year graduate program funded by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education is the first of its kind to be implemented in France,” Pinon said, adding that plans are underway for a postgraduate program as well for Saudi graduates. In a related development, the French Embassy has selected a group of seven Saudi students to follow graduate courses in political science beginning in September. “These students will be studying in a new department meant for political science with a special emphasis on Middle Eastern politics,” Pinon said. The new department, which will function under the Paris School of Politics, is located in Menton, south of France. These students will join other foreign students to pursue their studies in political science relevant to their region. Several programs with bilingual teaching (French and English) have been set up between Saudi and French universities to facilitate access to the most prestigious French institutions for Saudi students. They include major engineering schools such as Ecole des Mines, Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, main business schools and the Paris School of Political Science (IEP). --More 1146 Local Time 0846 GMT
