The First Year of Combined Health Studies (PACES) is provided as part of a partnership with the Université Pierre et Marie Curie University (UPMC) in Paris. This course prepares the student for the competitive admission exam (and allows them to sit it within the UNC) for 4 medical fields (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, midwifery) and 1 paramedical field (physical therapy).
PACES offers an achievement support scheme that is unique within the French national system, namely a preparatory semester of a life sciences degree, specifically designed to understand the PACES programmes (February to June of year N). In addition, “colles” – exam training sessions – are provided for the students.
The lectures at the UPMC are filmed and shown to the students to ensure that the same content is being provided to students at both institutions. The guided teaching sessions take place either in a teaching space at the UNC or by videoconference. The PACES runs over two semesters (June to October year N and October year N to March year N+1), at the end of which, students sit the exam that corresponds to the course semester. If one of the admission exams is passed, the student continues their studies in one of the universities or partner schools in Paris or in the Paris region.