Université Paris Sciences et Lettres
Université Paris Sciences et Lettres is a French public university, established in 2010, and formally created as a University in 2019. It is a collegiate university with 11 constituent schools. PSL is located in central Paris, with its main sites in the Latin Quarter, at the Jourdan campus, at Porte Dauphine, in northern Paris, and at Carré Richelieu.
PSL awards Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD diplomas for its constituent schools and institutes. It offers an education based on research and interdisciplinary instruction, and its students have access to a broad range of disciplines in science, engineering, humanities and social sciences, and performing arts.
In 2020, Université PSL is ranked, globally, 45th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 52nd in 2021 by the QS World University Rankings which places it at the first rank in France.
PSL's alumni include 28 Nobel laureats, 10 Fields Medalists, 3 Abel laureats, 48 CNRS Gold Medalists, 50 César and 79 Molière winners.
History
In 2004, institutions in the Latin Quarter began thinking of how to join forces to boost their international visibility. The French law on research enacted in 2006, which encouraged the formation of research networks, paved the way for new projects such as Paris Universitas, PRES ParisTech and an early version of the PSL project. This new organization combined five institutions of higher education in the Latin Quarter: Chimie ParisTech, Collège de France, École normale supérieure, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la ville de Paris, and Observatoire de Paris. Together, they adopted the status of a scientific cooperation foundation :fr:Fondation de coopération scientifique|. The new entity, called "Paris Sciences et Lettres – Quartier Latin", was initially conceived as a scientific alliance. In 2011, the five institutions submitted a joint application for the Initiatives for Excellence as part of France's Investing for the Future program, causing the project to evolve into a new form of French university. This university would have 70% of its students at the Master's and PhD level and offer a Bachelor's program, with an emphasis on equal opportunity students.In 2011, the five institutions submitted a joint application for a government funding opportunity among higher education institutions.
Development
Between 2011 and 2012, ten new institutions joined the foundation: Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, La Fémis, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Foundation for Research, Institut Curie, Institut Louis-Bachelier, MINES ParisTech and Université Paris-Dauphine.Their arrival reinforced PSL's scientific potential in the fields of engineering, biology, the arts, and management. In 2014, another four institutions specializing in humanities and social science joined the association: École Française d'Extrême-Orient, École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, École Nationale des Chartes, and École Pratique des Hautes Etudes.
In 2015, PSL organized itself into a university community. PSL began awarding PhDs at that point.
"Investing for the Future" program
In 2010, the French government launched a call for proposals to boost higher education: the Investing for the Future program. PSL has successfully responded to several calls for proposals.In 2011, with the Initiatives for Excellence call for proposals, PSL was one of the first three projects selected, along with Université de Bordeaux and Université de Strasbourg.
Although the project's diverse participants have sometimes been cited as a weakness, PSL's proponents emphasize the complementary nature of its institutions and the potential for collaboration.
This funding has supported the creation of 11 Laboratories of excellence within PSL: CelTisPhyBio, DCBIOL, DEEP, DYNAMO, ENS-ICFP, ESEP, IEC, IPGG, MemoLife, TransferS, and WIFI. In 2014, the Corail, HaStec, and TEPSIS Labex laboratories joined the list with EHESS and EPHE becoming members of PSL.
Also in 2011, PSL's institutions presented projects under the "Equipped with excellence" program. Of the 10 initial submissions, they were granted 8 Equipex facilities: BEDOFIH, D-FIH, Equip@Meso, ICGex, IPGG, Paris-en-Resonnance, Planaqua, Ultrabrain. These projects received funding in amounts ranging from €2 to €10 million.
In 2017, after a detailed process of consideration, 9 institutions agreed to set up an integrated budget and a multi-year strategy for academic recruitment, as well as to create a number of shared platforms and services. Chimie ParisTech, École Nationale des Chartes, École Normale Supérieure, École Pratique des Hautes Etudes, ESPCI Paris, Institut Curie, Observatoire de Paris, MINES ParisTech, Université Paris-Dauphine decided to jointly form Université PSL with a unified strategy, integrated budget, and coordinated human resources policy.
The agreement approved by their respective boards calls for the schools and institutions that form the university to adopt a unified strategy, submit to the budgetary authority of the university president, jointly plan their recruitment, and transfer all of their diplomas to PSL. Towards the end of the process, in 2018, one of the former members, EHESS, did not approve the new statutes and decided not to be part of the target University.
Beaux-Arts de Paris, Collège de France, Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, École Française d’Extrême-Orient, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, La Fémis, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique and Institut Louis Bachelier are recognized as associates of the university pending later integration.
University status (2019)
In 2018, an opportunity to formally create a full University arose with a new Ordonnance allowing to create a collegiate University, whose constituents may keep their legal personality, quite similarly to the constituent faculties of a British university like University of Cambridge. This Ordinance was frequently nicknamed 'Ordonnance PSL' because it was generally considered that PSL would be one of the obvious beneficiary of this new opportunity.In 2019, a few changes occur in the list of constituents, and finally 9 institutions approve the new statutes and become établissement-composante : Chimie ParisTech, Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique, École Nationale des Chartes, École normale supérieure, École pratique des hautes études, ESPCI Paris, Observatoire de Paris, MINES ParisTech, Paris Dauphine. In complement, two members with very specific statutes College de France and Institut Curie become associate-members, also participating closely to the governance of the University. Associate members contribute to the strategy of the University, receive financial resources from PSL University and may carry scientific programs on behalf and by delegation thereof.
Three national research organisations - CNRS, INRIA, and Inserm - provide strategic and financial support to the university and participate in the Board of Directors.
The decree creating Université PSL as a collegiate university, together with the new statutes of the University, is published in November 2019.
Presidents
The current president is Alain Fuchs. He took over the position from Thierry Coulhon, who was appointed advisor to the French President in charge of Education, Higher Education, and Research.- 2012–2014: Monique Canto-Sperber, previously director of ENS, founder and first president of PSL
- September 2014 – February 2015 Romain Soubeyran, director of MINES ParisTech
- 2014–2017: Thierry Coulhon, previously director of the Mathematical Sciences Institute at Australian National University in Canberra
- June – October 2017 Marc Mézard, director of ENS
- 2017 – to present: Alain Fuchs, previously president of CNRS
Members, associates, and entities
Organization
PSL is administered by a Board of Directors chaired by the PSL president. It relies on the recommendations of an Academic Council and a Strategic Steering Committee. The executive organ of the university is the Executive Committee, supported by the Council of Members.Programs
PSL offers education from undergraduate to doctoral level, across all academic disciplines, including life sciences, physical sciences, humanities and social sciences, creative arts, economics, administration and management.All of PSL's institutions have adopted a model of education through research.
Undergraduate programs
PSL and the Lycée Henri IV, along with Mines ParisTech, ESPCI Paris, Paris Dauphine University, Paris Observatory, Ecole normale supérieure and Lycée Louis-le-Grand have implemented a three-year undergraduate program : CPES Multidisciplinary undergraduate course.At Université Paris-Dauphine, a constituent of Université PSL, bachelor's degrees are available for students in the following fields: management, economics and finance, accounting, applied mathematics, computing, journalism.
Sustainable Development Goals
PSL is co-leader of the SDSN Network for France, under the initiative of the United Nations., together with Kedge Business School and Universite Cergy-Pontoise.In this context, Université PSL is promoting that all students shall have access to courses related to climate, biodiversity and sustainability.
PSL has launched in 2020 a bachelor program dedicated to sustainability sciences.
PSL organizes a yearly summer school open to European students, to help understand the challenges of sustainable development : the European School of Positive Impact and Responsibility.
Graduate education
Université PSL offers training programs for graduate students through its constituent schools in a broad array of disciplines : engineering, fine and applied arts, management, economics, biology, humanities and social sciences, astronomy.The first post-graduate/Master programme to be created under the umbrella of PSL between l’Université Paris-Dauphine and the Ecole normale supérieure, was the specialization Peace Studies launched in 2014 within the Master of International affairs and development.
Doctoral programs
More than 70% of PSL students are at the Master's or PhD level. University PSL Graduate Programs are inspired by the graduate schools that can be found in most of the world's research universities. The first two programs of this kind are a Graduate program in the Humanities and a PhD program in Cognitive science.SACRe Doctoral program
The "Science Art Creation Research" doctoral program aims at developing new fields of research by exploring the interfaces between the arts, and between arts and science. The program implements a new kind of PhD in Art strongly articulating practice and theoretical thinking.It brings together, along with the Ecole normale supérieure, five French schools of creative and performing arts : CNSAD, Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, La Fémis.
Research
PSL hosts some 140 laboratories, research and teaching staff, and about 100 ERC grants.The scientific research strategy is organised around a core of discipline-specific programs and interdisciplinary programs such as the laboratories of excellence :fr:Labex| and the Interdisciplinary and Strategic Research Initiatives.
Examples of interdisciplinary programs are Scripta, the OCAV program, or the Q-Life Institute.
PSL's research landscape includes the following research fields: law, economics, and business administration; literature, literary theory, and philosophy; aesthetics and art theory; life and health sciences; area studies; energy and engineering; physics; chemistry; history; anthropology; informatics and data science; mathematics; materials science and soft matter science; cognitive science; sociology; earth & space science; religious studies; archaeology and heritage science.
International university rankings
The first recognition of PSL's existence as an integrated university came in 2017, when it appeared on the Times Higher Education ranking in 72rd place globally and 1st place in France, and 41st place globally in 2018.In 2020, University PSL appears for the first time in two other major university rankings : CWTS Leiden Ranking and ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects where it is ranked, e.g., 10th in the world for Mathematics and for Physics, and 12th in Ecology.
In 2020, Université PSL is ranked, globally, 45th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 52nd in 2021 by the QS World University Rankings which places it at the first rank in France.