The program, designed for students from USP’s School of Economics, Business Administration, and Accounting (FEA), includes courses taught in São Paulo by French professors and grants a double diploma from both institutions
The School of Economics, Business Administration, and Accounting (FEA) at USP has signed an agreement with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne to enable students from its four undergraduate programs – Business Administration, Actuarial Science, Accounting, and Economics – to earn the Master Management of Innovation degree, awarded by the French institution. The program, equivalent to a lato sensu graduate course in Brazil, will be offered entirely at FEA. Classes will be conducted in English by Sorbonne professors.
The agreement was signed in Madrid, Spain, on October 23, during a Una Europa meeting. Una Europa is an international alliance of European research universities, of which both USP and the Sorbonne are members. The signing ceremony was attended by Paris 1 President Christine Leduc, FEA Director Maria Dolores Montoya Dias, and USP President Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior. The program is the result of more than two years of collaboration between the two institutions, coordinated directly by the FEA dean and Florent Pratlong, Dean of the Sorbonne School of Business.
The next steps include defining the course schedule and publishing the selection notice, which will soon be released to students. The goal is to launch the program by the end of 2025, allowing it to begin the following year. Sixty students will be selected to attend eight thematic modules on management and innovation. In addition to coursework, the program will include seminars and events featuring French professionals and companies based in São Paulo.
“The goal is to train professionals with a global vision who can lead sustainable innovation processes,” emphasized Maria Dolores. “By the end of the program, participants will be ready to act as responsible leaders across sectors. They will master methodologies for managing innovative projects, team leadership, change strategies, and addressing the challenges of global business environments. The program combines theory and practice through an interactive approach with real case studies and group activities, integrating content from both universities”.
Sorbonne professors will teach courses such as Best Practices in Europe and Worldwide, Entrepreneurship and Business Creation, and Marketing of Innovation and Brand Strategy in the Digital Era. All courses will be incorporated into FEA’s undergraduate curriculum, without extending the duration of the degree.
According to Carlotti, the partnership strengthens the historic ties between USP and the Sorbonne and expands opportunities for international cooperation. “Graduating with a USP undergraduate degree and a Master’s from the Sorbonne, while having direct contact with French companies, opens career doors and enhances our students’ employability. They will greatly benefit from this initiative. It also reinforces the concept of internationalization at home, which we have strongly invested in over the past few years. USP is a large, comprehensive university, and it’s impossible to send thousands of students abroad. Programs like this one allow our students to gain international experience with foreign professors and English-language classes in a much more accessible way, without travel costs,” Carlotti emphasized.
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
