Based on the cooperation agreement between the two universities and approved by the Ministry of Education of China and the Education Department of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang University and the Université de Poitiers (France) officially established the Institut Franco-Chinois de Management (IFCM) in 1997. It launched a cooperative Master’s program in International Business Management awarding French degrees. (Approval Certificate Number for Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Program of the People's Republic of China: MOE36FR1A199604800)

It is one of the early Sino-foreign cooperative education programs in China approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council to award overseas degrees. Over the past 28 years, the program has enrolled 28 cohorts of students, with the first 26 cohorts having graduated successfully. Many alumni hold middle-to-senior management positions in Chinese and foreign enterprises, while others pursue doctoral studies at universities home and abroad.

Under the student exchange agreement between China and France, IFCM has sent over 1,500 Chinese students to study in France and hosted more than 150 French students for studies or internships in Chinese enterprises—earning it the reputation as the "cradle of Sino-French international senior management talents in southern China."

The program has received strong support from the Chinese and French governments, business communities, and international organizations (e.g. the EU). It has repeatedly obtained financial grants from the French government and China-EU Higher Education Cooperation Programs.

Senior leaders, including Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, officials from the Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee and Government, paid several visits to IFCM. Former French Ambassador to China Pierre MOREL and successive French Consuls General in Wuhan also visited IFCM several times, praising it as a "model of Sino-French cooperative education." IFCM passed the Ministry of Education’s Qualification Assessment with excellent results in 2001, 2013, and 2021. In August 2001, Wu Jianmin, then Chinese Ambassador to France, inscribed for IFCM: "Outstanding achievements, creating even greater glory."

To meet the needs of students with strong English proficiency, the two universities decided to launch an English-taught track in the fall of 2019, alongside the existing French-taught track. According to the Ministry of Education’s enrollment quota, the total intake for both tracks in 2019 was 60 students.

Curriculum (2-Year Program)

Year 1:

Module of Market Cognition: International Business, Marketing

Module of Accounting & Law: Basic Accounting, Commercial Law

Module of Human Resources: Human Resource Management, Leadership & Organizational Management

Module of International Management: International Trade Skills, Organizational Behavior

Module of Financial Analysis: Financial Analysis

Module of Communication: Business English, English Reading & Writing

Year 2:

Module of International Business Policy: Strategic Analysis & International Development, International Marketing

Module of International Finance: International Financial Reporting, International Finance

Module of International Management: Logistics Management, Cultural Differences & International Negotiation

Module of Language: Academic English

Module of Internship & Thesis: Research Methods

After completing coursework, students must undertake a minimum 4-month management internship in an enterprise and write their thesis and defend it in English.

Degree Awarding

Students have one re-examination opportunity for failed courses and one re-defense opportunity for internship reports. Those who still fail may apply for one retake—approval depends on the evaluation of the student’s overall academic performance by the Academic Committee of IAE Poitiers.

Students who complete all required courses with passing grades, fulfill the internship requirement, submit a thesis, and pass the defense will be awarded the Master of International Management, which is a French State Diploma (Diplôme d’Etat), recognized by European and American countries. Approved by China’s education authorities, it can be authenticated at the China Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) as a valid overseas degree from a Sino-foreign cooperative program.