What is the difference between a Bachelor’s degree and a Licence in finance?

Students wishing to specialise in finance from their 1st year of study can choose between two types of course: a bachelor’s degree or a licence. A bachelor’s degree and a licence are both three-year post-baccalaureate courses. The former is awarded by private business or management schools such as INSEEC, the latter by universities. However, there are many differences between these two courses, not least their teaching environment. Length of study, work placement period, possibility of sandwich courses, specialisations, teaching methods, whether or not the degree is recognised by the state… Find out more about the differences between a bachelor’s degree and a licence in finance in our article.

To know the difference between a bachelor’s degree and a licence in finance, you first need to understand the general differences between these two types of training.

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The bachelor’s degree, a demanding vocational course

The Bachelor’s degree in Finance is the prerogative of the leading business and management schools. Backed by its international reputation, the Bachelor in Finance offers its students closer supervision and support throughout their studies than university students, who must demonstrate a degree of autonomy immediately. The teaching methods used in a Bachelor’s degree are also firmly rooted in the professional world, with lecturers already working in companies making up the vast majority of the teaching staff, as is the case at INSEEC. What’s more, unlike a Bachelor’s degree, students have the opportunity to specialise in Finance from the 1st year onwards, so that they can discover the market and the various opportunities available before specialising.

Work placements and work-study programmes are also an integral part of the Bachelor’s curriculum, as they are widely encouraged and even compulsory from the^2nd year of studies. In fact, the pace of study in the Bachelor’s programme leaves plenty of time for students to work in companies. This in-company time is assessed by the tutor or apprenticeship master, enabling the student to validate his or her course.

On the international front, students who decide to do a 4-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) can do work placements abroad – which are compulsory as part of their course – and take some or all of their course in English.

Finally, community life in a Bachelor’s degree at a business school is an essential part of the curriculum. At INSEEC, students are encouraged to join or create an association project, which is assessed during their course, particularly in the^2nd year.

The bachelor’s degree, a theoretical university education

The bachelor’s degree is an undergraduate course that forms part of the university’s LMD (Licence, Master, Doctorat) system. The Bachelor’s degree is highly theoretical and focuses more on research in its teaching methods, as it leads on to research masters and doctoral studies. Students wishing to do work placements or work-study schemes to gain experience should look at the professional bachelor’s degrees, which are only accessible in the third year and only by application. This is because bachelor’s degrees rarely, if ever, provide time for work placements. There are fewer specialisations on offer in bachelor’s degrees than in business schools.

Nonetheless, university students need to demonstrate their autonomy immediately in order to take charge of their training, as they benefit from less supervision and support. The university encourages initiative and resourcefulness because of its more anonymous environment compared with business schools. The bachelor’s degree also offers students a rich community life, but participation is not compulsory as part of the course.

Finance degree

What is a degree in finance?

A bachelor’s degree in Finance is a course that is mainly taken in the 3rd year of a bachelor’s degree at university, since it is a specialisation. After the baccalauréat, students have the option of enrolling in a mathematics degree or an economics and management degree for the first two years, in order to acquire dual skills. During these first two years, students have the opportunity to do a work placement at the end of the academic year, but this is not made compulsory by the universities. Students then choose to specialise in finance, auditing and management control or banking for a third year of the professional degree, which can be done on a sandwich course basis.

Bachelor in finance

What is a bachelor’s degree in finance?

A bachelor’s degree in finance at a business school also offers two generalist first years, but with gradual specialisation. Students have the opportunity to study mathematics as well as the basics of management and economics during these two years, skills that are essential for subsequent work in the finance sector. The work placement is an integral part of the curriculum, as it is compulsory to complete each academic year. Students also have the opportunity to attend more technical courses in finance, taught by professionals, to gain an insight into the market. They may therefore take courses in financial and cash management, day-to-day accounting or corporate taxation during these first two years, which helps them to consolidate their choice of specialisation in the third year.

The third year, the year of specialisation, can be completed on a sandwich course, and work experience is still required to validate the course.

Bachelor

3 years of post-bac studies (4 years if admitted to a BBA, Bachelor in Business Administration)
Professional specialisation available from^1st year
Compulsory work placement from^1st year
Work-linked training available from^2nd year
Award of a level 6 RNCP qualification (recognised by the Ministry of Employment)
180 ECTS credits
Local management and support
Professionally-oriented teaching methods
A rich community life
Better reputation on the international market
Compulsory courses and work placements abroad for BBA students
Possible gap year
Recognised by companies
Direct entry into the job market
Tuition fees are higher than for a bachelor’s degree, but there are a number of support schemes (sandwich courses, student loans, etc.).

Licence

3 years of post-bac studies
Non-compulsory courses
Work-linked training only possible in^3rd year, subject to admission to a Professional Degree programme
More theoretical than practical training in the vast majority of licences
Award of a bachelor’s degree
Little supervision and support (universities are reputed to be more
Classic associative life
Better reputation in European academic circles
Low tuition fees
Ideal training for students wishing to do university research (research masters and doctoral studies)
Possible gap year
Recognised by companies
Direct entry into the job market, only for students on a Professional Degree course

After a bachelor’s degree

Studying finance after a bachelor’s degree?

After a bachelor’s degree, students have several options open to them:

continue your studies in a Master of Science, either initially or on a sandwich course, to obtain a level 7 professional qualification registered with the RNCP (French National Register of Professional Certifications)
continue your studies on the Grande École Programme, either on an initial or sandwich course, to obtain a Master’s degree
enter the job market directly

Questions