Sciences Po Strasbourg - Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Strasbourg -( , abbreviated IEP Strasbourg) is a Grande école located in Strasbourg, France. It was founded on October 9, 1945, with the IEP Paris (Sciences Po Paris). Since January 1, 2009, it is part of University of Strasbourg, the second largest university in France. Its current director is Jean-Philippe Heurtin .Overview Sciences Po institutes are Grandes Écoles, a French institution of higher education that is separate from, but parallel and connected to the main framework of the French public university system. Similar to the Ivy League in the United States, Oxbridge in the UK, and C9 League in China, Grandes Écoles are elite academic institutions that admit students through an extremely competitive process. In 2013, the admission rate at Sciences Po Strasbourg was 14%; and 53% of accepted freshmen graduated high school summa cum laude and were in the top 10% of their high school class. Alums go on to occupy elite positions within government, administration, and corporate firms in France.Valérie Albouy et Thomas Wanecq, Les inégalités sociales d’accès aux grandes écoles (2003), INSEE Although these institutes are more expensive than public universities in France, Grandes Écoles typically have much smaller class sizes and student bodies, and many of their programs are taught in English. International internships, study abroad opportunities, and close ties with government and the corporate world are a hallmark of the Grandes Écoles. Many of the top ranked schools in Europe are members of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), as are the Sciences Po institutions. Degrees from Sciences Po are accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and awarded by the Ministry of National Education (France) (). The institute is modeled on the former École Libre des Sciences Politiques, and as such, Sciences Po specializes in political science, but uses an interdisciplinary approach to education that provides student generalists with the high level of grounding in skills that they need in History, Law, Economic Sciences, Sociology, Political science and International relations, enriched by specialization in years 4 and 5, after a 3rd year either on a professional placement in France or overseas or alternatively studying at a foreign university. The third year of the curriculum is a year of mobility abroad, and students have the choice, they can spend two semesters in a foreign university, one semester in a university and one semester internship or they also