victor Duruy. His idea was to train students in research methods through practice, as a complement to the existing university.
What subjects does the school cover through its three sections?
Life and Earth Sciences, Historical and Philological Sciences, and Religious Sciences. This gives the school an unusual mix of laboratory science and textual or historical scholarship.
Does teaching happen only in Paris?
No. The headquarters are in Paris, but courses and research are also held at sites in several regions of France and in French Polynesia. Prospective students should check which site hosts a given programme.
Roughly how many academics work there?
The school reports around 270 teacher-researchers spread across its three sections. They are attached to research units, some under the school's own supervision and others hosting its staff.
What is the EPHE's relationship with PSL and Campus Condorcet?
It is a component institution of Université PSL and, in parallel, a founding member of the Campus Condorcet. Its diplomas are therefore connected to the PSL framework.
Which well-known scholars have taught at the EPHE?
The names of Fernand Braudel and Claude Lévi-Strauss appear among its teachers, along with many other figures from the sciences and humanities. Their presence reflects the long tradition of research-led teaching at the school.
How can someone find out which degrees are on offer?
The official website lists the master's programmes, doctoral training and the school's institutional diplomas. Entry conditions and calendars for each of them are published there and should be consulted for the current year.
Biodiversity, Ecology, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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