Name of the University: Kedge Business School
Exchange semester: Fall 2012
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings.
Kedge Business School (formerly known as Euromed Management) is ranked among the top
8 business school in France. The school is located at Luminy in Marseille and has two
campuses: Luminy Campus and Vaufrèges. The school is accessible with bus 21 and 24.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
Kedge Business School is known for its master programs. We attended the exchange
program as bachelor students and therefore can not make any remarks about the master
programs.
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students.
Kedge Business School provides courses for approximately 5500 students from about 30
different countries.
4. Study structure
The classes are very small compared to BI and are usually with 40-60 students per section.
The small classes made it easier to communicate with the teachers and our classmates. Most
of the courses require participation and group work. All of these affect your final remarks
beside the final exam which is usually only 40-60% of your final grade.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I received my acceptance letter in June with information about the campus and start-up dates.
Emails were sent frequently to update us about different deadlines and answer to our
questions regarding the exchange. The school also published a handbook for exchange
students on their web page with all the information about visa, housing, etc. Furthermore,
Facebook groups were created by the school for exchange students to make it easier for
them to get in contact with others prior to the exchange.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
As a Norwegian student, no visa was required. You only need to bring your acceptance letter
with you.
Tickets from Oslo to Marseille can be very expensive because there are few airlines that fly to
Marseille. But there are many alternatives to get to Marseille without spending too much
money on travel expenses (I heard some news that Norwegian will start a direct route to
Marseille summer 2013). One alternative is to fly with Ryanair from Moss Rygge to Toulon.
Toulon is only 30 minutes from Marseille by car.
Academic Calendar
We arrived late August and beginning of September. The introduction week started on
September 11th and lasted for two weeks. Most of the courses started September 24th and
lasted for 9 sessions before the final exams. The last day of school was December 15th, but it
depends on which courses you have. Some of the students were done much earlier than the
last day of school.
Reception
The school gave all the basic information on the first and second orientation day and there
were also stands around the school to help new students with opening a bank account,
insurance, etc.
Housing
The main student residents are Alotra and Les Estudines that are close to campus. But I will
advice future students to find housing around Castallane and the city center. The student
residences are located in a rural area and there not much to do there, while an
accommodation near the city center makes it easier to access stores and the night life.
Costs
The costs are much lower than at home. The prices in Marseille are at least half of those in
Oslo. There are also no books for the courses, and therefore no cost for books.
The International Office
There was no international office, only international coordinators who helped the students
during the exchange. The coordinators were assigned with particular countries or
geographical areas. This made it easier to know who you should contact during your stay.
Exchange promotion
I did not have the chance to promote BI, but I talked to many other students about our school.
Social Activities
There were many activities arranged by different student associations. Most activities were
published on Facebook by INTERACT (student association for exchange students). The most
popular activities were the school parties arranged by BDE.
Culture and Language
Some of the teachers have poor English skills and we have had difficulties understanding
some teachers in some courses. The same apply to most French students in this school. But
most of the administrative understand and talk English very well. Also, you should be
prepared to know some basic French words before your stay in Marseille, mainly because
few people in Marseille speak English.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
I have learned so much from living here in Marseille and have grown to love the city. This city
has many contrasts, which makes it so unique. We have grown and learned a lot about
ourselves.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
Our courses were thought in English, but we also had the opportunity to sign up for French
classes if we desired. The work load is less compared to BI, but we had to do
assignment/group work/cases continuous throughout the semester. The syllabus is also much
easier and the school had more practical approach to the theories. One thing we find most
difficult were the class environment in the school. Many of the French students are very
young and that was clear during class. The classes are usually very noisy and you will get the
"videregående" feeling in the classroom.
Required Literature
There are no books for the courses, only PowerPoints created by the teachers. The
PowerPoint is the only literature we had to read through before the final exam. As we
mentioned earlier, the syllabus is quite easy and narrowed. The academic quality is not as
high as the standards in BI. The courses tend to be too broad and the student will only get the
general overview of the topic without going into depth. This can be frustrating, especially
when you are interest in the topic and do not get the chance to study the topic properly.
Exams
The exams are written and held on the 10th session of the course. The exam tests the
student's knowledge of the topics presented throughout the semester.
Other
The school has something called the "The Hub". It is a mix of a traditional library and a
meeting point. We found "The Hub" very inconvenient for school work, but it is a great place
to take a break between classes. The school has also it's own IT department who helps you
with internet access and other problems regarding your computer.
Description of Courses
Business Strategy (B-CES-4-06-99-13-E)
This was the only mandatory course I had to sign up for. I had most difficulty with this course,
because of the teacher's poor English skills. The class was not well-structured and hard to
understand. The workload was quite easy and the course was more in practical perspective.
There were group works and assignment throughout the semester. The final exam is written.
Fle - french as foreign language : elementary (M-COM-3-08-92-01-F)
This course was one of my elective courses and was a nice opportunity to refresh my French
knowledge. The teacher was very willing to teach us more practical French that we can use in
our daily life. Participation counted and there was some homework. The final exam is both
oral and written.
International environment and geopolitics (B-CES-1-05-99-06-E)
This course was one of my favorite courses. The teacher was one of the best teachers in
school and has excellent English skills. The workload is quite light. We only had to present a
topic of our choice and a written exam for this course.
Marketing du luxe (B-CES-4-02-99-03-E)
Firstly, this course had very heavy workload. Our assignments for this class throughout the
semester were to create a luxury event and to make a marketing plan for a Louis Vuitton
perfume. This course is very practical with a lot of group work. The teacher has lots of
experience in his field, but many of the students found him very difficult to work with. The
course gives you a look inside of the luxury market. This course can be very interesting if you
want to work with luxury marketing. The final exam is written.
Project management (B-CES-4-06-99-02-E)
One of the most relevant courses I had this semester. A very good class with the same
standard as what I'm used to at BI. This course was harder compared to my other classes.
There were case work and presentation during the classes. The final exam is written.
Sustainable development (B-CES-2-06-99-02-E)
This course was poorly organized and not well-structured. We had three teachers during the
semester which made it very confusing for me. The class was quite easy, and the course
required us to do presentation, quizzes and case work. The final exam is written.
Any other experiences:
Marseille is the oldest city in France. The city is known for its ethnical diversity and it is
reflected all around the city. When that is said, you have to keep in mind that the city is
rougher and more dangerous compared to a big city in Norway. As any other big city in the
world, you have to respect the culture and not put yourself in dangerous situations. Marseille
is located perfectly with long beaches and has great connections to other small and famous
towns. It is easy to plan trips to other cities around the area. St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice and
Monaco are only 45 minutes to 3 hour drive from Marseille, while Barcelona is only 5 hour
drive. It is also cheap to travel by plane to Morocco, Italy, Spain and Croatia. The weather is
of course much warmer than what we are used to in Norway.
Please do not hesitate to contact me through international office if you have any
questions.