Period 3 - Professionalization

SEMESTERS 9 AND 10

The third year finalizes the training of the cycle « Ingénieur Centralien. It is a real « springboard » to employment, and prepares the students for the future job/profession that is closest to their tastes and ambitions. It aims, firstly, to realize and deepen their knowledge in one or more disciplinary areas and, secondly, to customize their professional profile. The pedagogical pattern of the third year is structured around five components:

•  a common part on management and project management,
•  an option to « deepen knowledge »
• a part on « profession » /jobs
• teaching of languages and international cultures
• a « Final Study project » (between 4 and 6 months).

The Major: Specialized raining in a specific discipline

By developing scientific and technological skills in a particular field, this teaching is intended to train top level engineers mastering complex system analysis, control, design and optimization methods. Centrale Marseille offers 13 majors with the following aims in common:

• Discovering the complexity of a disciplinary field
• Being placed in a specific situation and introduced to the reality of experimentation
• Acquiring scientific methods and techniques
• High quality training thanks to the diversity of teaching methods (lectures, tutorials, practical work, case studies, projects, visits, conferences, industrial seminars, languages)
• Providing a wide range of teaching staff (graduate school lecturers, university researchers, academics, chartered engineers, consultants, industrial managers).

Students have to choose one of these subjects :

• Biotechnology, Engineering, Environment, Energy (Chemistry- Chemical engineering)
• Photonics & Innovative systems
• Mechanical engineering (solide mechanics - industrial acoustics - marine engineering – fluids mechanics)
• Signals, Image and telecommunications engineering 
• Mathematics, management, economics, finance
• Organizations, mathematics and computing for services

The Career Focus: Professional Training

Being multidisciplinary engineers, in the course of their careers, Centrale graduates will be able to take up all types of profession, each including functions of many different sorts. In order to prepare students for their first jobs, this training aims at enabling them to grasp some of the characteristics of different company operations, reinforcing their ability to fit in and prepare for a specific function. The ‘ultimate’ objective is also to give them a broad industrial outlook and prepare them as well as possible for the opportunities and turning points likely to face them sooner or later in their careers. In this course, emphasis will be put on:

• Discovering the basic assignments in a job
•  Engineers’ functions and responsibilities
• Adaptability and employability (multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary skills)
• Attitudes and behavior (leadership, team work, management, ethics)
• Communication.

Students have to choose one of these carrer :

• Company management and entrepreneurship (Modeling and sizing - Product design - Design Project
• Design engineering (Tools and methods for research and innovation - Organization, contracts and exploiting research - Research project) 
• Research and development (Consulting management - Audit of compagny - Project)
• Audit and management consultant (Operations management - Industrial organization and supply chain - Project)
• Production and logistics (Operations management - Industrial organization and supply chain - Project)
• General Management with IAE Aix-en Provence (International Business - International Finance Management- Reporting Audit - Marketing & Brand Management -Corporate Communication & Change Management)

 

Languages and international cultures

The languages offered: In their final year, students continue studying two languages: English and another language. Those offered are German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese and Arabic. A French as Foreign Language course is given to foreign students joining the school. It is also possible for those who so wish to study a third language as an extracurricular option. 

Aims of Language courses: Language courses have a dual aim: on the one hand acquiring functional linguistic skills, which can be used in reallife situations involving foreign partners and, on the other, studying the behaviors and mindsets belonging to the cultures these languages serve to convey, so as to enable the student to adapt rapidly to work and social environments different to his/her own. The final year is particularly devoted to the use of the linguistic and cultural competencies, acquired during the two previous years, for professional purposes.

The Final Year Internship

The objective of this long final year internship is to place students in the specific position of engineers in an industrial or research environment, in France or abroad, enabling them to apply to a real life case the knowledge (technical and scientific skills) and know-how (project management, managerial functions) acquired throughout the whole course. Students will be able to take charge of a whole technical project or participate in ongoing research and development work and will show, test and develop their imagination, curiosity and scientific rigor. This final stage in the Centrale engineer’s training is fundamental, looking ahead to the first job offer, as companies often hire interns following their final internship.

Variations on the Final Year

► Double engineering / research course: associated with their chosen major, all students wishing to do R & D or prepare for a doctorate may at the same time do a Research MSc compatible with their course.

► Double degree: students can prepare a double degree studying at a foreign graduate school or university having signed an agreement with the Centrale group (2 years at Centrale + 2 years at the partner establishment).

► A year’s training abroad: simple mobility (acceptance of ECTS credits) in one of our numerous partner universities.

► A Year in another Ecole Centrale: students may do their final year (on condition they receive mobility committee authorization) majoring at another graduate school in the group, if this discipline is not taught at Centrale Marseille and if it proves indispensable for carrying out their professional projects.

► A sabbatical year in industry before the final year in order to follow through a personal or professional project.