# "These Grades Are Not The End of This Construction: They Are Its First External Validation" **Authors:** Adeline Bertin **Categories:** News **Tags:** AI **Last Updated:** 2026-05-12T13:32:40.370Z **Reading Time:** 8 min read --- ## Summary Albert School's programs just earned state-recognized grades from France's Ministry of Higher Education. Olivier Rodot, Director of Studies for Albert School Programs at Mines Paris – PSL, explains what this means for students, the institution, and the future of AI education. --- # Interview: Olivier Rodot [![Olivier-Rodot-copie.png](https://i.postimg.cc/s2bFqBHj/Olivier-Rodot-copie.png)](https://postimg.cc/R31bn0zy) --- #### In April 2026, Albert School’s Master of Science in Data for Business was awarded the grade de Master by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. In February, the Bachelor in Business, Data and AI had already received the grade de Licence. What do these accreditations mean in practice for students? Obtaining the *grade de Licence* and the *grade de Master* is, first and foremost, a process of national academic recognition: a formal endorsement of the quality and rigour of the programmes we have built with [Albert School](https://www.albertschool.com/programs). These state-conferred grades certify that our curricula meet the **highest standards of French higher education**, both academically and pedagogically. Beyond symbolism, the objective was very concrete: **to secure and reinforce the value of our graduates' degrees, in France and internationally**. In an environment where career paths are increasingly hybrid and cross-border, it is essential that qualifications be immediately legible and recognised by universities, employers and institutions alike. For students, the benefits are threefold: - **Full academic recognition**, particularly relevant for those wishing to continue their studies, enrol in a doctoral programme or apply to international institutions. - **Enhanced credibility on the job market**: the *grade de Master*, in particular, remains a strong benchmark for employers on both sides of the border. - **Security and clarity**: students now know that their training sits squarely within the national and European degree framework (the LMD system : *Licence, Master, Doctorat*), without sacrificing the distinctive character of our pedagogical model, which sits at the intersection of data, business and science. In short, these grades do not alter the DNA of our programmes, which was already demanding and professionally oriented, but they amplify their reach, their recognition and the **opportunities they open up for our students**. --- #### And for Albert School as an institution? For Albert School, securing the *grade de Licence* and the *grade de Master* is a structural milestone, sending a strong signal to all stakeholders: students, families, employers. With degrees now recognised by the state, Albert School can accelerate its appeal, particularly internationally, and forge **meaningful academic partnerships** (exchange programmes, dual degrees, graduate pathways) that state accreditation makes possible. This recognition directly reinforces our attractiveness and, by extension, our selectivity. We are already seeing the effects: **applications for the Bachelor via *Parcoursup* this year have reached a particularly high level**, even though this is the first year we have participated in the system. --- #### Can you walk us through the process of obtaining the *grade de Master*? I submitted the accreditation application dossier directly to the DGESIP (*Direction générale de l’enseignement supérieur et de l’insertion professionnelle*, the branch of the ministry responsible for implementing accreditation decisions), on 17 July 2025. It comprised a detailed strategic note, a full description of the programme (including the targeted competencies) and a presentation of the teaching team. A second document, known as a *"note d’opportunité"*, set out the added **value of the MSc in relation to the broader socio-economic landscape**: the sectors and roles targeted, and so on. I also designed and submitted a draft RNCP sheet (*Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles*, which maps out the competency blocks targeted by the programme), along with a cross-reference table mapping the programme to the three relevant reference frameworks. Supplementary materials were requested and provided in September 2025. I then submitted the complete dossier to the head of mission at the supervisory ministry. Mines Paris – PSL falls under the tutelage of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Two audits preceded the publication of the ministerial order in the *Journal officiel* on **12 April 2026**: the first within the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the second in the presence of *France Compétences*, the national body responsible for evaluating RNCP sheets. --- #### And for the *grade de Licence*? The *grade de Licence* is awarded by the Ministry of Higher Education following a rigorous evaluation process conducted by the CTI (*Commission des titres d'ingénieur*), the body responsible for accrediting engineering programmes in France, which is also mandated to assess Bachelor-level programmes delivered by such institutions. The process unfolded in three distinct phases: **1. Preparatory phase.** This involved assembling and submitting, on 16 May 2025, a comprehensive application dossier, most notably a self-evaluation report structured according to the CTI's own reference framework. The report was supported by a digital evidence file[^1] containing, among other things, a draft RNCP sheet. **2. Evaluation.** A team of CTI experts reviewed the dossier and conducted an on-site assessment visit on 2 July 2025. The Director General of Mines Paris – PSL, Godefroy Beauvallet, the Director General of Albert School, Grégoire Genest, and I each presented the Bachelor from a different angle. The principal rapporteur then produced a mission report, transmitted to the school on 14 October 2025 for observations before being finalised. **3. Deliberation and decision.** The CTI issued a favourable opinion, forwarded to the DGESIP, which subsequently published the ministerial order conferring the *grade de Licence* on 12 February 2026. Notably, the CTI's report recorded **zero non-compliant criteria** across the entire Bachelor reference framework. Throughout this process, we had to demonstrate in particular that our Bachelor was professionally oriented, grounded in research, and managed with a rigorous quality assurance approach. --- #### Now that these grades are secured, what comes next? The *grade de Licence* and the *grade de Master* are conferred for a limited period: until 2029 and 2032 respectively. Four major workstreams lie ahead: 1. **Strengthening the academic faculty.** Bringing more tenured researchers from Mines Paris – PSL into teaching across all subject areas, with a research-oriented Business Deep Dive under consideration to introduce Bachelor students to academic research. 2. **Overhauling the Bachelor curriculum.** Drawing on teaching-unit review committees and pedagogical improvement committees, which bring together academics, industry professionals and student representatives. Artificial intelligence is progressing so fast that generating thousands of lines of code has become trivially easy ; this demands a thorough rethink of how we teach programming, and of the entire curriculum. 3. **Building a graduate employment observatory.** The CTI reference framework requires concrete data on graduate outcomes at 18 and 30 months: employment rates, contract types, sectors, salary levels. Our first cohorts are approaching these milestones: the Mines Paris – PSL partnership began in September 2024, so the first MSc cohort will graduate in 2026, while the first Bachelor cohort will follow in 2027. Systematic tracking, with a survey response rate above 75%, must now be put in plac, as required by the reference framework. 4. **Maintaining the RNCP sheets.** Registration in the RNCP is a direct consequence of obtaining a state-recognised grade. These sheets must be kept up to date and coherent with evolving competency targets and market realities. A revamp of the MSc is also under way, particularly with respect to diversifying assessment methods. --- #### How do you integrate the rapid advances in data and AI into Albert School's teaching? Active pedagogical monitoring by faculty is indispensable. Mines Paris – PSL has research teams directly engaged at the cutting edge of the field. This proximity to research is a genuine asset when it comes to **keeping content current**. A lecturer who publishes in the area they teach naturally integrates recent developments into their courses. This is precisely why the CTI reference framework requires programmes to be grounded in research: it guarantees that teaching does not grow stale. Annual revision of course syllabuses is therefore unavoidable. Some ECUEs (*Éléments constitutifs d’unités d’enseignement*) will disappear in favour of new ones. The teaching-unit review and pedagogical improvement committees will play a driving role in **integrating rapid advances, particularly in AI**. Their function is to identify gaps between what is being taught and what is actually practised in the field. If the firms recruiting our graduates are making extensive use of large language models in their data workflows, that reality must be reflected in our teaching: not as a passing trend, but as a serious subject of study. Finally, an **epistemic posture** must be cultivated in students. The pace of change in this field makes autonomous, critical learning capacity indispensable. This is not an abstract skill: it is acquired by reading research papers, reproducing results, and understanding why a model fails rather than simply observing that it succeeds. > **The objective is not to produce high-performing users of today's tools, but to train professionals capable of understanding and evaluating the tools of tomorrow. Our partner Albert School is perfectly aligned with our motto: Theory and Practice!** --- #### A closing thought? What strikes me, after nearly eighteen months in this role, is the **coherence of the project**. Mines Paris – PSL brings an academic rigour built over more than two centuries of scientific and technical education. Albert School brings pedagogical agility, an entrepreneurial culture and a close relationship with the business world. These two logics are not in tension: they are complementary. And that is precisely what our students come looking for. >**The grade de Licence and the grade de Master are not the end of this construction. They are, in a sense, its first external validation.** The real test will be **the test of time: the professional success of our graduates**, and their capacity to adapt to a sector that will look nothing like today's in ten years' time. A rigorous grounding in scientific fundamentals is the best protection against obsolescence, provided those fundamentals are constantly stress-tested against the realities of the business world. That is what our Business Deep Dives embody: our pedagogical signature. --- [^1]: *By way of illustration, the digital evidence file contained 401 separate documents!* ## Key Takeaways 1. The awarding of the grade de Licence and the grade de Master formally aligns Albert School's programmes with France's national degree framework (the LMD system: Licence, Master, Doctorat). For students, the practical consequences are significant: full recognition for doctoral applications, international institutions and global employers alike. 2. Beyond student benefits, these accreditations send a clear signal to the broader ecosystem. They reinforce Albert School's international appeal, sharpen its selectivity (already visible in a surge of first-year applications via Parcoursup), and open the door to structured academic partnerships, including exchange programmes and dual degrees. 3. With the grades in hand, the focus shifts to execution: a comprehensive overhaul of the Bachelor curriculum, deeper integration of research-active faculty from Mines Paris – PSL, the construction of a graduate employment observatory, and ongoing alignment with fast-moving developments in AI. The underlying objective, as Olivier Rodot puts it, is to train professionals capable of understanding and evaluating the tools of tomorrow, not merely operating those of today. 4. The MSc in Data for Business, jointly delivered by Mines Paris – PSL and Albert School, was awarded the grade de Master by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in April 2026 (ministerial order of 3 March 2026, published in the Journal officiel on 12 April 2026). 5. The grade de Licence was awarded in February 2026 (ministerial order of 12 February 2026, published in the Bulletin officiel No. 10 of 5 March 2026) for the Bachelor in Business, Data and AI. --- *Article from [Albert's Deep Dive](https://deepdive.albertschool.com) - Albert School's Journal*