Admissions to the three-year Master's degree - "ingénieur" programmes at the ParisTech institutes are managed separately by each of the institutes. Only the general outline is described here ; detailed information should be sought from the individual institutes' sites and applications made with the institute(s) which are being considered.
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1) Applications for entering the second year of a three-year Master's degree - "ingénieur" are open to:
- students having successfully completed the first year of certain French Master's degrees, or holders of certain former 'maîtrises ès sciences' (comparable to a B.Sc., obtained after four years at university),
- holders of a foreign degree recognised as academically equivalent to the above.
1.1) Individual candidates who are not introduced by one of ParisTech's partner universities abroad should apply in this way with the relevant institute(s).This entry channel is selective, however, and excellent academic records are required. An interview usually forms part of the admission procedure. École Polytechnique does not recruit in this manner.
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1.2) Students from ParisTech's Brazilian and Chinese partner universities are recruited through common procedures (this is the only exception to the separate admission principle). After their applications to ParisTech have been approved by their home universities, they are requested to fill in their personal information on an electronic form.
>> To the electronic form
1.3) Students who are at an advanced stage of engineering education at a foreign university having a double-degree agreement with one of the ParisTech institutes may be admitted to that institute, provided they are introduced by their home university. They follow the second and third years of the Master's degree - "ingénieur" programme. They remain registered with their home university and obtain its own degree as soon as they graduate from the ParisTech institute (alternatively, the home university validates the courses attended at ParisTech as a substitute to its own). This procedure allows students to obtain two engineering degrees from two different countries, which is usually highly rated by international companies as a token of open-mindedness, adaptability and multicultural education.
2) Admission into the first year of a three-year Master's degree - "ingénieur"
The 3-year Master of Engineering "ingénieur" programmes are particular to France. Such programmes, offered by "Grandes Ecoles" such as the ParisTech institutes, are the most highly-rated educational system to train engineers, who in turn enjoy great social recognition. Most top executives of French companies have been trained in such institues, either in engineering or management (business schools).
The standard access is through a competitive exam which takes place after 2 to 3 years of higher education. This educational system is very selective, as shown by statistics:
- 800,000 children are born in a given year in France
- 475,000 students pass the Baccalaureate
- 120,000 of them choose the scientific option "Baccalaureate S"
- 13,000 of them - those with very good academic records - can be admitted to a "Classe Préparatoire" (special preparatory studies for the competitive entrance examinations of the engineering Grandes Écoles)
- The ParisTech institutes recruit their first-year students from among the 2000 top-ranking candidates.
Entering the ParisTech institutes through this channel requires to have followed the adequate educational scheme. Notably, a very good knowledge of French language and literature is needed, as there are examinations on these subjects.
3) Admissions under non-degree status
Students who are at an advanced stage of an academic programme leading to an
engineering or scientific degree at one of a ParisTech institute's partner
universities abroad may be admitted as exchange students under a non-degree
status. An introduction by the home university is required, normally on the
basis of an existing exchange agreement between universities.
The duration of the academic stay can be a full year or a semester. Courses
to be attended are chosen in agreement between the ParisTech institute, the
student and his home university, which should validate the courses followed
at ParisTech as a substitute to its own (by way of the ECTS or otherwise).