Master of Engineering (Graduate program)
Course structure
ITECH, a member of the Conférence des Grandes écoles, trains qualified engineers. The engineering degree is approved by the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur (engineering qualification committee) and is considered equivalent to a master of engineering. At the end of their first year, ITECH students choose one of the four available specialisations:
- Formulation chemistry: Paints, Inks, Adhesives, Cosmetics (link to formulation chemistry page)
- Plastics (link to Plastics page)
- Textiles (link to Textiles page)
- Leather (link to leather page)
Full-time or apprenticeship / co-op program :
- full-time course: 80 % of students.
- apprenticeship-course: 20 % of students. Students become engineering apprentices and complete a 2-year co-op course.
Placements
- At the end of the 1st year: International experience - minimum of 6 weeks (July - August)
- At the end of the second year: technical placement - minimum of 8 weeks (July - August)
- In the final year: final year placement - minimum of 5 months (March - August)
Apprenticeship
Students can opt to complete the engineering curriculum as apprentices at the end of the first year of the engineering course, at the same time as they choose their specialisation. Around 20% of each year group chooses to become apprentices.
Status
The selected students then change status, becoming engineering apprentices. As soon as they sign their apprenticeship contracts, they become employees of the company and are exempt from paying tuition fees. The financial and administrative aspects of this course are managed by the Centre de Formation de d'Apprentissage (apprenticeship training centre) for each of the professional branches involved: CIRFAP-Plastics engineering, IFAIP-Chemistry, CFA-Textiles and Leather.
The degree
Apprentices earn the same Master of engineering degree as students completing initial training. Engineering apprentices receive support from an academic tutor from the UFA (apprenticeship training unit) who assists them throughout their learning, as well as an apprenticeship supervisor, their company tutor, who helps them as they get to grips with their future profession. Both evaluate the engineering apprentices’ progress over the two-year course.
Admission
Bellevue ITECH preparatory classes
See the terms and conditions for admission to the integrated preparatory classes
From the 1st year of an engineering course (after 2 years of higher education)
Grande Ecole Preparatory Classes
- MP (Mathematics & Physics)
- PC (Physics & Chemistry)
- PT (Physics & Technology)
- TPC (Technology, Physics & Chemistry)
E3A Competitive Examination Procedure for MP-PC candidates: visit www.e3a.fr
Banque PT Competitive Examination Procedure for PT candidates: visit www.banquept.fr
Joint polytechnic competitive examination procedure for TPC candidates: visit www.ccp.scei-concours.fr
Based on qualifications (academic record + interview)
Apply via the ITECH website before the end of May
- 2- or 3-year scientific undergraduate degree
- DUT (university diploma in technology) in chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical and production engineering, materials science and engineering, physical measurement…
- BTS (higher vocational training certificate) majoring in chemistry
FGL (Fédération Gay Lussac) preparatory classes
Students attending the specific FGL preparatory classes (Rennes, Lille, Clermont Ferrand) join one of the FGL schools according to their preference and rank.
From the 2nd year of an engineering course (after 4 years of higher education)
Based on qualifications and examination of academic record according to available spaces for Chemistry Masters graduates or equivalent.
Tuition fees
An annual contribution to tuition fees is set by the Board of Governors.
Tuition fees for the 2008-2009 academic year: 4,800 €/year
As a state-accredited institution, ITECH’s students can receive higher education scholarships.
Scholarships
Scholarships from the Ministry for Higher Education: CROUS
Regional or local scholarships: certain regions or départements, via their social service departments, can support students by granting scholarships. Students must submit their own applications.
A number of partners (companies or private individuals) support the school by donating to its equal opportunities scheme. This development fund enables ITECH to award you an annual scholarship covering between 25% and 80% of your tuition fees. Scholarship criteria: social (as with CROUS) and academic (results) criteria.
Syllabus
Download the syllabus (PDF file, 43 Kb)
Formulation chemistry option
Using formulation chemistry, it is possible to develop complex combinations of polymers for use in creating adhesives, inks, paints, cosmetics and any number of other formulated products. This science is applied at the heart of everyday life. Many opportunities for placements are open to formulation chemistry engineers: at the top of the chain working with chemical companies, in actual design and manufacturing units and further down the line, in end-user industries (transport, packaging).
Plastics option
ITECH sets itself apart from the other chemistry schools: in addition to their knowledge of plastics, ITECH engineers learn both to apply this material in processing plants and to design parts. ITECH plastics engineers also develop their professional people skills: using formulation chemistry, they coat and colour their materials, and, working with textile engineers, they create composites for use in recreational activities. From health to aeronautics, including packaging, automobiles and sport, a wide range of industries employ plastics engineers who work just as much with raw material suppliers as they do with “formulators” and plastics users.
Textiles option
Our course perfectly meets the requirements of the textile industry. It draws on the linear structure of the industry to examine: the full range of textile professions (textile chemistry, spinning mills and spinning, throwing and texturing, weaving, knitting, non-woven fabrics, dyeing, printing and finishing) and all its applications (clothing, furnishings, technical textiles).
The teaching department has developed its teaching methods in close collaboration with the companies based at the Roanne technological centre.
Leather option
ITECH is the only school in the world to offer a course in leather engineering, covering tanning and tawing and their uses (footwear, leather goods). What does the job involve? Transforming raw hide into leather and generating the majority of its added value. Emphasis is placed on practical work and students need a wide range of skills: observance, good touch, a sharp eye, practicality, stringency and an eye for beauty. ITECH leather engineers work for large chemical companies, in tanneries and taweries and also for users: leather goods manufacturers, footwear manufacturers, etc... The leather market is global: extreme mobility, versatility and adaptability are required…
Syllabus
Core curriculum
1st Year
- Thermodynamics – Mineral chemistry – Analytical chemistry - Mathematics applied to physics - Photochemistry – Heat transfer - Electricity - Statistics – Information technology – Industrial information technology – Fluid mechanisms - Communication, human relations – Industrial legislation – Modern languages.
Formulation chemistry option
- 2nd Year
- Core curriculum : Organic or mechanical chemistry/computer-aided design & drafting – The science of macromolecular materials - Rheology – Experimental methodology – Physical chemistry of colloids and surfaces - Measurement and Regulation - Accounting - Colorimetry – Modern languages – People skills – The environment – Theories of adhesion – The different families of adhesives.
- Formulation chemistry : Raw materials – Physical chemistry of coatings – Liquid rheology – Surface treatments – Adhesives and glued joints - Cosmetics – Printing techniques – Treatment of plastics.
- 3rd Year
- Core curriculum : Marketing - Economics – Company strategy – C.A.M.M. - Quality - Maintenance - Management – People skills - Norms – Industrial property – Industrial design – 1st job preparation – Modern languages.
- Formulation chemistry : S.O.M. Glued joint design - Formulation – Technology for the manufacture of paints, inks, adhesives and cosmetics – Industrial microbiology – Formulation process engineering at the pilot plant.
Plastics option
- 2nd Year
- Core curriculum: Mechanics/computer-aided design & drafting – The science of macromolecular materials - Rheology – Experimental methodology – Physical chemistry of colloids and surfaces - Measurement and Regulation - Accounting - Colorimetry – Modern languages – People skills – The environment – Theories of adhesion – The different families of adhesives.
- Plastics: Raw materials – Plastic application techniques – Plastics engineering operations - Hydraulics - Pneumatics – Molten-state rheology – Plastic surface treatments.
- 3rd Year
- Core curriculum: Marketing - Economics – Company strategy – CAMM - Quality - Maintenance - Management – People skills - Norms – Industrial property – Industrial design – 1st job preparation – Modern languages.
- Plastics: CAD - CAD/CAM – Heat transfer – Plastic application techniques – The design of parts and tools – Composites – Plastics engineering operations at the technology centre.
Textiles option
- 2nd year
- Core curriculum: Organic or mechanical chemistry/computer-aided design & drafting – The science of macromolecular materials - Rheology – Experimental methodology – Physical chemistry of colloids and surfaces – Measurement and Regulation - Accounting - Colorimetry – Modern languages – People skills – The environment – Theories of adhesion – The different families of adhesives.
- Textiles: Raw materials - Spinning - Weaving - Knitting – Finishing
- 3rd year
- Core curriculum: Marketing - Economics – Company strategy - C.A.M.M. - Quality - Maintenance - Management – People skills - Norms – Industrial property – Industrial design – 1st job preparation – Modern languages.
- Textiles: Throwing - Texturing - Knitting – Finishing (dyeing, printing, dressing, cleaning) - Composites – Technical textiles - Coating - Calendering – Textile CAD – Textile process engineering at the technology centre.
Leather option
- 2nd year
- Core curriculum: Organic or mechanical chemistry/computer-aided design & drafting – The science of macromolecular materials - Rheology – Experimental methodology – Physical chemistry of colloids and surfaces – Measurement and Regulation - Accounting - Colorimetry – Modern languages – People skills – The environment - Theories of adhesion – The different families of adhesives.
- Leather: Raw materials – The chemistry of collagen – The chemistry of tanning – Tanning engineering - Footwear – Leather goods.
- 3rd year
- Core curriculum: Marketing - Economics – Company strategy - C.A.M.M. - Quality - Maintenance - Management – People skills - Norms – Industrial property – Industrial design – 1st job preparation – Modern languages.
- Leather: Tanning engineering – Leather process engineering at the pilot plant - C.A.T.M. Footwear.
Employment
ITECH engineering graduates occupy all the available positions in the leather industry: research and development, production, quality, technical sales, etc...
The 1st job service serves a triple purpose:
- information, advice and follow-up of employment-related procedures with each young graduate up until the signing of his/her employment contract,
- employment-related information, promotion, support in collaboration with recruitment agencies and industrialists,
- promotion and partnership schemes with institutions (APEC...).
The ITECH Alumni Association is a focal point for all engineering graduates.
