In the 150 years of its existence, Sciences Po has played a major role in the education of future economic and administrative elites of the French Republic. Less known is its implication in the colonial adventure of the French Empire. Based on a 3-year research project undertaken with students of Sciences Po history program, the talk will analyze the role played by colonial sciences in the curriculum of the Ecole libre de Sciences Politiques between the end of the 19th century and the era of decolonization in the 1950s. It will highlight the strategies of the institution to foster careers in the colonies for its graduates and show how, after the Second World War, more progressive ideas of a necessary “development” and independence of the former colonies gained more and more influence in the teaching. This talk will be accompanied by an exhibit of archives in the Library of French Thought.