Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES

Infobox University
name = Catholic Institute of Higher Studies (Institut Catholique d'Etudes Supérieures)
latin_name =


motto =
mottoeng =
established = 1990
demonym =
staff =
director = François BOULETREAU
vice_chancellor =
city = La Roche-sur-Yon
country = France
campus =
students = 900
undergrad =
postgrad =
endowment =
colours =
athletics =
type = Private
affiliations = ICUSTA
website = http://www.ices.fr

The Catholic Institute of Higher Studies (Institut Catholique d'Etudes Supérieures - ICES) [http://www.ices.fr/] is a small private university located in the Vendée region of western France, just 20 minutes from the Atlantic coast.

The main goal of this institute is to achieve academic excellence through an enhancement of the Christian and human dimension in seven areas of study. Founded in 1989, ICES has pioneered a new concept in higher education, that of the “University School” : halfway between the French Grande École and the traditional state university.

In 1990, under the authority of l'Université Catholique d'Angers, the Catholic Institute of Higher Studies (ICES) was opened in Roche-sur-Yon. After three years of collaboration, the Superior Council of the Catholic University of the West awarded ICES its academic independence in 1993. François Garnier, Bishop of Luçon, became the institutional head of the establishment with the responsibility of maintaining its ecclesiastical membership.

In France, diplomas in broad subject areas such as Biology, Law, History, Languages, etc. are mostly proposed in state-run universities. The prestigious Grandes Ecoles in France are elite schools that have very high standards, selective recruitment, specialized fields of study as well as small groups with individual support and counselling.ICES proposes state diplomas in broad study areas with pedagogical and educational standards that resemble those of a Grande Ecole.

The school's mission is to create a spirit of cooperation between teaching staff and students in the acquisition of knowledge and to establish a personalised partnership with each individual student in order to help realise his or her professional aim. ICES’ 900 students follow classes, conferences and symposiums given by nationally and internationally renowned professors from France and abroad.

The Academic Programs proposed at the ICES are:

Law, History, Languages, French Litterature & Classics, Biology & Life Sciences, Chemistry & Physics, Applied Mathematics & Computer Science, Political Science, International Relations & International Careers.