Civil engineering degree : the third year

For Mines Paris – PSL, training in 21st century engineering means preparing its graduates to become key players in sustainable, social and human development and to become entrepreneurs of digital transformation, both in France and internationally.

 

Perfecting skills and challenges


A transition year towards a professional future.


The third year is an essential part of the Civil Engineering curriculum, as it is part of a twofold logic:



  • perfecting the high-level generalist training expected on graduation;

  • to support each student in his or her aspirations and choices regarding his or her future career.


The teaching approach deployed in the third year therefore aims to :



  • deepen scientific knowledge and work methods in a forward-looking field;

  • acquire the ability to map the players in a sector and their positions, to summarize them and make decisions for their organization or project within a given regulatory framework;

  • prepare for positions of innovator, organizer and integrator of a general engineer in the professional world.


 







Semestre 5 (30 ECTS)



 


Semestre 6 (30 ECTS)




 


Check the syllabus


 






Electives


The elective will enable each student to apply the qualities developed throughout their training to a field of their choice, without prejudging a definitive career path: versatility, a sense of observation and concreteness, scientific rigor and mastery of fundamental theoretical tools, rapid adaptation to a specific technical field, methodology, communication skills and collaborative work by confronting cutting-edge themes in multiple environments.

The final stage of the program is the elective study, which attests to the student’s ability to define a complex problem in a real-life environment, and to come up with an innovative solution that can be implemented in the host company or laboratory.

 

 

17 electives are offered in 6 main areas

  • Mathematics and Digital Sciences
  • Physics and Material Science
  • Energy and Environment
  • Management, Economics and Social Sciences
  • Health and Bioengineering
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation

 



Core curriculum and specialized training







The Common Core courses are introductory to law, corporate governance and strategy, and cost evaluation, providing our future graduates with the keys to these disciplines and developing their critical analysis skills. The original “Controversies” course and a series of “Major issues” conferences round out the curriculum. Last but not least, a selection of specialized courses, already presented, can be used to complete the contributions required by a student engineer to finalize his or her career path, or to explore other subjects.


More on specialized training



 




Controversies


The aim of this teaching module is to make engineering students aware of their changing professional and civic context. Engineers have to handle a science and a technique in a situation of uncertainty, in a world of redistributed responsibilities. In addition to their generalist skills, they will increasingly be called upon to analyze highly controversial situations (technological risk, scientific uncertainty, multiplicity of possible scenarios, conflict of moral or political values) for which there is no guaranteed model but which will nevertheless involve decisions on the spot. The aim of this course is to help future graduates meet the challenges of tomorrow.

To this end, this course develops skills in qualitative inquiry. It is based first and foremost on documentary work (press, web, scientific literature, grey literature) finalizing the Paris Miners’ informational skills and enabling them to identify the main protagonists and issues under debate.

Secondly, interviews are conducted with a number of players in the controversy. Finally, the analysis is presented in the form of a public website.



TU 62


A range of courses to prepare engineers for the challenges of our society.


Mines Paris – PSL trains generalist, enlightened and committed engineers, students who are ready to solve complex problems, building solutions and putting them into practice.


In this context, TU 62 enables students to gain a better understanding of the issues behind the environmental and energy transitions, meet experts on topical issues and build an action plan to deal with a crisis.




Democracy & Transitions” seminar

Students’ growing commitment to the theme of environmental and energy transitions led to the organization, in 2019, of the first seminar, “Engineers & Environmental Transitions” organized by a group of third-year students. The rest of the class was able to interact with experts as part of a conference cycle. The aim of the seminar: to become the bearers of a responsible and sustainable Anthropocene.

 

Crisis management

The Crisis Management course is the highlight of a student engineer’s three-year training program. It’s an opportunity to put into action all the skills acquired during courses and internships, over a short, intense period.

 

“Major Issues” lecture series

A large number of new terms are making their appearance in our daily lives and in the news: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, energy transition, autonomous vehicles, etc. Against this backdrop, the “Major issues” lecture series aims to provide rigorous insights into specific themes by bringing together leading scientists and experts from the world of business, who contribute their thoughts and perspective on these subjects.

 

 

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