Mechanics
Aeronautics, space, transport, energy, environment, bio-medical, etc. are all fields whose development is based on the advances made in research in mechanics and mechanical engineering.
Within this broad context, the Mechanics degree course at UPS is aimed at students who have a Bachelor's degree (obtained in Mechanics or an equivalent) and who have a particular interest in digital and experimental sciences, a curiosity and scientific rigour.
The aims of the course are:
• to provide a framework within the Université Paris-Saclay to coordinate Master's degree courses in the field of mechanics,
• to offer students courses associated with innovative fields of research,
• to offer students the possibility of an apprenticeship,
• to strengthen the international influence of a community brought together by the Université Paris-Saclay,
• to attract the best students from around the world.
The Mechanics course therefore aims to provide students with a solid training which is also accessible as an apprenticeship and is both theoretical and practical. In this way students can easily integrate into the world of work both in France (in large companies as well as in SMEs and SMIs in the Ile-de-France industrial area) and abroad.
The courses available make it possible to find either highly technical professional opportunities or jobs as engineers, senior managers or researchers in companies or in the laboratories of public institutions or universities. Through the support of laboratories in partner institutions, the course allows students to pursue a doctorate in the doctoral institution SMEMaG ‘Mechanical, energetic and material sciences and geosciences’, for example.
In order to achieve its objectives, the organisation is essentially structured around specialisations centred on disciplines (fluid mechanics, materials, structures, design and mechanical engineering, etc.) but also around more inter-disciplinary courses (higher education, mathematics and mechanics) and offers students the possibility to build courses aimed at either:
•areas of academic or industrial research,
•fields of applications such as: aeronautics, space, vehicles, energy, environment, bio-medical, instrumentation, scientific computing.
By the end of their Master's training, graduates are specialists whose disciplinary and cross-disciplinary skills can be applied in three essential areas:
•General scientific skills: modelling, analysing and solving problems requiring abstract skills, designing and implementing an experimental approach, using data acquisition, simulation and analysis software, conducting a critical analysis of results.
•Organisational skills: working independently, using information and communication technology, researching information, implementing a project and carrying out a study.
•Interpersonal skills: communicating, working in a team, taking on responsibilities in a professional environment.
As a result of the course, students will have acquired theoretical and experimental expertise in mechanics and its interfaces, the ability to work independently and a critical sense.
The Master’s in Mechanics fits naturally into the Plateau de Saclay. The many research laboratories at the Université Paris-Saclay are very strongly involved in training, through teacher-researchers or recognised specialist researchers in the field, but also through the work placements and projects they can offer. The presence of numerous organisations (CEA, ONERA...) and companies (Safran Tech, EDF, PSA, RENAULT, etc.) makes it possible to have a network of partnerships for work placements and apprenticeships, for example, but also for the participation of engineers and research engineers in the training program.
It is very well positioned in the Île-de-France region and at a local level. The course is firmly focused on engineering in a research context and is managed in close collaboration with universities and engineering schools. The links with industrial partners is reflected, on the one hand, in a significant proportion of work placements carried out in large industrial groups with significant research investment and, on the other, in partnerships carried out as part of apprenticeships.
Only 2 other courses in Mechanics exist outside of the Université Paris-Saclay. These are at the Université Paris Est Marne-la-Vallée (UPEM) and l’Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP). There is also a Engineering Sciences course (SPI) at Sorbonne Université (formerly the Université Pierre et Marie Curie). However, a strong characteristic of the Mechanics course at the Université Paris-Saclay is its strong focus on ‘research’ as a result of the numerous academic laboratories, EPIC and research and development departments in large companies. In addition, the course can be taken entirely in English (for some courses) and is organically linked to several schools.
Its strength lies in how all these elements connect together. The course is highly structured and offers a balanced and complete set of varied teaching both in terms of substance and form (courses/tutorials/TP/projects/work placements). The way lectures are applied is extremely varied (tutorials ‘on paper’, mini-projects, analysis of articles, digital tutorials, targeted experimental work, etc.). Students are closely supervised (academic supervisor, work placement supervisor, etc.), which makes it possible to support the success of the students (refresher course in mathematics, tutoring, etc.).
The joint management between several establishments allows for rich and constructive discussions to take place. Teaching on each course takes place on a limited number of sites and in small classes. This encourages collaborative and collective work, both from the point of view of the student cohort and the teaching team.
The Mechanics programme leads to a very wide range of activities and services, in which competitiveness hinges on continuous advances in technology (such as the use of industrial codes for the optimisation of environmentally-friendly industrial processes, or the design of various products in many sectors closely tied to mechanics). There are job opportunities in industries such as: aeronautics, space, automotive, transport, energy production and transformation, engines and propulsion, mechanical industries, etc.
More specifically, the programme targets careers in the fields of technology and strategy monitoring and intelligence, R&D in an academic setting, a research organisation, or an industrial environment. Young graduates will be able to enter work as engineers in charge of production and implementation.
The major areas concerned are the transport sector (automotive, rail, nautical, naval, aeronautics, aerospace), the energy sector (Marine and Renewable energies (MRE), electricity, gas, oil, nuclear), but also teaching at tertiary level and academic research.
The targeted professions are: engineer and engineering consultant, research and development manager, project manager and researcher or lecturer (following a Doctorate).
There are natural extensions between M1 and M2 that constitute standard study paths: for instance, MFL M1 followed by DFE M2, or MMS M1 followed by MAGIS M2 or 2SC (MS) , or even ISM M1 followed by IC2M M2. But there are also optional transfer paths laid out among the various study paths. The M1 structure, with its common core curriculum, allows students to take different options: for example, MMS M1 followed by DFE M2 or MIP M1 followed by MAGIS M2. Students may even steer towards other disciplines (for instance towards the Complex Systems or Energy disciplines).
Transfer paths are thus available at the end of the M1 year.
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d'Arts
Arts et Métiers (ENSAM)
Université PSL
Recommended undergraduate disciplines:
Undergraduate degree in Mechanics
Undergraduate degree in Physics (with Mechanics focus) or Mathematics
Undergraduate degree in Engineering sciences
Thus, among the prerequisites, applicants are expected to have a knowledge base in general mechanics, solid mechanics and fluid mechanics, structural dynamics, matrix algebra and differential calculus, and numerical methods.
For courses in French, a certified French level of at least B2 with an oral comprehension score greater than 15/25 is required.
Independently formulate a mechanical problem to meet a given objective, from the modelling of the system of study to the modelling of stresses and boundary conditions by proposing an approach to an appropriate solution.
Use theoretical or practical concepts and knowledge to understand a problem and put it into an equation.
Apply analytical, numerical or experimental problem-solving tools at a level of proficiency: justified choice of existing tools or ad hoc production of specific tools and critical analysis of results.
Design and optimise an innovative scientific and/or technological solution from a development or research perspective (this may concern a product or an experimental protocol).
Communicate in written or oral form, in a clear, concise and educational manner, scientifically argued, interpreted and discussed ideas with a view to their development and use by the scientific community (professional or student).
Carry out an individual or team project in a corporate and inter-personal manner (coordination or management of actions, project management, feedback, teamwork, independence, responsibility, initiatives, etc.).