Does the MSc in Audit & Management Control include real-life audit projects?
The MSc in Audit & Management Control at EDC Paris Business School goes far beyond delivering theoretical knowledge. From the very first year, the programme incorporates practical learning methods, including audit case studies, real-world simulations, company immersion and a final dissertation linked to an existing organisation. This teaching approach is built on a core belief: expertise in audit and management control is developed as much through hands-on experience as through classroom learning. Every practical component of the programme is designed with one objective in mind: ensuring that graduates are operational, credible and ready to contribute from their very first professional role.
Integrated case studies and business games
Audit case studies are one of the programme's core teaching methods. Throughout the course, students work on scenarios based on genuine business situations, applying the tools and analytical approaches used in audit, management control and risk management. These exercises do more than illustrate classroom concepts: they place students in the role of decision-makers, faced with incomplete information, tight deadlines and decisions that must be justified.
The Case Study Methodology in Management module, introduced during the first semester, provides the foundations for this approach. Students learn how to structure an analysis, prioritise relevant information and formulate evidence-based recommendations—skills that are directly transferable to audit and internal control assignments.
In the second year, students take part in the **Business Game Opérations Capital – Challenge**, a competitive team-based simulation that recreates the financial decisions and operational constraints of a real business assignment. Participants are required to make practical decisions in an environment that demands analytical rigour, rapid interpretation of financial data and effective teamwork under pressure. This management control business game represents a key transition between academic learning and professional practice.
Company assignments and work-study opportunities
The MSc in Audit & Management Control is available either as a full-time programme or as a work-study course, following a schedule of three weeks in the workplace and one week on campus. This format enables students to undertake genuine audit assignments from the first year onwards, including participation in financial closing procedures, preparation of financial reporting, and support for internal control and operational audit activities.
This professional immersion goes well beyond a traditional internship. As work-study students, participants become fully integrated members of their organisation, contributing to real business processes while addressing practical issues relating to control, compliance and performance management. Repeating these alternating periods of study and professional practice over two years significantly accelerates the acquisition of the technical tools and methods required in the audit profession.
During the fourth semester, the programme also includes a module entitled **Professional Experience & Report**, which formally connects workplace experience with academic learning. Students document their observations, analyse the practices encountered within their organisation and compare them with the theoretical concepts studied throughout the programme. This reflective exercise serves as preparation for the final dissertation while strengthening students' ability to produce a structured analysis based on practical experience.
Students following the full-time pathway also benefit from internships and professional assignments throughout the programme, ensuring continuous links between academic teaching and the realities of the workplace.
Final dissertation and professional report
At the end of the programme, each student completes a dissertation based on a genuine professional issue arising either from their company experience or from a project developed in collaboration with an organisation. This final project represents both a synthesis of the technical and strategic competencies acquired throughout the MSc and evidence of the student's ability to produce a rigorous analysis of an audit, management control or risk management issue.
The dissertation is supported by a dedicated Research Methodology module delivered during the third semester. This module guides students through the formulation of their research question, data collection and the development of a structured argument. This progressive preparation ensures the quality of the final work while enabling students to combine professional experience with academic analysis in a coherent and meaningful way.
The professional report is presented before a panel of two academic examiners. Successful completion is one of the requirements for obtaining the degree (RNCP Level 7 qualification, registration number 39483). This final assessment ensures that every graduate not only masters the technical tools of the profession, but is also able to develop a comprehensive analytical approach and communicate well-reasoned conclusions clearly and convincingly to a demanding audience.
The practical projects embedded within the MSc in Audit & Management Control at EDC Paris—including case studies, the business game, work-study placements and the final dissertation—provide students with a coherent professional learning journey from the first semester through to graduation. To find out more about the programme content and the opportunities for professional immersion, download the MSc in Audit & Management Control brochure.