<P> A striking trait of French higher education, compared with other countries, is the small size and multiplicity of establishments, each specialised in a more - or-less broad spectrum of areas . A middle - sized French city, such as Grenoble or Nancy, may have 2 or 3 universities (focused on science or sociological studies) and also a number of engineering and other establishments specialised higher education . In Paris and its suburbs there are 13 universities, none of which is specialised in one area or another, and a large number of smaller institutions that are highly specialised . </P> <P> It is not uncommon for graduate teaching programmes (master's degrees, the course part of PhD programmes etc .) to be operated in common by several institutions, allowing the institutions to present a larger variety of courses . </P> <P> In engineering schools and the professional degrees of universities, a large share of the teaching staff is often made up of non-permanent professors; instead, part - time professors are hired to teach one only specific subject . The part - time professors are generally hired from neighbouring universities, research institutes or industries . </P> <P> Another original feature of the French higher education system is that a large share of the scientific research is carried out by research establishments such as CNRS or INSERM, which are not formally part of the universities . However, in most cases, the research units of those establishments are located inside universities (or other higher education establishments) and jointly operated by the research establishment and the university . </P>

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