FAQ Masters

Inalco offers 9 Master's degree mentions.

Within these Master's degree mentions, there are pathways, specialties or disciplines. There are therefore more than two dozen Master's degree courses at Inalco.
Students choose to apply for a Master's degree based on their interests, a research topic they're passionate about, or a professional orientation.
 

The application campaign (all Master's degrees except MEEF) starts on February 26, 2024 and ends on March 24 on monmaster.gouv.fr

No. There is no 2nd Master application campaign at Inalco (single campaign).

I can apply for 15 different Masters courses + 15 sandwich courses. Applying to different courses of the same master's degree at the same institution counts as a single application.

In principle, students are allowed to apply for and follow several courses.

At Master's level, students are expected to make sure, before the start of the academic year, that they will be able to reconcile regular attendance at lectures/seminars and personal work.

Or, the personal workload required at Master's level is very high, making it difficult to follow several Master's courses in parallel. In addition, class attendance may be impeded by overlapping schedules.

It is advisable to discuss this with the Master's supervisors before making any decision, as some Masters have specific provisions and experience in this area.

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Yes, it is possible to apply for a new Master's degree. That said, it is not possible to re-enroll in a Master's course that has already been acquired.
It is suggested in the application process to make explicit the reasons that encourage you to apply for another Master's.
 

Some Masters courses have a limited number of places, accessible directly at M2 level, for students with at least M1 level: information is displayed here (by mention). 
The conditions and terms of access are then indicated in the corresponding brochures.

First of all, read the brochures carefully: you'll find indications about the jury's expectations for the Master's degree you're interested in.

Some general recommendations

• Write in French, without spelling mistakes or syntax errors;
• Use short, precise sentences, getting to the point;
• Take into account the recipients, i.e. the teachers who will try to guide you as best they can ;
• Don't use a "standard letter" found on the Internet that gives the reader no idea of your interests, skills and assets (avoid reminding the reader of your dynamism and adaptability...);
• Make a clear plan to avoid repeating yourself;
• Don't forget the polite formulas and presentation.

The questions you need to ask yourself that will structure your letter:

• Who are you? Give a succinct, honest and sincere account of your background (no need to embellish, as the jury already has your file).
• Your studies and personal interests, which explain why you have chosen the Master's program for which you are applying.
• What do you want? What is your research or professional project? Why are you applying for this particular Master's program?
• Why did you choose Inalco? (Avoid commonplaces about the school's world-renowned excellence...)

ateliers "Rédiger un CV et une lettre de candidature" are organized at Inalco for students.

A foreign student holding an Inalco bachelor's degree is not required to retake a French language test to apply for a Master's degree.

For external students: No, Inalco does not organize these tests. To prove your level of French, only French higher education diplomas or TCF and DELF tests are accepted.

You can find information on the professional outlets for our courses on the page "débouchés" of the website.

Yes, knowledge of an oriental language is expected at Masters level. The expected level varies according to the Masters program. Please read the brochures carefully. You may be required to take a placement test in your chosen specialist language. For this, please contact the relevant teaching secretariat (see the brochure for the chosen Master's degree).

NO, courses are in French.

On the other hand, some Masters require a certain level of English (see each Master's brochure).

Inalco Masters courses can be "Professional" or "Research" oriented, or even have different orientations, depending on the courses offered (see brochures).

In theProfessional Masters, the training prepares students for the business world, notably with, at its conclusion (in Master 2), a three- to six-month internship, validated by an internship report (details to be checked in each of the brochures).

In the Masters LLCER, the training provided is undifferentiated. It can culminate in either a research dissertation, or an internship report.
If you choose the "Research" orientation (to be indicated at the time of your pedagogical registration), then you have to complete a research dissertation which validates the Master 2 and prepares students for research. It is then possible to pursue studies in doctorate.

If you choose the "Professional" orientation (to be indicated at the time of your enrolment), then you are required to complete an internship (details to be checked in each brochure).

A research dissertation is required at the end of Master 2, and a mini research dissertation at the end of certain Master 1 courses.
workshops "Designing and writing your Professional/Research Master project" are organized for students.

If, as part of a Master LLCER, you choose the "Research" orientation, then you don't have to do an internship. Nevertheless, it's perfectly possible to do a "non-compulsory" internship: doing an internship is then a "plus" that can then be valuable in a job search.

The SIO-IP, service d'information, d'orientation et d'insertion professionnelle can help students in their internship search via workshops, rendez pro, rencontres professionnelles, diffusions d'offres de missions...

• Finding a (good) research topic requires a lot of thought, because choosing a research topic "commits" the apprentice researcher for months. It goes without saying that the subject chosen must be directly related to your discipline and in agreement with your dissertation supervisor.
• It's fundamental to deal with a subject that interests you strongly, even that you're passionate about, otherwise you won't have the desire or motivation to carry out your research.
• Finally, it's imperative to find a subject that you can write about in the time allotted. In Master 1, the aim is to "tame" a subject that has already been dealt with in the literature, to get to grips with it, and to learn the working method.

Students must declare their dissertation (M2) or mini-dissertation (M1) subject - validated by the Dissertation Director, during the 1st semester (see the "department information" section on the website, corresponding to each course).

 

The research dissertation must be supervised by a dissertation director, who is generally a member of the Master's teaching team. The director is an Inalco research professor (MCF or PU). He or she may co-direct the dissertation with associate professors or lecturers.

The role of the dissertation director is to guide, orient and answer students' questions. He/she may also be asked to validate the problem, plan and methodology envisaged for the dissertation.

• Consult the online Masters brochures for each section (corresponding to the language taught) and the brochures for the discipline envisaged;
• Identify which teachers of the language and discipline concerned have a specialty that would correspond to your project;
• Contact the teachers you have identified by email (don't leave it to the last minute);
• If there are no teachers working in this field of research, you can contact them to ask for guidance or a possible co-direction.
• You can also contact the Master referent for your department and/or discipline.

You'll find some advice on the l'Étudiant website.

ateliers "Concevoir et rédiger son projet de Master Professionnel/Recherche" are organized for students.
 

To continue with a Master's degree, students must have a licence (which is a diplôme national) or equivalent diploma.

Diplomas in language and/or civilization (DC, DLC, DL), which are diplômes d'établissement are therefore not sufficient: they must be supplemented by a bachelor's degree.
 

Acceptance capacity is the number of students who can be admitted to a course.

Acceptance capacity is the number of students who can be admitted to a course.

Selection criteria are specific to each Master's program and are indicated in the corresponding brochures.

In addition to examining the application file, some Masters programs organize selection interviews, where the student presents his or her project to the jury.

ateliers "Preparing for selection interviews" are organized at Inalco for students.

 

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You will receive an automatic email informing you of the pedagogical committee's decision, which is valid only for the year 2024-2025.

If you have been offered admission to Inalco, you must then confirm this application within the specified timeframe, or withdraw.

If you confirm your application, the procedure for administrative registrations you will be indicated. You must then complete your pedagogical registration, before the end of September 2024. And of course, be present at classes from the start of the school year.

For each language and discipline, there is a teacher responsible for the Masters courses (contact details in the brochures).

For pedagogical questions, students contact the pedagogical manager according to the Master's mention.

Inalco accepts students holding a Bachelor's degree attesting to studies in an Oriental language and disciplinary training consistent with the requested disciplinary training. Please read the brochures carefully, which indicate the specific requirements for each Master's degree.
Students holding a Bachelor's degree or equivalent obtained abroad may apply. The diplomas they present in their application must be translated into French by a sworn translator.
Applicants wishing to enroll in a Master's program may be contacted to take a placement test in their chosen specialty language.

There are several possible routes:

• In the case where the educational institution in the country of origin is a partner of Inalco follow this link;
• For students from institutions outside the partnership, the procedure to follow will depend on the degree already obtained by the student and whether they are enrolled in a French higher education institution. Information is available on this link.

To enter Master 1, a minimum of

• Le TCF level 5 (C1) certified or
• Le DELF certified (see details for each course concerned) is required for the 4 language skills

Carefully read the brochures where specific requirements for each of the Masters are indicated.
For foreign students who already hold a Bachelor's degree from Inalco, it is not necessary to retake a French test to apply for a Master's degree.
 

Yes, resuming studies in higher education is accessible to anyone with the diplomas and equivalences required to start a course.
For more information, follow this link

The Master 1 constitutes the first year of the Master's degree, national diplomaand higher education degree. The M1 does not lead to a degree as such, but offers students a bac+4 level, i.e. 240 ECTS credits in total.
A Master's degree may be awarded to students who have successfully completed a first year of the Master's program (M1), but no longer constitutes a terminal degree.
To collect your degree, follow theinformation

Course schedules vary from one Master's program to another. They can take place every day, including Saturdays.
Consult the current year's schedule (before the end of May), which is subject to change, but can give a perspective.

The hourly volume of courses varies according to the courses chosen and the semesters:

• Master 1, semester 7: between 12h and 15h30 of classes per week
• Master 1, semester 8: between 9 and 12h of classes per week + writing a dissertation or internship and writing an internship report.
• Master 2, semester 9: between 10h30 and 16h classes per week
• Master 2, semester 10: no weekly classes, but dissertation or internship report + participation in various activities (refer to Masters brochures)

Seminars are regular meetings (usually every week or every other week) that bring together a small number of students around a research theme set by the lecturer or discussed with the students.
Seminars are compulsory.
The purpose of the seminar is to support students in their research work, by suggesting avenues of reflection or analytical tools.
Students are generally expected to participate more actively than in a conventional course, and may be asked to present the results of their research.

Some seminars are more exceptional, and are halfway between a seminar and a study day (e.g. the Séminaire du Quai Branly which takes place once a year over two days).

Some Masters programs accept that part of the ECTS be validated as a minor in another institution
Additional Registration fees may be required if the institution does not have an agreement with Inalco. Consult brochures

Information on the knowledge test procedures can be found on the page and is updated annually.

No, distance learning courses are not available in the Master's program except for the Master's in International Armenian Studies.

In some Masters courses, attendance is compulsory for all courses (see brochures), this implies that there is no possibility of exemption from attendance and terminal assessment for the courses in question.

In Masters programs where exemption from course attendance and continuous assessment is authorized, it is by no means granted automatically, and does not apply to students with higher education grants. The decision is taken by the Master's pedagogical committee, after examining the supporting documents provided (student card, medical opinion, employment contract, family record book, official certificate or attestation, etc.).

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Yes, some Master's programs allow students to validate part of their Master's abroad as part of exchange programs (Erasmus +, etc.), an agreement with a foreign university.
For some Master's programs, an exchange at a foreign university is required to validate the degree.

Data for 2022-2023:

53.9% of students obtained their master's degree.

24.9% of students repeated their M2.

2.2% of students went on to a doctorate.

Note: figures for previous years are much the same.

NO. It is not possible to repeat a Master's degree: there is no AJAC status (Ajourné Autorisé à Continuer, on conditions).

Students who have successfully completed their Master 2 are graduates of Inalco. Their diploma is issued

• Either at the Master's graduation ceremony, which generally takes place in February: students receive an email directly inviting them to this event.
• They can also collect their diploma at Inalco, by making an appointment. For this, information can be found on this page.

For a request to change discipline at the end of the first year of Master LLCER, the student must prepare an explanatory file, which will be studied by the Masters commission. He/she may be invited to an interview.

Yes, students can take a gap year as early as their Master 1 year, and must submit a gap year application file, with supporting documents and a letter of motivation. Information can be found on this page.
 

You'll find answers in each Master's brochure.
If, however, you have further questions, please help us improve these Frequently Asked Questions, by sending them to Master secretariat