You are high-school student
Are you interested in cybersecurity? You’ve come to the right place!
Because our society is becoming increasingly digitalised, our online data and activities need more and more protection – and that’s where cybersecurity comes in!
This page provides you with an overview of education opportunities in cybersecurity in France.
What is cybersecurity?
A crucial challenge for our society
Cybersecurity encompasses the measures, practices, technologies, and strategies put in place to protect IT systems, networks, and data from digital threats.
Why is it so essential?
- To protect our personal information: Cybersecurity ensures that our contact details, National Insurance numbers, and financial information, often stored online, remain private and secure.
- To safeguard data confidentiality: By ensuring that only authorised individuals can access information and preventing unauthorised changes, cybersecurity helps keep our data reliable and intact.
- To prevent service interruptions: Cyberattacks can make websites and essential services inaccessible, causing major disruptions for businesses and organisations.
- To respond to security incidents: With good practices in place, organisations are prepared to detect, respond to, and quickly recover from security incidents. They build digital security into the design of their products and services to provide maximum protection for users and raise awareness among staff.
Promising and dynamic careers
Cybersecurity offers an impressive range of careers and areas of specialisation, which are only set to grow. The sector is booming, with numerous companies, start-ups, and research laboratories dedicated to cybersecurity based in Rennes and across the wider Brittany region. Rennes is attracting talent, recruiting, and becoming a key player in the field of cybersecurity.
Working in cybersecurity means:
- Collaborating with passionate colleagues in a network.
- Continuously learning and staying curious about the latest innovations.
- Contributing to innovative projects in a fast-growing field.
If you’re curious about new technologies, enjoy solving complex problems, and want to play a crucial role in protecting IT systems, cybersecurity could be the ideal path for you!
From high school
In France, the general baccalaureate (A-level equivalent) enables you to access post-secondary courses that will train you for the cybersecurity sector. To prepare yourself, we recommend choosing one or more of these specialities:
- Digital and Computer Science: If you want to solve complex problems, design programs, and understand algorithms and computer systems.
- Mathematics: If you’re interested in the theoretical and practical aspects of maths, such as cryptography, algorithms, or modelling.
- Engineering Science: If you’re curious about how systems are designed, tested, and improved.
- Physics and Chemistry: If you’re interested in the physical and chemical principles behind technologies, networks, or electronic devices.
- History-Geography, Geopolitics, and Political Science: If you want to understand the geopolitical challenges and global impacts of cyber threats, as well as the legal and political aspects of cybersecurity.
The baccalauréat technologique Sciences et Technologies de l’Industrie et du Développement Durable (STI2D) spécialité Systèmes d’Information et Numérique (SIN) is also an excellent option if you’re considering a more technical path and want to understand how technical devices and networks operate.
The baccalauréat professionnel Cybersécurité, Informatique et réseaux, ELectronique (CIEL) is another option if you’re interested in the technical aspects of IT systems and want to learn how to protect infrastructures from cyberattacks.
Your higher education in cybersecurity
There are several paths to training for careers in cybersecurity, whether through university courses, prestigious higher education institutions, or engineering schools.
‘Brevet de Technicien Supérieur’ (BTS)
The BTS is a two-year course that provides the knowledge and skills needed to integrate university or some engineering schools. You can also choose to enter the job market.
Admission to the BTS is via the online platform Parcoursup.
Here are two BTS that we recommend:
- BTS Services Informatiques aux Organisations (SIO)
- BTS Cybersécurité, Informatique et réseaux, ELectronique (CIEL)
If you wish to continue your studies after your BTS, we recommend researching the prerequisites of the institution you’re interested in for your third year post-Bac, to choose the most appropriate BTS.
‘Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles’ (CPGE)
The Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE) is a two-year programme designed to enhance high school graduates’ knowledge across various disciplinary fields, with the aim of subsequently entering an engineering school, a prestigious higher education institution, or a university.
We recommend that you choose a scientific CPGE.
There is also the Cycle Universitaire Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles (CUPGE), offered within universities. These programmes provide preparation equivalent to that of the CPGE, while allowing students to benefit from university status and earn ECTS credits.
For example, Enssat and the IUT of Lannion offer the Cycle Universitaire Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles (CUPGE) – Cybersécurité.
Admission to a CPGE or CUPGE is carried out via the online platform Parcoursup.
‘Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie’ (BUT)
The BUT, which is a three-year training course, can give you access to the cybersecurity sector.
Admission to the BUT is via the online platform Parcoursup.
The IUT of Saint-Malo or Lannion offers, for example, the ‘BUT Réseaux & Télécommunication’ with a specialisation in cybersecurity in the second year. After these 3 years, you can either enter the professional world or continue your studies in engineering schools or at university.
Bachelor’s degree
A bachelor’s degree is a three-year university programme that constitutes the first step towards postgraduate studies at Master’s level (or, more rarely, an engineering degree). It provides access to specialised programmes in the field of cybersecurity.
Admission to a bachelor’s degree programme is carried out via the online platform Parcoursup.
Several options are available depending on your profile and interests, including:
- Computer Science
- Electronics
- Mathematics
Cybersecurity is also a rapidly growing field within law, and an increasing number of programmes combine law with digital security. Therefore, a legal and/or political science approach can also represent an excellent career option.
Here are two additional bachelor’s degree options:
- Law
- Political science
You can pursue a bachelor’s degree at any university. For example, the University of Rennes offers all five of the degrees mentioned above.
Engineering programmes
Engineering schools train students over a 3 to 5 year period (entry after the baccalaureat or after a CPGE, a bachelor degree, a BTS or a BUT depending on the establishment).
Admission to an engineering school depends on the entry level:
- Admission after the baccalaureat is mostly via the online platform Parcoursup. It can also be via a competitive examination, file examination and/or interview. It all depends on the establishment.
- Admission after a CPGE, a bachelor degree, a BTS or a BUT is via a competitive examination, file examination and/or interview. Here again, it all depends on the establishment.
We advise you to consult the admission conditions of the establishment that interests you.
Here are some examples of engineering schools that train in the cybersecurity sector:
- CentraleSupelec :
- ENSSAT :
- ESIR : Engineering programme, Computer Science Specialty
- IMT Atlantique :
- INSA Rennes: Degree in Computer science Engineering, security option
Master’s degree
A master’s degree is a two-year programme, mainly offered at universities, but sometimes also at certain prestigious higher education institutions.
Admission to a master’s programme is carried out via the online platform Monmaster.
Here are some master’s programmes that train students for careers in cybersecurity:
- Master’s Cybersecurity, Science of Software and Hardware Security
- Master’s Cybersecurity with CISO specialisation
- Master’s Mathematics and Applications – IT Mathematics and Cryptography
If you have chosen to focus on law and digital security, you can, for example, choose to continue your studies in a Master’s in Digital Law.
These master’s programmes are offered at the University of Rennes, and you can access them particularly via the bachelor’s degrees mentioned above.
SciencesPo Rennes, part of France’s network of prestigious higher education institutions, offers a Master’s in Defence and Strategic Intelligence, which provides training in the political aspects of cybersecurity.
What jobs in cybersecurity ?
Cybersecurity is a complex and dynamic field that includes a wide range of professions, each playing a crucial role in protecting IT systems and data. Here is an overview of the key areas in cybersecurity:
- Security management and project leadership: This involves creating and implementing rules and plans to protect IT systems. It includes managing projects aimed at improving security, such as defining security policies and assessing risks to identify areas needing further protection.
- Designing and maintaining secure information systems: This involves building IT systems that are well protected against attacks, including setting up security frameworks like firewalls (digital security barriers) and intrusion detection systems. Regular updates are also needed to keep these protections effective against new threats.
- Incident and crisis management: When a security incident or attack occurs, a quick response is crucial. This area focuses on detecting issues, understanding what happened, and taking the necessary steps to resolve the problem. It also involves preparing recovery plans to minimise damage after an attack.
- Consulting, services, and research: Experts in this area help companies improve their security by offering advice, conducting security audits, and assessing vulnerabilities. They also carry out research to develop new technologies and methods to combat cyber threats and improve cybersecurity.
Depending on the course you choose, you will be able to access several professions in these categories. You may also opt to continue your studies with a PhD and thrive in the world of research.