At Richter, the Faculty of Economics cultivates openness
International courses, conferences for the general public, immersion days for high school students, links with the professional world... at the Faculty of Economics, everything is done to promote the institution's openness to society.
Photo © Miss Buffet Froid
Its cubic silhouette may be familiar to users of the Richter campus today, but the cradle of the Faculty of Economics is located downtown. In the early 70s, lawyers and economists still lived side by side within the walls of the Faculty of Law. Economics gained its independence (and new premises) when it moved to the Richter site in 1994. Since then, the UFR has grown considerably, welcoming some 2,600 students every year, many of them from other parts of the world: Africa, Europe and, above all, Asia.
This strong international flavour has inspired the creation of a new diploma, the DU "Préparation aux études universitaires pour étudiants non-francophones" ("Preparation for university studies for non-French-speaking students"). François Mirabel, Dean of the Faculty, explains the principle: "This diploma aims to avoid a situation that used to be frequent: students arriving with no notion of French and finding themselves completely lost. Today, validation of the DU is a prerequisite for entry into L1. The program includes courses in French as a foreign language, as well as the essentials of first-year core subjects. The faculty also offers all its students an international curriculum, with a proportion of courses taught in English. This is an advantage not only for attracting foreign students, but also for French students wishing to develop an international profile.
High school immersion
Photo © Miss Buffet Froid
In terms of training, the faculty offers a general bachelor's degree and 4 master's degrees: money, banking, finance and insurance; management, public policy and economic evaluation; energy, environment, transport and agriculture; and a master's degree in industrial economics and networks, focusing on new technologies. Research is carried out by two joint research units: Art'dev and Lameta. " Many of the researchers in these laboratories are involved in work related to MUSE themes such as development, health and the environment," emphasizes François Mirabel. While research and training form the core of the faculty's activities, they do not sum up its philosophy.
Like a Richter campus open to the city, the faculty nurtures its links with society. It regularly welcomes high school students from all over the region for immersion days. " We feel it's important to show high-school students what life at university is really like, but also to present our curricula and the career opportunities offered by our degrees," explains the Dean. 5 or 6 times a year, high-school students and teachers arrive for a full day: a presentation of the faculty and a visit to the BU in the morning, lunch at the Resto U at midday, then lectures in the amphitheatre in the afternoon. The students leave in the evening with a clearer idea of what it's like to be a student, and perhaps with a new vocation in mind.
A student's view of the faculty
Thibault Clément, M1 student in the "Behavioral economics and decision-making" course
"I came to Montpellier this year after completing a bachelor's degree in Dijon, so that I could join the "Behavioral economics and decision-making" master's program, which which could be described as a mixture of psychology and economics. There are very few courses on this theme, which interested me very much. so I came to Montpellier for a year of M1.
I really like it here and I've discovered some interesting things, such as LEEM, which is an experimental economics laboratory where students are put into situations - a trading room simulation, for example - so that they can then analyse their behaviour... It's a real plus.
At the same time, I'm currently doing an internship at the faculty. I'm working on preparing a day of meetings between former faculty members and current students to be held on September 15. The Faculty of Economics is keen to develop its presence on the university's new alumni network, Resum. My job is to identify our alumni, enter them in a database then contact them to encourage them to take part in the event.
Key figures
- 8 700 m²
- 2,545 students
- 59.3% international students
- 16 administrative staff
- 37 teachers and researchers
- 4 Master's programs (and 13 courses)
- 1971: creation of the UER (then UFR) in economics
- 1994: installation of a full-fledged UFR on the Richter site
The initiave
With the "Amphis de l'éco" series, the Faculty of Economics takes part in discussions on the major issues of our time. Inaugurated last year, this lecture series brings together the general public and prestigious guests: antropologist Paul Jorion and economists Agnès Benassi and Christian De Perthuis took to the podium in 2016 to discuss issues such as the future of the euro and climate change.
In 2017, the "Amphis" are back, with guests including the Governor of the Banque de France, expected in September, and climate specialist Jean-Marc Jancovici in October. These events are free and open to all.