Engineering Programme - Year 1

The common-core curriculum in year 1 provides students with broad-based multi-disciplinary engineering training:
 

• Technical and scientific courses make up 70% of the curriculum with the remaining 30% of the programme devoted to business sciences, social sciences, modern languages and sport.
• Students benefit from first-hand professional experience during year 1 with a student business project in the second semester and a 4-week internship to discover the business world in July/August.
• Students also commit to a civic engagement during their first year of studies whereby they make a contribution to society through volunteer work. This is to be completed by the end of March in Year 2.

From the start of the 2024 academic year, all courses in the first year of the engineering programme will include sustainable development issues, the equivalent of 14 scientific classes of 32 hours each. To encourage openness, French and international students will be able to take courses in English from the first year. The new curriculum will also give students the opportunity to follow new pathways focusing on research, entrepreneurship and community involvement.

Overview of the common-core curriculum in year 1 - 2023/24

Autumn Semester

Successful completion of the semester leads to the award of 30 ECTS.
 

	lecture hours	tutorial hours	lab hours	exam	total hours	ECTS credits
Engineering Courses*
Modelling Approaches in Mechanical Engineering	28	28	16	4	76	6
Product Design and Development	4	16	16	2	38	3
Energy, Environment and Climate Challenges	18	14	4	2	38	3
Physics and Fluid Dynamics	14	14	8	2	38	3
Engineering Elective - choose 1 of 6:						3
1. Information Systems	12	14	10	2	38
2. Electronics, Electric Actuators, Embedded Systems	14	10	12	2	38
3. Materials	12	12	12	2	38
4. Applied Thermodynamics	12	16	8	2	38
5. Biology	14	16	6	2	38
6. Production Management	16	12	8	2	38
Modern Languages 1		26			26	2
Modern Languages 2		26**			26**	2
Sports and Physical Education		26			26	2
Soft Skills (Business & Social Sciences)					64	4
Civic Engagement						2

* All (seven) engineering courses are taught in both semester 5 and semester 6. In the first year, the cohort is divided into 2 groups, the programme above reflects the example of one group. The order is reversed for the other group.

** 52 hours for Chinese /Japanese

Spring Semester

Successful completion of the semester leads to the award of 30 ECTS.
 

	lecture hours	tutorial hours	lab hours	exam	total hours	ECTS credits
Engineering Courses*
Engineering Mathematics	16	44	12	4	76	6
From Measurement to Control	26	26	20	4	76	6
Algorithms and Programming	6	12	18	2	38	3
Engineering Elective - choose 1 of 6:						3
1. Information Systems	12	14	10	2	38
2. Electronics, Electric Actuators, Embedded Systems	14	10	12	2	38
3. Materials	12	12	12	2	38
4. Applied Thermodynamics	12	16	8	2	38
5. Biology	14	16	6	2	38
6. Production Management	16	12	8	2	38
Modern Languages 1		26			26	2
Modern Languages 2		26**			26**	2
Sports and Physical Education		26			26	2
Soft Skills (Student Business Project, Business & Social Sciences) or Architecture (Double Degree in Architecture Programme only) ***	- 34	- -	- 70	- -	114 104	5
Internship						1

* All (seven) engineering courses are taught in both semester 5 and semester 6. In the first year, the cohort is divided into 2 groups, the programme above reflects the example of one group. The order is reversed for the other group.
** 52 hours for Chinese /Japanese
*** 5 ECTS for soft skills or Architecture

In addition to the acquisition of technical and scientific expertise, Centrale Nantes places a strong emphasis on personal development and the fostering of soft skills. Students undertake a Tutored Partner Project in their first year and follow their choice of modules in Business Science and Social Science courses. They thus acquire soft skills, with their progress measured against a set of competencies in:
 

• Personal development (employability: self-awareness, self-confidence),
• Interaction with others (the eco-system of organisations, contributing to their operation and development)
• Innovation in one's environment (ecology, innovation, entrepreneurship and finance, ability to take up challenges and understand complexity)
• Project Management (project management, management methods, interpersonal interaction)

In addition to soft skills, two modern languages (English and a choice of second language) and sport are taught throughout the three years of the engineering programme.