The Master is a university diploma open to students holding a Bac+3 (License, BUT, etc.), and it is obtained after the successful completion of two years of study: the Master 1 (Bac+4) and the Master 2 (Bac+5).
A diploma used in particular to specialize and stand out, the National Master's Diploma (DNM) is obtained when a student has been able to validate 120 ECTS credits (European Credits Transfer System: European system of transfer and accumulation of credits) accumulated on his two years of Master's degree.
These two years of study can be followed in the form of a traditional course, or in alternation during which professional periods in a company follow periods of courses.
As more and more French students want to extend their studies, admission to M1 is no longer automatic: this observation notably led to the creation of the My Master platform.
Establishments can set a numerus clausus with regard to reception capacities (size of premises, teaching and supervisory staff) and professional integration possibilities.
What is My Master?
Mon Master is a
French government platform (accessible via the address www.monmaster.gouv.fr)
which allows you to both find out about the different existing Master 1 courses and apply for them
.
Set up by the Minister of Higher Education and Research, the platform is accessible to students and people returning to studies.
Available online since February 2023, the Mon Master portal took over from the Findmonmaster.gouv.fr platform which was launched in February 2017 with, at the time, the sole objective of listing all Masters.
From now on, MonMaster.gouv.fr also gives students the opportunity to submit their application for the Master 1 courses that interest them.
Even if there are differences between the two platforms, My Master can be considered as a counterpart to Parcoursup which, since January 2018, allows you to find out about 1st year Bachelor's courses and submit an application.
Like Parcoursup, the Monmaster.gouv.fr site has also been under fire from teachers and students alike.
What is the My Master platform used for?
Like Parcoursup, My Master takes on both an information and action role allowing you to find your Master 1 and apply for it.
On MonMaster.gouv.fr, you have the possibility to:
Consult in the form of information sheets all the DNMs offered
by accredited higher education establishments (public or private higher education establishments in agreement with a public establishment).
You can consult these files using a search engine or a map allowing you to check whether the study course is provided near you.
Each sheet presents the mention and the courses of the Master (a mention can be subdivided into different courses) with: the content, the reception capacities of the establishments for the training, the Licenses recommended to access it, the criteria for examining applications used by establishments to recruit, as well as the rate of access to training (total number of applications / number of admissions).
Search for a Master in card mode on the My Master website.
Screenshot of the site www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
Apply for several Master 1 courses
from a single file to submit: the application procedures are thus centralized and carried out according to a common calendar, in order to make this admission phase easier.
You submit your applications for access to the first year of the Master's degree according to a schedule that may change each year.
Contact the rector if you do not receive a positive response
to your applications.
If you find yourself without a positive response at the end of the application period (main admission phase and complementary phase), you can then take steps with the rectoral services.
Once entered, they will contact you and help you find an M1 at the start of the school year.
Who is affected by the My Master platform?
Anyone who does not yet know which Master 1 to do - whether they are currently a student or returning to studies - will
a priori
be interested in the informational aspect of the My Master platform.
Then, for the second part concerning applications,
you must have a Bac+3 to be able to apply for a first year of Master's degree
.
In addition, you must also be a French citizen or a national of the European Economic Area, Andorra, Switzerland or Monaco (students coming from elsewhere must go to the Études en France platform if their country of residence is covered by the scheme).
Also not affected by the My Master portal:
students whose chosen training is not accessible on the platform (Masters with an international vocation, Masters in journalism subject to an entrance exam, etc.);
those wishing to be admitted to Master 1 via validation of higher studies (VES), or via validation of professional acquired knowledge (VAP) in certain cases;
those who have already been automatically admitted to the first year of the Master's degree (example: students of the Master's program in engineering);
students authorized to repeat their first year of Master's degree.
All other applications for a Master 1 are made on the My Master portal, including those for a first year of a work-study Master.
If you apply for work-study training, a specific schedule is in principle planned.
How to apply on the My Master platform?
You must apply on the My Master platform according to the timetable established for the campaign concerning your registration.
For example, the My Master 2024 application campaign corresponds to registration in M1 for the 2024 school year and therefore for the 2024-2025 school year.
Before submitting your applications to My Master, you will need to create an account on the platform from the opening of the registration campaign for the session concerned.
Once registration has been completed, you will be able to submit a maximum of 30 applications during the appropriate period:
15 applications for Masters which are not offered on a work-study basis;
and 15 additional applications for Masters offered on a work-study basis.
The number of applications is counted according to the number of Master's mentions within a given establishment, and not by course.
Please note that if you apply for several courses offered within the same category, only one application will be counted.
The Mon Master website is accessible via the address www.monmaster.gouv.fr/ Photo credit: Delphine Goldsztejn
Submitting your application is accompanied by that of an
admission file
which, if it is incomplete or does not meet expectations, may be refused.
You must therefore absolutely optimize your file to put all the chances on your side.
You will also be asked to write a cover letter for your Master's degree, but also a letter of recommendation to support your application, or even to take an interview or a competition for the most selective courses.
Then, your applications will be examined by the admissions officers of the different establishments.
You will then be informed of the admission offers, and you will have to respond to them.
In the event of refusal, this will also be sent to you on the platform, accompanied by its reason.
You can then contest it by filing, within two months, a voluntary appeal with the training manager of the establishment concerned, or a contentious appeal before the administrative court.
Since the My Master 2024 campaign, an additional phase offering you a second chance to find your training has been added
to the main application submission phase.
During this second phase, you can both rank your applications still on the waiting list in order of preference, and formulate 10 new applications.
As soon as you definitively accept the admission offer from an establishment, a link is sent to you on the platform to allow you to consult the terms and timetable for registration for the training.
You therefore do not register directly in the first year via My Master (unlike Parcoursup), and you must register with the establishment according to the instructions given.
My Master’s Calendar to respect
The platform makes it possible to standardize all establishments' admission calendars.
Decided by the Ministry, the My Master 2024 calendar (key dates, stages for registrations, etc.) was made official in mid-December 2023 and provides for the first time an additional registration phase.
Here are the main dates to know:
January 29 - opening of the site to consult the Master's training offer available for the start of the 2024 school year
From February 26 to March 24: it’s up to you to submit applications
From June 4 to Monday June 24: response/admission phase
From June 25 to July 31: additional phase for a second chance if necessary
How to choose your training on My Master?
To choose your training, you can first consult the files available
on MonMaster.gouv.fr.
During its first year of existence in 2023, the platform provided access to files presenting 3,500 training courses and 8,000 Master's courses.
You can carry out your searches by disciplinary field, by name of mention or course, by establishment or by place of training, but also save them to come back to them later.
The platform advises you to get support in choosing your study project and your applications through:
the Joint University Information and Orientation Service (SCUIO) of your undergraduate establishment;
from the Onisep website (National Information Office on Education and Professions);
various fairs dedicated to orientation and open days of higher education establishments.
The My Master portal also specifies that it is important to apply for several Masters, to diversify the chosen specialties, and to extend applications to different geographical areas, in order to be able to more easily integrate a first year of Master at the start of the school year.