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Applied maths

Why study maths in France? What is the teaching curriculum at École nationale des ponts et chaussées? Who are the professors? All the answers are in the following video.

Applied maths semester - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - flyer (2023)

For Senior Bachelor students
Fully taught in English (B2 level required), no prior knowledge of French required
Credit transfer mobility
Tuition fees: €600 in 2024-25 (subject to change in 2025-26) / tuition waiver for École des Ponts partner universities (Erasmus +)
Accommodation on campus (East of Paris) or in Paris Center
Campus facilities
Bespoke academic supervision and small class teaching
Full École nationale des ponts et chaussées student experience
Support for administrative procedures (bank, social security, etc.).

Academic program

Advanced undergraduate courses

Analysis and applications (8 ECTS)
Introduction to probability theory (5 ECTS)
Introduction to optimization (5 ECTS)
Programming with python (5 ECTS)

Basic graduate courses

Operations research (7 ECTS)
Stochastic processes and applications (7 ECTS)
Mathematical statistics (6 ECTS) or Applied statistics (6 ECTS)

Advanced undergraduate/basic graduate courses

Project (6 ECTS)
Sport
French classes

Syllabus 2023 "PAM’S" Paris Applied Math Semester - École nationale des ponts et chaussées

Calendar

Next fall semester session: September 2025 to January 2026
Nomination deadline: March 24th 2025
Application deadline: March 31th 2025

Why study maths at École nationale des ponts et chaussées?

Martin Chaya (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)

The PAMS program has been an amazing opportunity for my academic training. I particularly enjoyed the possibility to develop a project with a tutor supervising me individually, which was a really pleasing and enriching experience. What stood out the most to me is the adaptability of the program. In order to help me choose the courses that best suited me, teachers in the PAMS program asked me about my background and future interests, in order to build a program really personalized to my needs.

Marco Zoffoli - Università Trento, Italy

I am very pleased I decided to attend the applied mathematics programme at École nationale des ponts et chaussées, both because of the great variety of courses available in multiple departments, and because of the great focus on practical applications of mathematical theories. Moreover, the attention on the creation of personalised academic curricula depending on one's previous experiences is truly remarkable.

Gabriela Delatorre - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

École nationale des ponts et chaussées has incredible facilities such as the sports courts, the library... and its spectacular facade! Professors are really close to students (they help you with any problem you have, whether for a scholarship or for an exercise you don't understand!). I had various opportunities to discuss my choices of course, and they were adapted to
my previous training, which was very helpful.
Ecole des Ponts trains excellent engineers, but also gives them the opportunity to participate in various experiences out of the books. Special care is attached to integrating foreign students by including them in activities, sports...

Contact : Prof Pierre Lissy

Green finance

Lasting one semester, this program prepares students to become green finance specialists who can contribute to the development of Green Finance within banks, international institutions and companies.

The Sustainable and Green Finance program allows students:

To understand the challenges of energy and ecological transition, from the point of view of "physical" phenomena addressed by engineering sciences (climate, biodiversity, etc.) 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 the project level and also at the 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.

Download the 2025 Flyer of the Sustainable and Green Finance

Background and opportunities

The program is entirely taught English. It caters for any students with an engineering background wishing to master the financing mechanisms of the energy transition and looking for rewarding opportunities in this field.

The program positions you for a stellar career in:

Banks, financial institutions and asset managers
International Organizations
Management Consultancy Firms
Companies involved in energy transition projects
Strategy Department of large companies

Courses

Physics of climate change
Energy economics
ESG analysis
Green financing
Conferences
Credit Risk
Management of Climate Risks
Project Finance
Life Cycle Analysis
Capstone Projects

Contact

Arnaud Goussebaïle - Academic director of Economics, management, finance department

Application deadline: March 31st 2026 for September 2026 intake

Materials Sciences for Sustainable Construction

This program lasts 1 semester dedicated to courses and a supervised project. It is entirely taught in English.

The Material Sciences for Sustainable Construction program (MSSC or SMCD in French) provides the essential scientific foundations for a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach, covering not only the construction field but also extending to areas such as the agrifood industry, the cosmetics industry and the environment. The syllabus allows the students to master the optimization of the materials production, their properties in use and their durability under defined environmental conditions. The objective of the MSSC program is to provide students with the necessary tools to study existing materials and design new ones. The goal is to cultivate a broader skill set, aiming to develop well-rounded specialists.

The pursuit of sustainable development implies new requirements for materials. They must be:

insulating, light and safe,
easy to develop and implement,
durable and resistant,
recyclable and recoverable at their end of life,
saving energy and raw.

Even if in the last few years, there has been a noticeable progress, many issues remain untackled. The only response to these new challenges is to combine multiple approaches in engineering, such as scientific, technical and industrial aspects.

The program's benefits are:

multidisciplinarity (mechanics, physics, life cycle assessment, chemistry and applied mathematics notions),
wide open vision of research and innovation in materials sciences,
an opportunity to meet internationally recognized researchers,
close contact with industrial and academic research,
personalized supervision

Please note : it is possible to enroll in the program as a Master, delivering a degree, for the entire academic year (semester 1 being the coursework and semester 2 being a 6 month internship) : if this opportunity interests you, please refer to this page. and ask your Direction of International Relations if you are allowed to apply under the cooperation agreement with Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées.

Opportunities

The knowledge acquired in the MSSC/SMCD programme enables students to pursue a career in research and innovation after the graduation in their home university. They can either work in a research laboratory or in a company.

Here are a few places where students who graduated from the whole Master's programme :

are working : Holcim, Saint Gobain, Michelin, L'Oréal, Nestlé, Vinci, Total Energies, ...
have prepared a PhD : Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées, ETH Zürich, Imperial College London, Harvard University .

Courses

Reminder : all the courses are taught in English.

Physical chemistry of cementitious materials DPCMC - 2,5 ECTS
J.B. d’Espisnose (Professor ESPCI University PSL)
Biobased construction materials MABIOC - 2,5 ECTS
Ph. Coussot (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Imaging of random media MARAME - 2,5 ECTS
M. Bornert (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Nuclear magnetic resonance in material sciences NMRMA - 2,5 ECTS
B. Maillet (Research Engineer Université Gustave Eiffel)
Sustainable Construction SUSCO - 3,5 ECTS
A. Feraille (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Soft Matter RHEMM - 2,5 ECTS
O. Pitois (Senior Scientist Université Gustave Eiffel)
Poromechanics & Physics of Porous Solids DPMPM - 3,5 ECTS
M. Vandamme (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Molecular Simulation SIMUL- 2,5 ECTS
A. Lemaître (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Fluids and grains : mixing and rheology MSFMG - 2,5 ECTS
F. Chevoir (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
P. Jop (Scientist CNRS)
Complex Fluids FLCPX - 2,5 ECTS
X. Chateau (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)
Raw earth: a building material for tomorrow - One week workshop EARTH - 3 ECTS
X. Chateau (Professor École nationale des ponts et chaussées)

Calendar

Next fall semester session: September 2024 to January 2025
Nomination deadline: March 24th 2024
Application deadline: March 31st 2024

Contact: Xavier Château

Testimonies

"The SMCD program has indeed been an enlightening journey, characterized by a flexible, diverse, and multidisciplinary curriculum. Delving into various approaches like physics, chemistry, mechanics, and simulations to comprehend material behavior has significantly expanded my knowledge, particularly in engineering disciplines. Learning from experienced and prominent professors has been a valuable asset, allowing me to draw from their rich expertise. This program has not only equipped me with a profound understanding of sustainable materials but has also provided a unique opportunity to start my career in research in the domain of earthen materials," Ghida, 2022-2023.

"The SMCD program was a determining factor in the following steps of my career. It may have been due to the passion the professors showed for their specific subjects or perhaps the level of comprehension being passed down to me as a student, perhaps even both. Through conclusion of the SMCD courses, I was more than confident that I had the tools and the motivation to pursue a PhD. However, more than just knowledge and passion for science, the course also opened many doors to continue working with material science in the industry or in academia, thanks to its renown and the contact with the teachers. I did not need to search for a PhD or a role as a materials engineer, I had the opportunity of choosing one," João, 2022-2023.