International exposure
Modern, global economy calls for engineers having cross-cultural abilities and skills. Over many years, the École des Ponts has been developing international contacts, within a targeted geographical strategy

 

École des Ponts initiates partnership agreements mainly in its traditional fields; civil engineering, including environment, transport and city planning. Europe has been the first priority of the School’s international development. In the case of engineering programmes, École des Ponts accommodates each year European students, both in exchange programmes and, to an increasing extent, in double degree programmes.
The development has then extended to the surroundings of the Mediterranean basin: Morocco, Iran, Lebanon and Tunisia. A new priority has been to establish agreements with emerging countries of Asia and Latin America; China, Brazil, Singapore and Vietnam.
      Multicultural environment
A 1/3 of the École des Ponts’s students are international students, coming from the world over. They are fully integrated into the School’s life, taking part in courses and projects under the same conditions as French students do. All students benefit from the impact of this multicultural mixing. International students experience new ways of teaching and a new kind of relation between students and faculty, while French students enjoy permanent contact with students of diverse origins.
      Quality of welcome

Special care is given to welcoming and integrating students coming from abroad.
This includes:

  • Linguistic options for non-French-speaking students: an intensive training courses before arriving, linguistic assistance and on-line resources
  • Special initiatives of the Students’ Board: international clubs, demonstrations on international topics, specific leisure activities
  • Documents such as a Guide of the international student, or translations of administrative documents
  • Assistance of administration staff specially trained in intercultural communication.
      International obligations
  • French students must study at least two languages (20% of the total study time): English (mandatory for all students with a minimum score of 750 at TOEIC exam) and one other language among German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (while French is taught as a foreign language for foreign students)
  • All undergraduate and graduate students must follow part of their studies abroad (one year on average).
Education at the École des Ponts: a multi-cultural experience
International experience does not just mean going abroad; it is also opening up to different cultures from around the world right on campus. With students and Faculty members from over 60 countries world-wide, students at École des Ponts are able to benefit from a truly multi-cultural academic environment.
      École des Ponts welcomes a growing number of foreign students from 60 countries
  • 179 in the master cycle, for the engineering programme
  • 60 in 3rd year, for a 6-month or a 1-year exchange
  • 88 in the professional programmes
  • 156 in the doctoral programmes, to prepare a thesis
      École des Ponts is an active member of different academic networks

École des Ponts is involved in academic engineering partnerships, such as:

  • Tempus MEDA (creation of a Master degree in Management and operation of transportation systems at the Ecole Hassania, in Casablanca, Morocco)
  • PFIEV (programme for training highly qualified engineers in Vietnam)
  • BRAFITEC (French-Brazilian cooperation).
  • Programme "50 chinese engineers in ParisTech"

In addition, École des Ponts has developed various partnerships with foreign universities and research centres, in Europe, Asia, South America and Canada.

Contact:
International affairs division
Reception Unit for foreign students
All rights reserved / Last modified August 2008

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