A dual commitment
In order to bring about concrete energy, environmental, and digital transitions, it is crucial to train a new generation of responsible engineers. This need is at the heart of France’s 2030 strategy, as well as that of companies, which are looking for candidates capable of integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their approach, while knowing how to design and implement solutions that are economically and technologically viable, as well as humanely and environmentally sustainable.
The I-BE³ (International Bachelor of Environmentally Engaged Engineering) bachelor’s degree is part of this perspective: a selective and resolutely international program, it trains future professionals with a solid scientific culture, multidisciplinary know-how, and a keen awareness of planetary limits. It is based on an innovative teaching approach: starting with real-world challenges and working back to the scientific disciplines that can address them. Taught entirely in English, this program emphasizes learning by doing, through concrete projects drawn from the socio-economic world and collaborations with research and industry.
This new bachelor’s degree program illustrates our university’s ability to innovate and prepare future responsible leaders at the crossroads of science, technology, and society. It will mark the launch of the Paris School of Engineering, the second of PSL’s Paris Schools to be created, after the Paris School of AI. This structuring and innovative model aims to give more coherence, visibility, and impact to our disciplinary and interdisciplinary strengths by bringing together education and research around major contemporary issues and attracting students from around the world. Through the Paris Schools, PSL University affirms its desire to combine scientific excellence, international openness, and environmental commitment.
El Mouhoub MOUHOUD, President of PSL University.
The launch of I-BE³ in Sophia Antipolis embodies the ambition of our three engineering schools: to offer high-level training that responds to the challenges of ecological, energy, and digital transitions. This program will enable young talents to acquire a systemic approach to global issues, while benefiting from active and interdisciplinary teaching methods, in keeping with the spirit of innovation and openness that drives our schools,”
Godefroy Beauvallet, Director General of Mines Paris – PSL.
For an excellent education with immersive project-based teaching
The I-BE³ bachelor’s degree offers a progressive and attractive curriculum based on project-based learning and focused on the major societal challenges of engineering—energy, water, health, climate, sustainable cities, mobility, and responsible industries. Across the board, the program places a strong emphasis on data science, artificial intelligence, and big data processing.
Organized around three teaching blocks—semester-long research projects (PRJ), engineering and data sciences (SI), and challenges and professionalization (EP)—the program trains graduates to be operational and committed. It combines an introduction to research, social responsibility, innovation, entrepreneurship, and international openness, including a mandatory semester abroad.
Upon completion of the program, graduates can enter the professional world or continue their studies in engineering programs at Mines Paris, ESPCI, Chimie ParisTech, PSL University master’s programs, or national and international engineering or master’s programs.
An international program
The I-BE³ bachelor’s degree is aimed at a multicultural audience and requires an excellent level of language proficiency: B2 in English and A2 in French for non-French-speaking students. The rigorous selection process is based on a complete academic record (grades, motivation, recommendations) and an interview in English. The first two years will take place on the Pierre Laffitte campus of Mines Paris – PSL in Sophia Antipolis, in the heart of the Côte d’Azur technology park. In the third year, depending on their choice of specialization, some students will remain at the Pierre Laffitte campus, while others will join the PSL engineering schools in the Paris region. A final group of students will study abroad as part of a dual degree program with high-level partner universities.
For its first intake in September 2026, the new bachelor’s program will recruit 60 first-year students, with the aim of reaching 300 students by 2029, opening the second and third years in 2027 and 2028.
A strong presence for Mines Paris – PSL in the Sophia Antipolis area
The I-BE³ Bachelor’s degree is part of the strategic development of the Pierre Laffitte campus of Mines Paris – PSL in Sophia Antipolis. It is the first step in a major project aimed at strengthening the School’s academic and scientific presence in the area. This overall project also includes an expansion of the range of master’s programs on offer, as well as a significant research component structured around two projects: medtech (related to cutting-edge medical technologies and health engineering) and hightech (related to plasma technologies for decarbonization). Financially supported by the South Region and the Sophia Antipolis Urban Community and led by Professor Philippe Blanc, this development program illustrates Mines Paris – PSL’s desire to consolidate its leading role in the Côte d’Azur innovation ecosystem and to respond to the major scientific, technological, and environmental challenges of our time.
The bachelor’s degree also receives state aid managed by the National Research Agency under France 2030.
Learn more about the program
