University professor Xavier Chrétien admits that he does not know the real names of many of the students on his course.

This is a highly unusual situation in the academic world, but Professor Crotz’s work is far from the norm.

Instead, he helps train spies for France.

He says, “When intelligence agents are sent on courses, I know very little about their backgrounds and I doubt whether the names I am given are real.”

If you want to create a setting for a spy school, the campus of Sciences Po Saint-Germain on the outskirts of Paris seems appropriate.

It has a very discreet feel, surrounded by dilapidated, even sad-looking buildings from the early 20th century, busy, dreary streets, and large, intimidating metal doors.

Where it stands out is its unique diploma that brings together beginning students in their 20s and active members of the French secret services, usually between the ages of 35 and 50.

The course is called Diploma sur le Rensignement et les Menaces Globales, which translates as Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats.

It was developed by the university in collaboration with the Académie du Renseignement, the training arm of the French secret services.

This came after a request from French authorities a decade ago. Following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the government launched a major recruitment drive within French intelligence agencies.

The university in question is one of France’s leading institutions.

It asked Sciences Po, one of France’s leading universities, to come up with a new curriculum to train potential new spies and provide continuing training for current agents.

Large French companies also showed immediate interest in putting their security staff on the course and adding many young graduates.

The diploma is made up of 120 hours of classwork with modules spread over four months. For external students – spies and those on placement from businesses – it costs around €5,000 ($5,900; £4,400).

The main objective of the course is to identify threats wherever they may be and how to track and overcome them. Major topics include the economics of organised crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence.

The French security services first cleared me to attend one of the classes and talk to the students. The topic of the lesson I attended was “Intelligence and Overdependence on Technology”.

One of the students I talk to is a man in his 40s named Roger. He tells me in very precise, clipped English that he is an investment banker. He adds, “I provide consultancy throughout West Africa, and I attended the course to provide risk assessments to my clients there.”

Professor Chrétien, who teaches political radicalism, says there has been a huge expansion of the French secret services recently. And what he called the “inner circle” now has about 20,000 agents.

It is composed of the DGSE, which handles matters abroad and is the French equivalent of the UK’s MI6 or the US’s CIA. The DGSI focuses on threats within France, similar to how Britain’s MI5 and America’s FBI operate.

But he says it is not just about terrorism. “There are two main security agencies, but Tracfin is also an intelligence agency that specialises in money laundering.

“It is particularly concerned by the increase in mafia activities in southern France, including corruption in the public and private sectors, mainly due to the massive profits made in illegal drug trafficking.”

Other lecturers on the course include a DGSE official who was once based in Moscow, a former French ambassador to Libya, and a senior Tracfin official. The head of security at French energy giant EDF also runs a module.

The private sector is reportedly showing a continuous increase in interest in diplomas. Big businesses, especially in the defence and aerospace sector, but also French luxury goods companies, are eager to hire students as they face constant cybersecurity and espionage threats as well as sabotage.

Recent graduates have been snapped up by French mobile phone operator Orange, aerospace and defence giant Thales and LVMH, which owns everything from Louis Vuitton and Dior to champagne brands Dom Pérignon and Krug.

This year’s class enrols twenty-eight students. There are six spies. You can tell who they are because they’re the ones huddled together during class recess, away from the younger students, and not overwhelmed with joy when I approach them.

Without explaining their exact roles, and crossing arms, one says that the course is supposed to be a quick step for promotion from office to fieldwork. Another says that he acquires new ideas in this educational environment. He signed the day’s attendance form with only his first name.

One of the younger students, 21-year-old Alexandre Hubert, says he wanted a more profound understanding of the impending economic war between Europe and China. “It is not relevant to look at intelligence gathering from a James Bond perspective; the job is to analyse the risk and figure out how to counter it,” he told me.

Valentine Guillot, a 21-year-old student, cites the popular French TV detective drama Le Bureau as her inspiration. “Coming here to discover this world that I knew nothing about apart from TV series has been a remarkable opportunity, and I am now very keen to join the security services.”

About half the students in the class are actually women. And this is a relatively recent development, according to Sébastien-Yves Laurent, a lecturer who specialises in espionage technology.

“Women’s interest in intelligence gathering is new,” he says. “They’re interested because they think it will provide a better world.

“And if there’s one common thing among all these young students, it’s that they are very patriotic and that’s new compared to 20 years ago.

If you are interested in applying to join the course, French citizenship is a mandatory requirement, although some dual citizens are accepted.

Still, Professor Crotz says they have to be careful. “I regularly receive applications from extremely attractive Israeli and Russian women with amazing CVs. Not surprisingly, they are immediately rejected.”

In a recent group photo of the class, you can immediately tell who the detectives are – their backs were to the camera.

While the students and professional spies I meet are all hardy and muscular, Professor Crotty is also keen to dispel the myth of the James Bond-like adventurer.

“Only a few new recruits will enter the fray,” he says. “Most jobs in French intelligence agencies are desk-bound.”