Year of pre-doctoral research abroad (ARPE)
ENS Paris-Saclay is an internationally engaged institution and encourages mobility for students enrolled in the Research track. Their training may be significantly enhanced by a research experience in a foreign laboratory.
The year of pre-doctoral study abroad (in French, Année de Recherche Pré-doctorale à l'Etranger or ARPE) is a programme for normalien students who have chosen the Research track for their ENS Paris-Saclay Degree.
Objective
The aim is to gain autonomy in conducting research, to encourage immersion in other cultures and to discover different research systems.
Organization
This section of the programme takes place in a foreign academic research laboratory for a minimum of nine months between October and August. It is an independent undertaking; students develop and present their own proposal.
They are not without supervision, however, as they remain in contact with their department and are required to present their research for validation upon their return.
This research year preferably takes place before the second year of the research-based master's programme (M2R), or more rarely after the M2R.