HEC Paris (French: École des hautes études commerciales de Paris, lit.'Paris School of Advanced Business Studies') is a business school and grande école located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional development, professional certification, and PhD programs.[9] [better source needed]

HEC Paris
École des hautes études commerciales de Paris


The château at HEC Paris
MottoApprendre à oser
Motto in English
Literal: Learn to dare
Non-literal: The more you know, the more you dare
TypeGrande école de commerce et de management, École consulaire;[1]
(Private research university Business school)
Established4 December 1881; 142 years ago (1881-12-04)
FounderGustave Emmanuel Roy
AccreditationTriple accreditation:[2] AACSB;[2]
AMBA;[2]
EQUIS[2]
Endowment€100 million (2022)[3]
Budget€205 million (2024)[4]
ChairmanJean-Paul Agon[5]
DeanÉloïc Peyrache
Academic staff
160 resident professors:[6]
96% PhD.;[7]
30% female;[7]
64% international[7]
Students5,453 (postgraduate);[8]
8,000 (executive)[8]
Location
Paris (Jouy-en-Josas), France;
Doha, Qatar
Admission rate7% (2024)
ColorsBlue and White    
AffiliationsConférence des grandes écoles;[2]
CEMS;[2]
Polytechnic Institute of Paris[8]
Websitewww.hec.edu

HEC Paris is the founding member of CEMS - Global Alliance in Management Education and is triple accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Association of MBAs, and the EFMD Quality Improvement System).[10]

History

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Campus main entrance, in Jouy-en-Josas, Essonne.

Founded in 1881 by Gustave Emmanuel Roy, president of the Paris Chamber of Commerce (CCIP), with 57 students in its first class, the École des hautes études commerciales de Paris (HEC) aimed to be in the fields of management and commerce what the École Centrale de Paris was in the field of engineering.

In 1921, the school introduced the case-based method of the Harvard Business School, but most of the lectures remained theoretical. In 1938, the HEC program was lengthened to 3 years.

Due to French corporations' demand for North-American-style management education, at the end of the 1950s, the case-based method was generalized and a one-year classe préparatoire was created to prepare for the entrance examination, which had become more difficult. As a result, only 9% of HEC students had attended university in 1959, whereas 47% had done so in 1929.

In 1964, French President Charles de Gaulle inaugurated a new 250-acre (1.0 km2) wooded campus in Jouy-en-Josas. In 1967, HEC launched its executive education programs. Women have been accepted at HEC since 1973. Only 27 women were accepted that year and HEC jeunes filles (HECJF), another school dedicated to women, was closed. Its alumnae are officially considered graduates of HEC, and include Édith Cresson, the first female Prime Minister of France.

The doctoral course was established in 1975 but until 1985 doctoral students had to complete their thesis at the university. In 1985 the HEC obtained the right to award the title of doctor, before ESSEC (2010)[11] and ESCP (2012).[12]

The school has developed professorships financed by companies (Deloitte, EDF, Toshiba and others) to multiply links between HEC and companies. The HEC Foundation, founded in 1972, has the specific aim of developing these connections and the financing of the school by companies.[13]

Ties with businesses were strengthened in the 1990s and this led to greater specialization, with the establishment of finance and entrepreneurship courses in 1986. As a consequence of the financial Big Bang and the explosion of the City, more and more graduates went to work in England and, in general, abroad. In 2006, a third found their first job abroad. In 2015 the school adopted a new legal statute to allow private investors to join the board of directors.[14]

In 1988, HEC founded the CEMS network with ESADE, Bocconi University and the University of Cologne.

On 1 July 2008, HEC Paris joined ParisTech and then Paris-Saclay University as a founding member. The university campus of Jouy-en-Josas, in the Yvelines department, is located in the northern part of the technological cluster of Paris-Saclay, which brings together a quarter of French public research. HEC Paris is part of the network of graduate schools of business (ESC) in the Paris Île-de-France area, together with ESSEC and ESCP Business School.

In 2016, the school adopted a new legal status and became a public-private partnership (École consulaire or EESC), largely financed by the public Chamber of Commerce in Paris.[15]

In 2017, HEC launched a portfolio of new dual degree programs called M2M with the Yale School of Management, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Fundação Getulio Vargas.[16]

The same year in March,[17] the school launched the Executive Master in innovation & entrepreneurship program in collaboration with Coursera.[18][19]

On 15 September 2020, the school co-founded with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris[20] the artificial intelligence research center Hi! PARIS.[21][22]

In October 2023 the school announced the creation of a Bachelor of Arts in data, society and organisations in collaboration with Bocconi University in Milan.[23][24][25]

Grande École system

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Degrees (such as the Master in Management or "Grande École program") from HEC Paris are accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles[26] and by the Ministry of National Education.[27] HEC Paris is also triple accredited by the European Foundation for Management Development (EQUIS),[2] the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB),[2] and the Association of MBAs (AMBA).[2]

International rankings

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Business School
International Rankings
European MBA Ranking
QS (2025)[28]1
Financial Times (2024)[29]4
Global MBA Ranking
QS (2025)[30]6
Financial Times (2024)[31]12
Ranking 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Business School
FT – European Business Schools[32] 1st[33] 1st[34] 1st[35] 1st[36]
QS (by Subject) – Business & Management Studies[37] 9th 9th 10th 10th 11th
QS (by Subject) – Accounting and Finance[37] 19th 20th 19th 18th 18th
Master in Management (GE-MiM) for FT—Master in Strategic Management for QS and The Economist (12 months program)
FT – Master in Management[38] 2nd[33] 2nd[34] 2nd[39] 1st[40] 2nd[41]
QS – Masters in Management[42] 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
The Economist – Masters in Management[43] 1st 1st 1st
MSc in International Finance
FT – Masters in Finance Pre-Experience[44] 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd
QS – Masters in Finance[45] 3rd 4th 2nd 1st 1st 2nd
MBA
FT – Global MBA[46] 9th[33] 7th[34] [47] 11th 17th 12th
QS – Full Time MBA[48] 7th 5th 4th 4th 5th 6th
The Economist – MBA[49] 3rd 2nd
Bloomberg Business Week – International MBAs[50] 4th 8th
Executive Education
FT – Executive MBA (Trium HEC/LSE/NYU)[51] 4th[33] 2nd[34] 6th 4th 5th
QS – Executive MBA (Trium HEC/LSE/NYU) 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
FT – Executive MBA (EMBA HEC)[51] 3rd 1st 4th 7th 18th
QS – Executive MBA (EMBA HEC) 3rd 1st 2nd 1st 3rd
FT – Executive Education – Customized[52][53] 2nd 1st 3rd 4th
FT – Executive Education – Open[54] 8th 1st 2nd 1st
Specialized Masters
The Economist – MSc in Strategic Management 1st
QS – MSc in Strategic Management 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
QS – MSc in Marketing 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
QS – MSc in Business Analytics 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd

Programs

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Higher education business degrees in France are organized into three levels thus facilitating international mobility: the Licence (Bachelor's), Master's, and Doctorate degrees. A Bachelor's degree requires the completion of 180 ECTS credits (bac 3); a Master's, requires an additional 120 ECTS credits (bac 5). HEC Paris offers a bachelor's degree since October 2023.[2]

Master in Management - Grande École program

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Its highly coveted PGE (Programme Grande École or Grande École program) ends with the awarding of Master's in Management (MiM) degree.[55][56][57] Outside of the PGE, students at HEC can be awarded other master's degrees, such as the MBA (bac 5), or a PhD (bac 8).[2]

Bachelor in Data, Society and Organisations

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Announced in October 2023, the school offers a Bachelor of Arts in partnership with Bocconi University in Milan.[58] Focused on Data, Society & Organizations, it combines data sciences and social sciences.[59] Students spend the first three semesters in Italy and the last three in France on the Jouy-en-Josas campus.[60]

MSc in International Finance (MIF)

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The MSc in International Finance is ranked #1 worldwide for pre-experience programs (2020 FT Rankings).[61]

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

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The MBA program, created in 1969, has two intakes: September and January. HEC's MBA consists of a 16-month-long curriculum, with 8 months of core courses and 8 months of a customized program, including several specialization options, exchange programs, and fieldwork projects.[62] A typical class is composed of some 250 students – 90% of whom are international students – with more than 52 nationalities represented in the 2017 graduating class.[63] The selection process seeks a balance between academic achievement, professional experience, international exposure, and personal motivation. Knowledge of French is not an entry requirement, but participants are highly encouraged to have a basic knowledge of French by the start of the MBA Program, while mandatory (during the first two core terms) and optional language courses are offered throughout the program. Exchange and dual degree programs are offered with about 40 international partner business schools, including the Singapore Management University, HKUST, London Business School, Columbia Business School, Wharton, and Yale.[64][65]

Executive education

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Executive MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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The Executive MSc Innovation & Entrepreneurship is a program created by HEC Paris and delivered partly on Coursera.[66] 100% online, it takes 18 months.[67] The first students were admitted in March 2017.[68]

Executive MBA

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Formerly (until 2002) Centre de perfectionnement aux affaires,[69] the HEC Executive MBA is a program for top executives with a minimum of 8 years of corporate experience, which prepares them for general management positions (the average background experience of students is about 14 years). The Executive MBA is a multi-site program offered in Paris (France), Beijing (China), St Petersburg (Russia) and Doha (Qatar). The courses are split between theory, case studies, strategic projects, leadership training, EU community campus and foreign exchanges in the US and Asia. Program partnering universities are NYU, UCLA, Babson College in the US, Tsinghua University in China and Nihon University in Japan.[70]

TRIUM Global Executive MBA

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HEC also offers the TRIUM Global Executive MBA programme jointly with Stern School of Business of NYU and the London School of Economics.[71] It is divided into six modules that are held in five international business locations over 16 months.[72]

Admissions

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2018 Admission Statistics[73][74]
Procedure Applicants Admitted Acceptance Rate (%)
Grande Ecole (Master in Management)
Classes préparatoires (French concours, students enter in L3) 5,151 382 7.4%
French dual degree (students from French partner institutions) 421 82 19.5%
Direct admissions (students enter in M1) 6,520 271 4.2%
Total 12,092 735 6%
MBA
Total 2,231 391 17.5%

Massive Online Open Courses

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HEC Paris is also participating in the new wave of distance learning, by creating its own online training courses via MOOCs available on Coursera.[75]

Research and Entrepreneurship

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HEC Paris has several centres of research:

  • HI! PARIS CENTER - A collaboration with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), this interdisciplinary and inter-institutional centre combines education, research and innovation to investigate the major challenges surrounding digital transformation and its impact on companies and society at large. This Center combines the 300 researchers and infrastructures of IP Paris and HEC Paris.[76]
  • Society & Organizations Institute - an interdisciplinary Institute that brings together over 60 professors to research, teach and implement ideas in sustainability and inclusion.[77]

The school has been offering a degree in entrepreneurship for more than 40 years, by creating HEC Entrepreneurs in 1977,[80] which has today become the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs, in partnership with École Polytechnique.[81] Between 2004 and 2013, the percentage of entrepreneurs per class jumped from 10% to 25%.[82] In 2007,[83] HEC Paris created Incubateur HEC Paris, its startup incubator dedicated to supporting alumni-created startups. Currently directed by Antoine Leprêtre, the incubator has been part of the Station F campus since 2017.[84] Since 2017, the school has also an online Master's degree dedicated to this topic.[85]

Student life

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Campuses

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France

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HEC is located on a 110-hectare campus in Jouy-en-Josas, 16  km. (10 miles) southwest of central Paris, close to Versailles. Jouy-en-Josas is served by the RER Parisian suburban train and the local bus service. The campus is built around a 19th-century château, which is currently used for Executive Education classes.[86]

Qatar

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HEC Paris in Qatar

HEC Paris in Qatar is a remote campus of HEC Paris, located in Doha, the capital of Qatar.[87] HEC Paris in Qatar is the result of an agreement between HEC Paris and the Qatar Foundation.[88]

HEC Paris in Qatar campus is located in the “Tornado Tower” in the heart of the “West Bay” financial centre of the city of Doha.[89] HEC Qatar offers four types of programs, including an Executive MBA and a Mastère spécialisé program.[90]

United Kingdom

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HEC UK House in London

The HEC UK House has been inaugurated in March 2023. Close to Covent Garden, the campus is dedicated to the alumni network and conferences. It also has a library and a creative lab.[91]

Alumni association

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The school alumni association, Association des diplômés HEC Paris, was founded in 1883 and gathers alumni of the different institutions of the HEC Group: École HEC Paris, MBA HEC Paris, HEC Paris Executive MBA, Mastères HEC Paris and Doctorat HEC Paris. Each degree is associated with a letter and the year of graduation. In 2017, HEC Alumni were ranked by The Economist as the 2nd most powerful business school alumni network in the world.[92]

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The institution is featured in many works. Association of Wrongdoers, a 1987 film by Claude Zidi, features former students.[93]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Our History". HEC. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Welcome: HEC Paris". HEC. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  3. ^ "2022 annual report" (PDF). Fondation HEC Paris. 2022. p. 62. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Pour les étudiants". CEFDG. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  5. ^ HEC. "Chairman".
  6. ^ "Faculty Directory List". HEC. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "HEC Paris". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "HEC Paris : classement, prix, admission". HEC. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  9. ^ "HEC Paris". 16 May 2023.
  10. ^ "The Triple Accredited Business Schools (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS)". MBA Today.
  11. ^ Indiscret. L’Essec va bientôt pouvoir délivrer des doctorats
  12. ^ Habilitation de ESC Europe à délivrer le diplôme de doctorat
  13. ^ Rapport annuel 2023
  14. ^ HEC attend un nouveau statut "inédit" pour 2013
  15. ^ "Who We Are". HEC. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  16. ^ HEC. "M2M Programs". HEC Paris. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  17. ^ HEC lance un programme diplômant 100 % en ligne
  18. ^ Executive MSc & MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  19. ^ Exclusif. HEC se lance dans un diplôme... 100 % en ligne
  20. ^ Hi!Paris, L’Institut Polytechnique De Paris Et HEC Paris Affichent Leur Ambition Dans L’IA
  21. ^ Zoom sur Hi! PARIS, le centre consacré à l’IA et aux Sciences des données de l’Institut Polytechnique de Paris et HEC Paris
  22. ^ HEC et Polytechnique lancent le centre pluridisciplinaire Hi! Paris pour devenir champions de la recherche en IA
  23. ^ HEC Paris se lance dans la bataille du bachelor
  24. ^ HEC crée son bachelor et fait chavirer la dernière digue qui protégeait le modèle prépa
  25. ^ HEC lance son premier Bachelor en partenariat avec la Bocconi
  26. ^ "Conférence des grandes écoles: commission Accréditation". Conférence des grandes écoles. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Etablissements dispensant des formations supérieures initiales diplômantes conférant le grade de master". Ministry of France, Higher Education. Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  28. ^ "QS Europe MBA Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds.
  29. ^ "Global MBA Ranking 2022". Financial Times.
  30. ^ "QS Global MBA Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds.
  31. ^ "Global MBA Ranking 2023". Financial Times.
  32. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  33. ^ a b c d "FT European Business School Rankings 2020". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  34. ^ a b c d "FT European Business School Rankings 2021". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  35. ^ "European Business School Rankings 2022 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  36. ^ "European Business School Rankings 2023 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  37. ^ a b "HEC Paris School of Management". Top Universities. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  38. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  39. ^ "Masters in Management 2022 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  40. ^ "Masters in Management 2023 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Masters in Management 2024 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  42. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2025: Management". Top Universities. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  43. ^ "Masters in Management 2017 Ranking". The Economist. 17 November 2017. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  44. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  45. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2025: Finance". Top Universities. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  46. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  47. ^ "MBA 2022 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  48. ^ "QS Global MBA Rankings 2025". Top Universities. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  49. ^ "2018 MBA & Business School Rankings | Which MBA?". The Economist. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  50. ^ Nasiripour, Shahien (19 December 2017). "These Are the Best International MBA Programs". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  51. ^ a b "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  52. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  53. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019.
  54. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  55. ^ "La Licence". enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr (in French). 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  56. ^ "Le Master". enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr (in French). 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  57. ^ Ben-David, Joseph and Philip G. Altbach. eds. Centers of Learning: Britain, France, Germany, United States (2nd ed. 2017).
  58. ^ "HEC Paris se lance dans la bataille du bachelor" (in French).
  59. ^ "HEC crée son bachelor et fait chavirer la dernière digue qui protégeait le modèle prépa" (in French). 2 October 2023.
  60. ^ "HEC lance son premier Bachelor en partenariat avec la Bocconi" (in French). 3 October 2023.
  61. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  62. ^ MBA, HEC-. "16-month Curriculum". HEC – MBA. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  63. ^ "HEC MBA Brochure" (PDF). HEC Paris MBA Program. 2018.
  64. ^ MBA, HEC-. "International Exchanges". HEC – MBA. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  65. ^ MBA, HEC-. "Double Degrees". HEC – MBA. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  66. ^ MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  67. ^ Exclusif. HEC se lance dans un diplôme… 100 % en ligne
  68. ^ HEC lance un programme diplômant 100 % en ligne
  69. ^ Tendances émergentes à suivre
  70. ^ HEC Paris remporte la palme du meilleur executive MBA au monde
  71. ^ Un EMBA en or massif
  72. ^ EMBA 2023
  73. ^ Berrou, Nicolas (13 October 2018). "Comment intégrer HEC ?". Business Cool (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  74. ^ Hazlehurst, Jeremy (31 October 2018). "MBA Acceptance Rates at Top European Business Schools | Page 2 of 2". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  75. ^ HEC, première business school française à se lancer dans les MOOC
  76. ^ HEC et Polytechnique lancent le centre pluridisciplinaire Hi! Paris pour devenir champions de la recherche en IA
  77. ^ Capgemini et HEC Paris signent une convention de parrainage pour aider les futurs professionnels à créer l’entreprise à impact positif de demain
  78. ^ [https://hal-hceres.archives-ouvertes.fr/hceres-02033171/document GREGHEC - Groupement de recherche et d’études en gestion à HEC]
  79. ^ “Inclusive Business Report: What it is and why it matters” released by the HEC Paris Society and Organizations Institute
  80. ^ Formations à l'entrepreneuriat: la création d'entreprises est un outil pédagogique, estime Robert Papin, ancien directeur d'HEC Entrepreneurs
  81. ^ PATRICK SAYER PRÉSIDERA LE COMITÉ D’ORIENTATION DU MASTER OF SCIENCE X-HEC ENTREPRENEURS
  82. ^ "De plus en plus de créateurs d'entreprise à HEC". www.letudiant.fr (in French). 23 March 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  83. ^ "Incubateur HEC Paris". Les Echos Solutions Business (in French). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  84. ^ Manceau, Jean-Jacques (14 April 2020). "Les Écoles De Commerce Championnes De L'Entrepreneuriat". Forbes France (in French). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  85. ^ HEC Paris Online Master's in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  86. ^ HEC Paris : un campus nouvelle génération
  87. ^ "HEC Paris: de Jouy-en-Josas à Doha | CCI News". 30 May 2011.
  88. ^ "Qatar Foundation et HEC Paris concluent un accord de partenariat" (PDF).
  89. ^ "HEC Paris exporte ses programmes au Qatar". 7 July 2010.
  90. ^ "HEC Paris welcomes International Executive MBA Class of 2022". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 10 April 2021.
  91. ^ Inauguration de la "HEC UK House" à Londres
  92. ^ "Who you know, not what you know". The Economist. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  93. ^ Association de Malfaiteurs Association of Wrongdoers Claude Zidi [videorecording=]
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48°45′29″N 2°10′13″E / 48.75806°N 2.17028°E / 48.75806; 2.17028