The Engineering Education System

Studies organization in traditional engineering schools/Schools in the 2+3 years scheme/Schools recruiting Bac+2 graduates (DEUG, DUT, BTS level)/Schools recruiting at the baccalauréat level/New tracks /The «NFI's»

Studies organization in traditional engineering schools

In traditional schools, the engineering degree can usually be obtained after five years of higher education.

Within these five years, the first two years aim at giving the students basic scientific training, and a work methodology (first years of five-year engineering schools, or DEUG, DUT, BTS, or preparatory classes).

The proper engineering training lasts three years (about 3000 hours) and includes :

• a basic scientific training, with many different subjects, covering with less depth the field of several university four-year curricula ("maîtrises"),
• a basic technical training, more or less bound to a large application sector (chemistry, mechanics, ...),
• a basic diversified training (about 20 to 30 % of the allotted time), in foreign languages, economy (economic computations useful for engineers), human education,
• a practical training, sometimes very important, with short or long internships within companies (with usually at least one personal project ending studies, more or less similar to an actual industrial case).

Both small and large schools are trying to adapt to their environment through changing stress on options which are often revised according to companies' needs.

Schools in the 2+3 years scheme:

Schools that recruit mainly through Competitive Exams after scientific or technical preparatory classes

These are the most numerous : 112 among 202 in may 1996.

Competitive examinations for entering engineering schools are prepared within preparatory classes of lycées («classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles scientifiques»). Preparation lasts two years after the Baccalauréat or three years if the student decides to repeat the second year (the year called «mathématiques spéciales»).

Engineering training then follows for three years.

Some competitive exams permit access to several schools, and such unions create groups of schools. For instance, the «Mines/Ponts» exam groups 8 schools, while the «Centrale/SupElec» exam groups 7 schools and the «Polytechnique» exam groups 36 schools (23 in physics and 13 in chemistry).

Studies in preparatory classes are particularly tough, because of the intense effort required and give character reference to those students who were able to sustain such efforts.

12 478 engineers graduated in 1995 within these programs (57,7% of the degrees delivered by schools mainly entered after initial studies).

Schools recruiting Bac+2 graduates (DEUG, DUT, BTS level)

41 engineering programs recruited mainly bac+2 students in May 1996. Those are almost exclusively programs internal to universities.

Recruitment in these programs occurs mainly through analysis of the students's curriculum vitae (resume) and interviews. Most of the candidates have got a DEUG A (earth and life structure sciences) or B (life or natural sciences) or a DUT/B. Percentages of course vary from one program to another. Selection is most severe : DEUG in no more than 2 years, excellent DUT/BTS with a relevant major.

These schools also recruit a few students of preparatory classes, provided they have at least successfully passed the written part of the competitive examinations for the better schools ("admissibilité"). These programs produced 2.638 graduates in 1995, that is more than 12.2 % of the total number of engineering graduates.

Schools recruiting at the baccalauréat level

49 among the 202 schools recruit directly at the Baccalauréat level. These programs are close to their foreign counterparts, like German Technical Universities.

Their advantage lies in studies from the start for engineering training. They allow students to choose a major without risks of competitive examinations.

These schools often join together for selection (INSA, ENI, schools of FESIC); recruitment may use the student's curriculum vitae (INSA), or examinations (FESIC,ENI), with a complementary discussion with the jury.

Priority is given to scientific high schools graduates, whose percentage varies according to the schools. ENI recruit also technological high school graduates.

Training occurs in 5 years, usually two cycles (INSA, FESIC :

• - a first cycle of 2 years, organized according to a plan which can be
  • either one of preparatory classes (FESIC type schools),
  • or one of a probation year followed by an orientation year (INSA schools)
• - a second cycle of actual engineering training which lasts three years.

Other schools do not distinguish these two cycles (ENI, ESIEE).

6.185 students graduated from these programs in 1996.

New tracks : The «NFI's»

The «NFI's»

NFI (literally : «Nouvelles Formations d'Ingénieurs», New Engineering Programs), also called «Decomps Programs», were created after 1990 through partnerships with companies in order to train more technologically oriented engineers. Creating these programs was a strong innovation : new programs were designed on the entirely new idea - at that level - of alternating academic periods and long internships within companies.

Compared to other engineering programs, NFIs have shorter and lighter courses, and much greater periods within companies under the leadership of advisers (alternating education ).

They also innovated by introducing apprenticeships at the engineering level.

NFI studies organisation

Initial education leads to entering the NFIs at the Baccalauréat level: in this case, studies last 5 years and include 3 years of academic training and 2 years within companies.

Other NFIs may be entered at the bac+2 level, after DUT or BTS graduation ; in this case, studies last 3 years, including 2 years in companies.

Training may occur through apprenticeship.

Training curricula in NFIs differ from traditional curricula essentially on three points :

• periods of training within companies alternating with academic education, under joint leadership of an industrial adviser and faculty members ,
• specific, tangible, lightened education, built upon experimentation,
• specialized programs adapted to the needs of companies : NFIs cover the largest job-offering sectors, mainly electronics and mechanics.

Academical teaching approximately represents 3.200 hours of training after Baccalauréat, or 1.600 hours after bac+2. In a 5-year program, the first two years are usually based upon an existing training cycle (first university cycle, IUT or STS) and aim at consolidating fundamental knowledge (mathematics, physics) and introducing the specialty. In the second cycle (the 3 last school years), courses are mainly focused on the specialization domains, methods, engineering methodology and management training. NFI graduates get an engineering degree recognized by CTI ("Commission des Titres d'Ingenieur").

 NFI graduates get an engineering degree recognized by CTI (Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur).

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http://www.cri.ensmp.fr/~cefi/