Economics, Management, Finance

The engineering programme at École nationale des ponts et chaussées prepares each student to become a real player in sustainable development and planning in all its dimensions. Engineers graduating from École nationale des ponts et chaussées are recognised by companies for their strong scientific skills combined with a capacity for practical implementation of knowledge and projects.

Engineering education at École nationale des ponts et chaussées leads to the development of skills in four dimensions:

1. Advanced scientific and technical education: understanding and implementing conceptual, mathematical or numerical modelling approaches while knowing how to critically evaluate the results of a model is one of the foundations of the engineering profession that the School's training enables students to master.
2. Project-based and on-the-job training: from the very first year, numerous collective or individual projects are developed, increasingly close to real engineering projects. For students entering the first year, four internships in laboratories and companies will punctuate the curriculum.
3. Managerial, human and social skills: integrated from the first year, the human and social sciences give students an understanding of the world and the ability to take into account the problems of society. A solid knowledge of the business world is developed through courses, internships and projects.
4. The ability to work in a team and to work internationally: 20% of teaching time is devoted to languages. International stays and contact with many foreign students enable engineering students to learn to work in a multicultural context.

In the context of admissions of international students from partner institutions, it should be specified that :

• The engineering degree from Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées is a general engineering degree with prerequisites common to all teaching departments in the School's core disciplines: Mathematics (Optimisation, Probability, Analysis and Scientific Computing), Continuous and Solid Mechanics, Quantum Physics and Statistics, Programming, Human and Social Sciences.
• The vast majority of courses in engineering training are in French. A B1 level in French is therefore required to be proven by a certificate (TEF, TCF, DELF, DALF).
• A TOEIC score of at least 785 points (or an equivalent international test, such as TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Proficiency, CAE or FCE) is required in order to obtain an engineering degree from Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées at the end of the course. For this reason, a B1 level in English is required for admission, to be proven by a certificate (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, CAMBRIDGE).

In addition, each department of engineering education has specific prerequisites:

Economy

• Fundamental tools of macroeconomic analysis and major current issues in contemporary macroeconomics (IS-LM model, causes and consequences of inflation and unemployment, impact of cyclical stabilization policies, structural wealth gaps between countries, growth, globalization and international trade).
• Microeconomic analysis tools: producer theory, consumer theory, perfect competition equilibrium, Pareto criteria, market failures

Analysis and scientific computation

• Banach, Hilbert, Lebesgue and Sobolev spaces
• Distribution theory
• Bases of partial differential equations

Fundamental numerical methods for the engineer

Finite differences for time integration of evolutionary equations, finite elements for solving variational problems.

Optimization

• Kuhn and Tucker conditions: general case, and weak duality; convex case, and strong duality- Algorithms for convex optimization- Linear optimization
• Simplex algorithm- Strong Duality

Probabilities

• Fundamental notions (probability space, random variable, law, expectation...)
• Usual laws with real and integer values.- Concepts of convergence- Strong Law of Large Numbers- Central Limit Theorem- Main algorithms for simulating random variables- Monte-Carlo method

An excellent, tailor-made, academic program

The master-level program consists of 3 semesters of full time study, one 12-week internship between semester 2 and 3 and one final internship lasting between 4 and 6 months. The rigorous curriculum includes mandatory courses from École nationale des ponts et chaussées that are common to all students graduating from the school, a set of courses within the department and electives that students can choose from all the courses that ENPC offers.

The final internship is a mission carried out within a company or a research laboratory aiming at addressing a specific issue. Students have to write and defend a master thesis based on their mission

The M1 (Semesters 1 & 2)

During the first year of the degree, two tracks are available :

• Economics track
• Finance track 

The Capstone project: a hands-on mission

The objective of the Capstone project during the 2^nd semester is to resolve a specific issue raised by a company or an organization interested in taking advantage of the training provided throughout the program. Students thereby have the opportunity to put into practice the skills and knowledge they learnt during their studies.

Economics and Finance Seminars

During the academic year, 2 one-week and between 5 and 7 one-day seminars allow students to tackle transdisciplinary issues.

The first one-week seminar is dedicated to innovation and sustainable development issues depicting the scientific, economic and social realities of what sustainable development action plan could be. It provides students with a better understanding of the complexities in the decision-making process, using some theories to structure their thinking.

The second one-week seminar that takes place in February aims to put into practice the concepts and skills you acquired on a sector or country country-case study specifically chosen for this week.

In 2021, this seminar will be dedicated to corporate law and the functioning of energy markets.

The one-day seminars address a wide range of topics such as block chain, green finance, economic intelligence or company visits. Content may vary from one year to another.

The M2 (Semester 3 & final internship)

Sustainable and Green finance

The last year aims to prepare students to become green finance specialists who can contribute to the development of Green Finance within banks, international institutions and companies. At the end of the “Sustainable and Green Finance” program, you will be able to:

• To understand the challenges of energy and ecological transition, from the point of view of "physical" phenomena addressed by engineering sciences (climate, biodiversity, tc.) but also from an economic and financial point of view (carbon market, etc.).
• To analyze the different technical, economic and financial dimensions associated with the implementation of "green" projects (and in particular, the measurement of positive spin-offs associated with them).
• To measure and evaluate the risks associated with green projects, at project level and also at macro-economic level.
• To master the standard financial framework as well as the tools (green bonds, etc.) and the specific dimensions relating to green finance.

The program is articulated around a set of rigorous courses in engineering sciences, economics and finance, a cycle of conferences and a capstone project. It is taught in English.

The other options are:

• Infrastructure Project Finance (IPF) track
• Master in Analysis and Policy in Economics (APE) with Paris School of Economics (PSE)
• Master in Public Policy and Development (PPD) with PSE
• Master of Science Economic Decision & Cost Benefit Analysis track with PSE

• Behavioral Economics
• Corporate Finance
• Corporate law
• Econometrics and its Applications
• Econometrics Analysis and Discrete Choice Models
• Economic growth and development
• Economic Policy
• Economics of environment, energy, and sustainable development
• Financial Engineering
• Financial markets workshop
• Game theory
• Industrial Organization and Applications
• Macroeconomics
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Project finance
• Public economics
• Real estate economics
• Department Project
• Department Seminar
• Transportation economics
• Urban Economics         

Course catalogue

Access to the entire range of courses is not guaranteed: some courses are limited in number or have specific pre-requisites.
To consult the accessibility of the courses in the catalog > go to the "department" tab.
Up to 30% of programme courses can be chosen among other departments (City, Environment, Transportation | Civil and structural engineering | Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science | Industrial engineering | Applied mathematics and computer science | Languages and Cultures | Humanities and Social Sciences).

Graduate engineers in economics have opportunities to use their skills in economic calculus and project financing in companies or institutions, where their theoretical knowledge will help them to take operational management decisions, in particular on investment choices. In managing projects with multiple dimensions, engineers in managerial roles will design and implement investment strategies given the inherent uncertainty of the projects they are working on, taking into account technological and financial constraints as well as the direct and indirect impacts their decisions may have on the environment.

After qualifying, student careers tend to move sooner or later into the banking, consultancy, and finance professions, but also decision support roles in public or private organizations, economic or statistical research departments, and into project financing.

Career opportunities following the Economics, Management and Finance program

• A career as a financial analyst, stock market trader, product engineer on capital markets, senior banker or sector specialist in company financing, asset management consultant, risk analyst… in service enterprises (providing services to local authorities, economic research agencies, organization and management or strategy consultancies, audit firms, insurance companies, banks…)
• Careers in economic, financial, and strategic analysis in industrial corporations in all sectors of the economy.
• A career as an economist or project manager in a public body or agency at national or regional level, in regional government or district administrations.
• Careers in public sector project analysis and finance at international, European or global level.