Year 1

The first year at École nationale des ponts et chaussées

Developing skills in 4 major areas 

• A rigorous scientific and technical education: the ability to understand and implement conceptual, mathematical or digital modelling approaches, and at the same time to critically assess the results of a model, is one of the fundamentals of the engineer’s role and is instilled through education at the School.
• Training through projects and in the field: starting from the first year, students jointly or individually develop a wide range of projects increasingly related to the engineer’s real-world role. For students who enroll in the 1st year, the curriculum will be punctuated by four laboratory and company-based internships.
• Managerial, human, and social skills: the humanities and social sciences are an integral part of the curriculum from the first year onwards, giving students a knowledge of the world and an ability to understand societal issues. A robust familiarity with the corporate world is developed through classes, internships and projects.

The first year of engineering training aims to:

• pursue the acquisition of knowledge and skills in modeling and simulation through mathematics, mechanics and computer science,
• learn the fundamentals of economics and the scientific basis for the energy transition and sustainable development,
• deepen scientific culture through seven elective courses starting at the end of the first semester,
• contribute to the understanding of the world and human relations through language, humanities and social sciences courses throughout the year, and a professional immersion internship in an executive position at the end of the year,
• provide teamwork experience as part of a research or engineering project, and during Design Workshops (Ateliers Design) in the second semester.

All this requires a regular investment of around 40 to 45 hours a week, including class time and personal work.

Two special arrangements are offered in the second semester:

• a semester of international academic mobility at an European partner university,
• a research program for students motivated by research.

Discovery of engineering professions

The aim of this seminar is to provide an insight into the realities of professions, functions, companies and sectors, through visits (industrial sites, construction sites, power plants, built sites, design offices, R&D centers, economic agencies, etc.) and meetings with engineers, in order to provide food for thought on professional futures and the choice of career paths offered by the thematic departments.

The inaugural lectures of the 1st year

Every year, engineering students can take advantage of conferences given by experts and well-known personalities from the scientific and academic world. They also benefit from comprehensive seminars on specific topics. The aim of all these conferences is to enable students to broaden their scientific and cultural knowledge. The Inaugural Lessons are open to all.