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From SKEMA to the Banque de France: a double degree with Sciences Po Aix as a gateway
At just 24, Maximilien Lagouge, a student on SKEMA Business School’s Master in Management (PGE), has already joined the Banque de France on a permanent contract, working as a press officer within the Communications Department. Having completed the SKEMA–Sciences Po Aix double degree, he has built a dual academic pathway at the crossroads of communication, economics and public institutions.
After two years in preparatory classes (ECS) at Saint-Jean high school in Douai, Maximilien joined SKEMA in 2021 without a fixed career plan. “At school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. A business school felt like a general option that kept doors open,” he explains. Based on SKEMA’s Lille campus for his third year and the first semester of his Master’s, he became actively involved in student life, notably through the conference and debate society Pourparlers, while developing a strong interest in major economic and international issues.
Maximilien then broadened his professional experience, first in a start-up as a project manager, before moving to a large international food group. “I wanted to test very different environments, from a start-up to a large organisation, to refine my project through elimination,” he says.
Sciences Po Aix, a natural choice
He then chose the double degree between SKEMA and Sciences Po Aix. Formalised through a framework agreement between the two institutions, this pathway allows students to complement their management training with a Sciences Po Aix degree, within a track linked to economics, international relations or public policy. “This double degree reflects the academic excellence of the Master in Management (PGE), enabling students to evolve at the interface between business, public institutions and the major challenges shaping today’s world,” highlights Sylvie Jean, Director of SKEMA’s Master in Management (PGE).
"The pace is intense, and that is the point"
Admitted to the International Expertise track at Sciences Po Aix, Maximilien followed a condensed curriculum from late summer to January 2025. “The pace is intense, but that is the objective: to compress two semesters into one so we can be available earlier for a final-year internship,” he notes. The teaching, closely connected to institutional and economic realities, proved decisive. “I took an economics course with an economist from the Banque de France. That is also how I discovered the institution from the inside.”
In February 2025, Maximilien joined the Banque de France for his final-year internship within the Communications Department. As a trainee press officer, he worked at the heart of the institution’s media relations. “Our role is both to respond to journalists’ requests and to identify the right internal expert, because the Banque de France covers a wide range of issues, from monetary policy to household over-indebtedness,” he explains. He also contributed to press conferences and media monitoring briefs for senior management.
The experience continued with a second internship placement, before leading to a permanent position at the end of 2025. “The internship went very well on both sides. They offered me the chance to stay, and I moved straight into a permanent role,” he summarises.
For Maximilien, the SKEMA–Sciences Po Aix double pathway played a key role. “Business school brings a real culture of communication and organisation. Sciences Po, on the other hand, helps you understand public administration and economic issues. The double degree creates the link between the two,” he concludes.
Double degrees within the Master in Management (PGE)
Within its Master in Management (PGE), SKEMA Business School offers several double degree opportunities, enabling students to enhance their management education and strengthen their employability through complementary academic expertise.
These selective pathways are built on partnerships with leading French institutions, such as Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence, as well as double degrees in business law and contract law delivered on SKEMA’s Lille campus in collaboration with the Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale (ULCO) and the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF).
In the same spirit, SKEMA also develops double degrees at the interface of management and engineering, notably with ITEEM (Centrale Lille Institut), preparing hybrid profiles able to evolve at the crossroads of economic, technological and industrial challenges.
Find out more about the pathways offered within SKEMA’s Master in Management (PGE)
