FAQ

MSc 1 - two-year MSc course (for candidates with three years of higher education in progress or validated). Application deadline: March 16, 2026 (midnight)

MSc 2 - direct entry into second year (for candidates with a Bac+4 or Bac+5 in progress or validated). Application deadline: March 16, 2026 (midnight)
 

Yes, you can provide color scanned copies of the required documents.

No, but they do provide an interesting insight.

The platform sends a confidential referral request to your designated referrers.

Yes, you just need to fill in the name and email address of the referee and download it.

No. Automatic emails will not be sent to your referees.

A green icon will appear on your application when your referee has responded.

If you are eligible, the admissions team will send you an invitation to an online interview. Your interest in the program and your previous experience (professional, group work, social commitment, etc.) will be assessed.

It is possible to apply to more than one program. A separate cover letter is required for each program.

• I have a bachelor's degree or equivalent (180 ECTS): I can apply for the MSc Management (duration 2 years).
• I have a bachelor's degree or equivalent (240 ECTS): I can apply directly for the second year of the MSc Management (duration 1 year).
• I have a Bac+4 (240 ECTS) or Bac+5 (300 ECTS) degree or equivalent: I can apply for the MSc General Management (duration 1 year).
• For a continuing education application, , you must hold a Bac+3/4 degree (180/240 ECTS) certificate of validation of professional experience and have three to five years of professional experience or an interruption of studies of more than one year.

Yes, we welcome students from all backgrounds on our MSc program. Geographical and disciplinary diversity is highly valued at IAE Aix-Marseille. The first year of the MSc is generalist; it allows the acquisition of fundamental concepts for students with no previous training in economics or management. Recruiting companies are looking for graduates with diverse profiles. Initial education in literature or science is therefore a valuable asset.

Yes, it is possible, but the number of candidates with a license pro admitted to an MSc is generally low. By its very nature, a bachelor’s degree is intended for immediate professional integration. Moreover, this type of study offers few opportunities for international experience. Consequently, if you have a license pro and that experience is not part of your course, you MUST go on exchange to an international partner university during your first year. Be careful, in this case you are not eligible for the sandwich course.

Only online applications are accepted as the whole application file is prepared and submitted online. A link on the IAE Aix-Marseille website admissions section will lead you directly to the TopApply application platform. Once your login and password have been created, you can connect as many times as necessary to make changes to your file (uploading transcripts, test results, cover letter, CV, etc.) until the application deadline (in May).

What IAE Aix-Marseille expects from your application:

• a good level in your original degree, regardless of the discipline
• a good level of English and management skills (evidenced by your test scores)
• motivation (reading, personal research, jobs, associative activities, etc.)
• a coherent and structured professional project
• international exposure (internships or jobs) and corporate experience (internships, summer jobs, or sandwich course placements) are also appreciated.

A first selection will be made based on the application file. If your application is accepted, you will be invited to an interview with our admissions panel.

There is no fee to apply

If you do not have your last semester transcripts available, you can still apply and validate your application. However, you will need to download your transcripts as soon as you receive them and submit them at the time of your interview.

It is not mandatory for admission. However, if you do not already have significant international experience (more than three consecutive months on exchange in a foreign university, a gap year or internship abroad, or work experience such as working as an au pair), you will have to do a semester abroad as part of our university partnerships (applies to first year MSc only). That international experience is mandatory for all applications to the MSc 2 specialized program. Internationalization is at the heart of the IAE Aix-Marseille strategy. That is why all our students are exposed, in one way or another, to the international dimension, with an international stay of significant duration before or during their course.

On the contrary! It is wise to apply for several programs at the same time, as long as they are coherent and in line with your professional project. For example, if you have several marketing programs in mind, you should indicate in your application which ones and according to what criteria you have selected them. This could be interpreted positively in the analysis of the application as it reveals a real strategy for further study.

Yes, but you are limited to a maximum of three. One of the recruitment criteria is the coherence between your professional project and the program objectives. For example, applying to an audit program and a management control program would seem logical in the context of a career plan focused on financial functions.

No, only one file with the supporting documents mentioned below is required.

Applications are prepared and submitted exclusively online with scanned documents. The main documents required are:

• A letter of motivation defining the professional project
• A CV
• Available transcripts from the last three years
• Two letters of recommendation (one academic and one professional)
• Results of the management aptitude tests (TAGE MAGE or Score IAE-Message)
• English test results (TOEFL, TOEIC Listening and Reading, IETLS, or GMAT)
• Photo ID
• Identity document

A first selection will be made based on the application file. If you are selected, you will be invited to an interview with our admissions panel.

The choice of program will depend primarily on your level of study. The titles on TopApply are as follows:

No, your application stays in the system and will be assessed within the framework of the French program.

Your referee will be able to respond after the closing date for applications and once the file has been validated.

Interviews are conducted via Zoom. They begin 2 to 3 weeks after the application deadline. The exact dates will be given through your candidate portal.

Yes, but the application file will slightly smaller, with only a few supporting documents to be provided: a passport photo, your CV, and the transcript for the last year.

Reorientation is possible for the second year of MSc courses, but it depends on the development of the professional project, the availability of places, and having the required skills. The course pedagogical director’s opinion is key in such matters. As such, reorientation is only possible under certain conditions. The “Organization of MSc in Management Studies” section below provides further explanations. Reorientations can happen no later than December 1.

If you select an MSc Full English track or a FET track, the interviews will be in English.

Duration: 30 minutes

Present your CV and professional project in a dynamic way, not just an explanation of the information covered in your application. Talk about your motivations for joining us and your knowledge of the MSc program you wish to follow.

None, since the MSc is a degree validated by two years of higher education. A validation by equivalence of the modules for students entering directly into the second year is possible, but the reverse is not possible. An attestation of the courses followed, with the grades and credits obtained for the master’s degree, can be provided if you leave before completing the program.

The fees are as follows for all students in initial training

• MSc course in 2 years: 8400 €.
• Direct access to MSc 2: 4800 €.

Registration for the MSc gives the opportunity to register for the Master. An additional fee of around €340 will need to be paid for the National Diploma and CVEC registration fees. 

IMMIT : 4200 € (European students) - 13 000 € (non-European students)

It is important to note that special conditions may apply if you are a beneficiary of a higher education scholarship granted by the state (CROUS) or if you are a ward of the nation. These conditions are detailed in the registration file that will be sent to you after your admission.

You will have already paid €4,200 for your first year. No refunds are possible. 

There are no institutional scholarships, but a financial aid committee examines applications based on social criteria and excellence. National and international scholarship programs (CROUS, Eiffel, Embassy scholarships, etc.) and regional mobility aid schemes are available to which IAE Aix-Marseille students can apply if they meet the criteria required by those organizations.

MSc 1st year + MSc 2nd year :

• Continuing education students: 8,400 euros.
• Continuing education - Resumption of studies after more than one year of interruption: 20 000 euros

MSc 2nd year :

• Students continuing their studies: 4 800 euros.
• Continuing education - Resumption of studies after more than one year of interruption: 12 000 euros

Students with CROUS scholarships may apply in September for financial aid.

The balance of the MSc fee can be paid in installments or waived.

Yes, IAE Aix-Marseille has chosen to require these two types of tests for candidate recruitment. To obtain international accreditations (EQUIS), IAE Aix-Marseille must prove that it has a selective admissions process. Requiring these tests is part of a process aimed at ensuring the excellence of the successful candidates. However, the test results are only part of the information considered. The evaluation is carried out in a holistic manner and considers various other elements such as the level obtained in previous studies, openness to international studies, business experience, motivation, professional project, etc.

IAE Aix-Marseille accepts both of those tests and does not differentiate between them. The fact that the Score IAE-Message was developed by the IAE network in France does not confer a particular advantage in the application process

The accepted English tests are TOEFL iBT, TOEIC Listening & Reading or IELTS.

You can retake it to improve your score, but we accept scores from tests taken within the last two years. 

When registering for one of the tests, please indicate the IAE Aix identification codes :

• TOEFL (iBT), TOEIC Listening & Reading and GRE: 9113
• Tage-Mage : 201
• GMAT: N09-SQ-65

Test scores are one element, among others, taken into account in the application. The results are not eliminatory, but good scores significantly increase the chances of being recruited.
A better knowledge of English, and therefore a higher level, will be expected if you apply for the English track.

If you do not have the results, you will not be able to close your application.

• If you are waiting for the results, you should indicate the test date on the admission platform (test section) and upload your invitation to your candidate interface (attached documents section).
• The results and score certificates MUST be sent to IAE Aix-Marseille as soon as possible.

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The gap year is integrated into IAE Aix-Marseille’s pedagogical scheme for the two-year MSc. It allows alternating periods of study and time spent on internship at a company (six months maximum). This gap year has an essential role in confirming your choice of course, consolidating or developing certain skills necessary to continuing your studies, and acquiring professional experience in France or abroad.

Doing internships in companies during this gap period is often an asset for your future professional integration.

According to a recent study of higher education, more than 50% of 18-to-24-year-olds take a gap year. The vast majority of business schools and some engineering schools offer this option before the final year of studies. Nearly 60% of IAE Aix-Marseille’s first-year students take a gap year before entering their second year.

It is up to IAE Aix-Marseille to offer this gap period at the end of the first year. You can also request it, but the final decision rests with IAE Aix-Marseille.

The gap period takes place between the first and second year. However, the proposal will be made well before that, at the time of your IAE Aix-Marseille admissions interview. Depending on your previous course (academic and professional experience) and your course intentions for the second year, IAE Aix-Marseille will indicate the path to follow. Several options are possible, but only one path suitable for your situation will be proposed:

• Professional path: internship with or without a gap year or sandwich without gap year
• International path (university exchange) with or without gap year.
  
   

You will have to confirm this choice at the time of your admission and at the latest within a month after your arrival. A roadmap with objectives to be achieved during the first year will allow you to prepare and organize this gap period: internship in France or abroad, university exchange...

Yes, you will benefit from registered student status during the whole year, so the gap year course allows you to obtain internship agreements signed by IAE Aix-Marseille. Moreover, during your gap period, an IAE Aix-Marseille staff member dedicated to gap year students will help you to manage and maintain your file. 

No, the gap year only concerns students registered in the first year and is taken at the end of that year.

No, not within the framework of the gap year proposed by IAE Aix-Marseille. This gap period is exclusively for students who follow a two-year course at IAE Aix-Marseille.

Yes, since you remain a student. This allows you to apply for a CROUS scholarship if you still meet the criteria.

The registration fee will be approximately €480.

Yes, the international academic exchange is the main focus of the first year of the MSc. All students who do not have three months of consecutive international experience during their higher education studies will spend a semester abroad.

Yes

A range of scholarships is available.

IMMIT (International Master in Management of Information Technology)

Two contract types are possible: apprenticeship contracts and professionalization contracts. IAE Aix-Marseille accepts both. The company chooses the type of contract to be used, depending on criteria related to your age and IAE Aix-Marseille registration status.

Apprenticeship contracts are open to students aged 16 to 29 years in initial education and without any age limits for disabled students and high-level athletes.

Professionalization contracts are open to students of all ages and mandatory for registration in continuing education at IAE Aix-Marseille. For the academic year 2020/2021, 280 sandwich contracts were signed (+15%), representing 89% of master’s students* in their second year and 54% of those in those* in their first year.

*Eligible students (excluding new students and continuing education students funded by companies).

IAE Aix-Marseille trains more apprentices at the level of Bac+4 and Bac+5 than any other part of AMU. The sandwich program is an essential part of the IAE Aix-Marseille strategy framework. 

 

Most of our initial education programs are available as sandwich courses (first and second year Masters).

For international students, sandwich courses are possible on the condition that they have been in France for more than one year.

No, the admission requirements and process remain the same. The fact that you have a contract is only one of the elements considered when evaluating your file.

Yes, several support systems are in place for students enrolled in the MSc:

• Access to company job offers received by the IAE Aix-Marseille as soon as you confirm acceptance of our admissions offer
• Invitations to the annual meetings of the sandwich program at the end of June / early July (over 50 companies present)
• Access to a platform, to consult job offers and submit your CV for our partner companies to consult
• Access to the school’s sandwich course department
• Access to the school’s career service (support for CV preparation and interviews)
• Access to the company forum in October/November
• Company presentations, alumni testimonials
• Alumni directory

In all cases, the sandwich project must be validated by the program director through a well-defined process in conjunction with our CFA EPURE MÉDITERRANÉE and the CACTUS platform available to companies and future sandwich students.

• Apprenticeship contract: within three months of the start date of the program in which you are registered.
• Professionalization contract: within one month of the start date of the program in which you are registered.

The schedule allows long stays at companies instead of short and split periods. Schedules vary slightly depending on the program, but you will generally be on assignment at the company (except Master 2 International Management):

• Between the end of November and the end of March (from two to three months).
• Between April and September (from four to six months).
• For the Master 2 International Management: one week at school / three weeks at the company from mid-December.

The long periods at the company guarantee quality assignments that are in line with higher education requirements (Bac+4 or Bac+5). They also allow students to do sandwich course placements anywhere in the country. That would not be possible with short school and company periods.

For apprenticeship contracts:

Yes, if your birthday occurs on or before the day you sign your contract. The regulations require that students be under 26 years of age when they sign the contract. However, exceptions to this age limit are possible for apprenticeships in the following cases:

• When the proposed apprenticeship contract or period follows a previously completed apprenticeship contract or period and leads to a higher level of diploma than that obtained at the end of the previous contract or period. The apprenticeship contract must be signed within a maximum of one year after the end of the previous contract.
• When the apprenticeship contract is signed by a person recognized as a disabled worker or high-level athlete.
• When the apprenticeship contract is signed by a person with a project to create or take over a company for which the diploma or title is required for pursuing the training.

For professionalization contracts:

Students of any age can sign such contracts, and it is mandatory for continuing education registration status at IAE Aix-Marseille.

 

Yes, the trial period runs for the first 45 consecutive days at the company.

Yes, the career services and alumni network can help you.

Yes, Career Days, ETS Forum and Work-Study Forum

Yes, individual appointments with coaches are offered.