In
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, a ''Titre'', officially a ''Titre à Finalité Professionnelle'' (in
English: "Vocational Certificate", "Professional Diploma", or "Certified Title"), or by abuse of language, a ''Titre RNCP'' (in English: "RNCP qualification"), is a state-recognized professional certification in the
French education system, issued by a ministry or certifying institution, generally a private colleges (''Écoles'') or universities (or in some cases public university), after approval and registration in the
National Professional Qualifications Register, or "RNCP" by the Vocational Certification Commission of
France Compétences, the national regulatory authority for vocational training.
As such, it is the main certification procedure for private higher education programs in France and determines the quality and value of the program on the job market.
It can become an
accredited diploma (a ''Diplôme Visé'') following an evaluation procedure by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, which judges the academic quality of the training. Through an additional evaluation procedure, an accredited diploma can also award a Bachelor's (''Licence'') or master's degree.
Definition
In
French higher education, these vocational qualifications can deliver a level of 120
ECTS, 300 ECTS (Bachelor level, but not delivering a ''Licence'' or Bachelor university degree) or 120 ECTS (Master level, but not delivering a Master university degree) after a ''Titre'' of 300 ECTS.
Unlike a national (''
Diplôme National'') or accredited diploma (''Diplôme Visé''), a ''Titre à Finalité Professionnelle'' is a professional certification of an academic program that is not systematically issued at the request of a government ministry. Only accreditation by the Ministry of Higher Education validates the academic level of a program. In this case, it is only a professional endorsement. They can be issued by private colleges, public or private training organizations, chambers of commerce and industry or chambers of trade and crafts. The registration of a ''Titre'' in the national registers (
RNCP or RS) follows an assessment procedure carried out by the Vocational Certification Commission of
France Compétences, the public agency of the French Ministry of Labor,
on the relevance and quality of the skills repository and its relevance to the needs of the economy. The information required for registration applications is set by order of the minister for vocational training. The ''Titre à Finalité Professionnelle'' is generally awarded by a private college or university (the certifying institution) after a Bachelor's-level program at a ''École Consulaire'' or a private or non-profit college (''École'') or ''
Grande École''.
It should not be confused with the ''Titre Professionnel'' (
professional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...
), which is a type of ''Titre'', but issued on behalf of the French State by the
Ministry of Labor. France Compétences therefore recommends that certifying institutions other than government ministries use the terminology ''Titre à Finalité Professionnelle'' or ''Certification Professionnelle'' (in English: "Vocational certificate").
See also
*
Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles In France, the ''Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles'' (RNCP) (in English: National Professional Qualifications Register) has been created by article L. 335-6 of the ''Code de l'éducation'' (Education Code).
The ''répertoire ...
*
France compétences
References
{{Reflist
External links
''Section 3 : Enregistrement dans les répertoires nationaux (Articles L6113-5 à L6113-10) du Code du travail''France Compétences Official Website
Academic degrees of France