The Engineering curriculum
The training an ENSIACET engineer receives is one which gives professional skills, at a high technical and scientific level, with an emphasis on chemical and materials engineering, with cutting-edge research to meet the growing needs of industry. Engineer curriculum at Toulouse INP-ENSIACET is spread over 6 semesters i.e. three university years. The educational methods are based on interdisciplinary teaching.
Five majors are offered to students: engineering in Chemistry, Materials engineering, Chemical engineering, Process engineering and Industrial engineering.
The first semester
The first semester is a common core which focuses on the engineering professions and on obtaining the basis of scientific knowledge. It also gives soft-skills in social sciences, humanities and economic sciences (communication, management, project management and professional projects).
From the second to the fourth semester
Engineering students specialize in the major they chose when they applied for the school, and do two placements (maximum total length - seven months).
The fifth and sixth semesters
The final year constitutes the completion of the curriculum through:
- the selection of a 5th year specialization curriculum in order to improve knowledge in some particular aspects of matter transformation and energy,
- a final year project,
- a six-month engineering placement to complete an engineer project.
Progressive and active teaching methods
A7 4.0 Active teaching scheme
As we seek continuously to address professional challenges and those of upcoming generations of students, the A7 training curriculums are put into question and thought over on a regular basis: project-based apprenticeships, restructuring the final year of studies, Innov’Ens projects, “fil rouge” projects, integration of new teaching methods, new technology in teaching. These evolutions which have accompanied changes in the graduate engineering school have led to the start of the A7 4.0 project.
”A7 4.0” kicked off in 2016 as a project platform, a tool for engineering students to acquire skills and contribute to lines of research and innovation transfer to companies.
This platform is made up of several aspects: nomadism (a fictional office enabling use of A7 digital tools), co-working areas (to gain access to projects with technological resources) and a digital learning center (with access to interdisciplinary content, the library and forums).
Shared values
The Toulouse INP-ENSIACET training curriculum is developed around shared values.
- The Toulouse INP-ENSIACET engineering curriculum aims at professionalising students to a high scientific and technical level. It is supported by leading research centers which meet the needs of industry in the field of matter transformation.
- ENSIACET engineering students are offered a broad course in a specialized field of matter transformation. They also have general courses in economics, management and humanities in order to give them a comprehensive view of the industry. Throughout the degree course, interpersonal skills like communication and teamworking are developed as well as work and time management.
- The transmission and acquisition of knowledge and the educational programme at the school aim at improving the adaptability and mobility of the ENSIACET engineering student.
- The international dimension is at the heart of the curriculum. ENSIACET engineering students have to master a foreign language (B2 English level) and realise an international mobility of at least three months in order to graduate. They must be highly skilled and able to work in multicultural teams.
- ENSIACET engineering students organise their curriculum according to their individualised professional projects. Therefore, they must display responsibility, dynamism, openness and independence.
Humanities: the importance of non-scientific courses
Engineers are not only scientists, and they should also display human skills in communication, management and responsibility towards society. This is why the school offers courses and activities to help the engineering student to acquire these skills throughout the three years of the degree course.
For example at the end of the 1st semester of the third year, before leaving for their 6-month placement, all the students are brought together to follow a two week course on the following themes:
- management
- communication
- innovation
- ethics
- business knowledge
- competitive intelligence
The teaching staff
Courses are given by:
- teacher-researchers,
- part-time associate teachers,
- associate Professors,
- CNRS and INRA researchers,
- industrialists, researchers and teachers from other faculties,
- temporary lecturers and research assistants,
- Toulouse teaching assistants.
Occasionally for some courses, experts (from industry, researchers, teachers from other engineering faculties,etc) participate and give the engineering students their knowledge of industrial needs.
English: a requirement
For all ENSIACET students taking the engineering course, a minimum level of English is required. All must obtain the B2 level (high range) defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
This required level must be certified by a recognized external test (a minimum score of 87 on the IBT TOEFL exam or 785 on the TOEIC exam) and by the successful completion of the English course.
Every year, a session is organized at Toulouse INP-ENSIACET by the academic dean and the language coordinator. This session is free for second year students. Other students have to pay for it.
For apprentice engineers, the requirement is a B1 level, i.e. a minimum score of 57 score on the IBT TOEFL exam or 550 on the TOEIC exam.