MORE ABOUT YOUR ACADEMIC PROGRAM

When you return to campus on April 7, 2025, your four-year academic course will begin.

Ecole Polytechnique's Ingénieur Polytechnicien program is a unique degree with 3 years studying on campus to get a Master of Engineering, Science and Technology, and a 4th year that can be done on another campus and outside of France for a specialisation. At the end of the four years, the students obtain two master degrees and the final Diploma of Ecole Polytechnique.

First year (1A) : From April to July, you will take classes in scientific subjects that make up the Scientific Multidisciplinary Program, supplemented with foreign languages, scientific lectures and laboratories visits, as well as a communications seminars and sports.

The first year consists of the Scientific Multidisciplinary Program, with courses in the following subjects: Economics, Computer Science, Pure Mathematics (real and complex analysis), Applied Mathematics (randomness), and Physics (quantum mechanics).

Year 2 (2A) : For Year 2 of the Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program, each student must complete courses in at least 4 different subjects among the Year 2 courses offered by the Departments of Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mechanics, Economics, Computer Science, and Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. Each student is also required to select a practical Applied Laboratory Module (MODAL). A MODAL may only be chosen once and counts as an independent subject.

A Group Science Project is carried out throughout Year 2. For half a day every week, all students of the Program, in groups of four or five, must identify and resolve a major problem, or work on designing and producing an innovative technology demonstrator. Students must independently apply, over a long period of time, one or more scientific disciplines and an appropriate method and organization.

The topics chosen by the students must present a relevant scientific and/or technological challenge. They may range from fundamental research to engineering, and relate to the in-depth study of a specific discipline, or to the implementation of knowledge derived from several disciplines. Subjects for the Group Science Project may be chosen in conjunction with one of the labs of École Polytechnique, a third-party research organization, a business or a state-owned company.

The Group Science Project involves people from Ecole Polytechnique, as well as its close partners, in particular the École Polytechnique Foundation. 

Every year, students are given prizes for their Group Science Projects, awarded by Ecole Polytechnique staff or companies. Every year, a number of Group Science Projects lead to the creation of start-ups.

During year 2, students attend a series of modules dedicated to the "Fundamentals of Organizations", during which they discover how companies operate (strategy, finance, organization, power, innovation, etc.). Each session is based on a business case analysis.

During the 1st semester, students take classes in: Law, Economics and Political Science (eg: corporate law, communications and media) ; Humanities (eg: political philosophy, history of religion) ; Art (eg: art history, architecture, design). 

During the 2nd semester, students take classes such as Art History and Business Process and Management, as well as seminars on various topics, including: Geopolitics and Strategy, Introduction to Psychoanalysis and Philosophies of the Far East.

In addition, students take courses in foreign languages and sports.

Third Year (3A) : Year 3 of the Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program enables students to choose a Scientific Specialization.  Depending on their Specialization Program, students may choose to study one or several majors. This Specialization Program is complemented by courses in Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship, Humanities & Social Sciences, two foreign languages and sports. 

A research internship takes place at the end of the third year for a period of five months at a public research organization (CNRS laboratory, Inserm etc.) or at a company R&D center in France or abroad. Students are required to submit a written report and complete a viva voce on their internship.

This internship is an opportunity for students to apply their scientific knowledge, learn a scientific approach in an extended personal research project and join a work team. This professional experience also allows students to discover the sector in which they are specializing.

Fourth Year (4A) : Students spend Year 4 in France or abroad, where they specialize in one subject. Students can choose between three tracks: 

• Senior Civil Service (Only French and EU citizens may study within a French government body.)

• Engineering Studies in France: Students following this curriculum spend Year 4 at a partner engineering institution in France (or abroad for some programs). This track allows students to go beyond their comprehensive curriculum at École Polytechnique, giving them precise knowledge of the science, techniques and industrial applications involved in a specific sector.

• Master’s Degree in France or Abroad : Students who wish to pursue this track can study their master’s degree at Ecole Polytechnique through either an English-taught, industry- and research-oriented Master of Science and Technology Program, or a French-taught Master of Research Program. They also have the opportunity to complete a master’s degree at arenowned university in France or abroad.

Traditionally, master’s degrees are taught over 2 years. Students from the Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program wishing to pursue a master’s degree at École Polytechnique must enter their chosen program in Year 2. For all master’s programs from other universities, acceptance onto a master’s program in Year 2 is subject to review of the student’s application file and may not be possible at some universities.

After completing a master’s degree, you will be eligible to continue your studies at the PhD level at École Polytechnique or another university in France or abroad.

This Scientific Pluridisciplinary education is in large part what gives Ecole Polytechnique alumni their high potential for evolution in their careers. It prepares them to implement soft skills during their careers, and to hold various managerial positions. Ingénieur Polytechnicien students are therefore well suited to advance towards high-level positions in management and coordination.

Graduates of the Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program enjoy an exceptional and sometimes original career path in a wide variety of fields, from business to politics, from senior administration to the armed forces, as well as in the arts and sports. 

After graduation, almost half of our graduates join the business world, a third go on to earn a doctorate, and just over 10% join one of the Grand Corps of the French State.

Eléonore Payen de la Garanderie

Dean of the Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program