The 2026–2027 School Year: A New Chapter for the FDE
The start of the 2026 school year is of particular importance to the FDE: it marks the practical implementation of the reform of teacher training and recruitment, which is fundamentally transforming the pathways to careers in education. Starting in 2026, teacher recruitment exams will be open to candidates who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree, while successful candidates will undergo a two-year initial training program at the master’s level. However, a transitional period will allow both the “bac+3” and “bac+5” competitive exams to coexist until 2027.
A new training program to support the reform
This development is accompanied by a revamped curriculum at the School of Education, designed to support students from the bachelor’s degree level through to their entry into the workforce.
Among the main new developments this academic year is the Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary School Teaching (LPE), offered at all five of the Faculty’s campuses. This program specifically prepares students for the new competitive exam for elementary school teachers, which is now administered upon completion of the bachelor’s degree. It also offers tracks in regional languages, with Catalan in Perpignan andOccitan in Carcassonne. While the LPE offers a new degree, it builds on the Multidisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree and the MEEF program, which have been offered at the FDE since 2018
This academic year also marks the launch of the new Bachelor’s degree in Science, Education, and Outreach (SEM), which offers three tracks starting in the first year: Humanities, Education, and Teaching—History and Geography, Languages and Literature (HEL²); Public Policy and Educational Outreach (M2PE); and Outreach, Facilitation, and Training (MAF). This multidisciplinary program broadens students’ career options while allowing them to gradually develop their professional plans. TheFaculty thus affirms an ambition that goes beyond simply preparing students for teacher certification exams: to train professionals capable of supporting transformations in the field of education.
Finally, the reform continues with the Master’s in Teaching and Education (M2E), which focuses on elementary school teaching, secondary school teaching, and educational leadership/CPE. Civil service students and future teachers thus benefit from a new training program that combines academic study, professional development, and hands-on experience in schools.
A new school year across five locations, close to the communities
This new program retains a key feature of the School of Education: its regional presence.
From Carcassonne to Mende, Montpellier, Nîmes, and Perpignan, the programs are designed to allow students to pursue their education as close to home as possible, while benefiting from the same academic and educational standards.
This structure is one of the FDE’s strengths: it fosters dialogue between the realities of different regions and national issues in education and training, while maintaining close ties with schools and local stakeholders.
Trainee civil servants, trainee school counselors (CPEs), and work-study contract employees from the Faculty of Education’s five campuses began the new academic year with an orientation session held via videoconference from Montpellier-Triolet. During the event, Isabelle Chazal, Secretary General of the Montpellier Academy, and Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, presented the new initiatives for the year and offered words of encouragement to support them as they embark on this new phase.
The first cohorts of the SEF Master’s program—the “non-successful candidate” track—are designed for students who wish to continue preparing for a career in teaching after failing the competitive exams. Students from the five campuses gathered via videoconference before receiving a welcome message from Agnès Perrin-Doucey, dean of the Faculty of Education.
The new M2E training programs—for primary and secondary education—incorporate this new curriculum, which aims to strengthen the link between university education, professional development, and practical experience. With remarks by Agnès Perrin-Doucey and Carole Drucker-Godard, superintendent of the Montpellier School District.
First academic year for the new LPE program, open to students with at least a bachelor’s degree. Students were welcomed by Philippe Augé and Agnès Perrin-Doucey. This bachelor’s program offers a progressive, career-oriented curriculum that draws on the FDE’s expertise and experience in training for careers in teaching and education.
Students in the SEM bachelor’s program began the new school year in Montpellier, via videoconference with the Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Perpignan campuses. This new multidisciplinary and humanities-focused bachelor’s degree prepares students for careers in education, youth programming, community outreach, and training, as well as for certain competitive exams administered by the French Ministry of Education. The program draws on the FDE’s expertise and its regional presence.
