Sciences Po

The Paris Institute of Political Studies (Institut d'études politiques de Paris), also known as Sciences Po sjɑ̃s po or Sciences Po Paris, is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of grande école and grand établissement. The institute has decentralized campuses in Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy, Poitiers and Reims, each with their own academic program focused on a geopolitical part of the world. Sciences Po historically specialized in political science and history, then it progressively started to expand to other social sciences such as economics, law and sociology. The institute was established in 1872 by Émile Boutmy as the École libre des sciences politiques in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War as a private institution to modernize education for French civil servants. It offered instruction in political science, a relatively new field of study at the time. Following World War II, the school was nationalized and re-established as a public institution after growing criticisms towards its faculty led to calls for the school's closure. After being reformed in 1985, Sciences Po began to offer courses beyond political science that would lead to careers beyond public service. As of 2021, 80% of Sciences Po graduates are employed in the private sector. Sciences Po Paris is the only one Institute of Political Sciences in France allowed to refer to itself with the epithet “Sciences Po” without indicating the name of the city where their headquarters are located, under a legal agreement with the other institutes. They are allowed to use the term “Sciences Po” to refer to themselves only when followed by the names of the cities where they are located, such as “Sciences Po Lille” or “Sciences Po Grenoble”. The institute is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) and CIVICA – The European University of Social Sciences.