Minor Public action
The Public Action minor is open to master's and doctoral students at Université PSL, whatever their field of study. Launched at the start of the 2024 academic year by the Institut d'Action Publique PSL, and designed in partnership with the Institut National du Service Public (INSP), this course aims to prepare students for recruitment into the civil service, particularly for positions where their expertise as researchers will be valued.
Video Presentation Minor Public Action
Minors at Université PSL
Université PSL is developing a range of minors on attractive themes, closely aligned with contemporary scientific and socio-economic issues.
These minors offer unprecedented opportunities to Master's and PhD students from all our establishments, alongside their main course of study:
- Openness and awareness,
- Specialization and professionalization,
- Enrichment of research projects.
- Each minor is worth around 30 ECTS credits (equivalent to one semester of a Master's degree) and can be taken over several years (duration varies according to the minor).
Validation of a minor (see specific procedures for each minor) leads to the issue of a certificate created by the Education Vice-Presidents' Committee and the Board of Directors of Université PSL.
Public Policy Minor curriculum
>> Consult the full 2025-26 program.
This training program, at the interface between research and public policy, is designed to provide students with fundamental knowledge of the workings of the civil service and enable them to consolidate their disciplinary expertise.
50 places are available in the Public Action Minor. Students must choose a theme (health, education, labor, environment). For students in the social sciences (economics, sociology, political science), a specific “Social Sciences” course is planned. These students will be required to validate advanced courses in economics/social sciences, and to validate a certain number of courses in economics (for sociologists) or sociology (for economists).
The Minor will comprise three types of course for a total of 30 ECTS:
1. Fundamental block (9 ECTS)
- 60 hours of compulsory courses provided by INSP (6 ECTS). Classes are held at INSP, 2 avenue de l'Observatoire. These courses can be taken in the first or second year.
- PSL Week (2 ECTS). 24 hours of compulsory courses will be spread over the 5 days of PSL Week (week of November 24 to 28, 2025). These classes will be supplemented by introductory and concluding sessions. The aim of these courses will be to give students the methodological knowledge they need to follow the thematic courses of the Minor. Here's how the courses will be divided up:
- Economics (6h)
- Cognitive science (6h)
- Sociology (6h)
- Law (3h)
- Political science (3h)
- 6 lectures from the Institut des Politiques Pobliques (1 ECTS): these lectures, spread out over the year, will be devoted to the evaluation of public policies in various fields. They must be taken in conjunction with PSL Week courses, for a total of 3 ECTS.
2. Thematic courses (15 ECTS)
These courses will be given by teacher-researchers from PSL University establishments on public policy in the following areas. These are pre-existing courses in the catalogs of the various establishments.
- Health
- Education
- Work
- Environment
3. Elective courses (6 ECTS)
Elective courses taught by ENS-PSL teacher-researchers, both interdisciplinary (data for policy, statistics, etc.) and disciplinary (economics of public policy, etc.). These courses, which already exist in the catalogs of the various establishments, will be offered in the course catalog.
4. Internship
A 3 to 6-month internship in a French, European or international government agency is required to complete the minor.
Practical information - Public action minor
- Open to master's and doctoral students at Université PSL
- No disciplinary prerequisites
- Course validated in 1 or 2 years (during a master's and/or doctoral degree)
- Application deadline: September 1 (but it is recommended to register as early as June 2025): submit an application via this online form (selection based on interviews)
- Language level required: French B2 / some courses will be given in English
- Course location: ENS - PSL (75005), ENS - PSL Jourdan (75014), Dauphine - PSL (75016), INSP (75006)
- Contact for any questions