An international experience

To go abroad

Thanks to its network of international academic partners, ESPCI Paris offers its students numerous opportunities for double degrees and academic experiences.
All student-engineers once experience a stay of more than two months abroad and have the opportunity to study worldwide by benefiting from a double degree, academic experiences or Internships. Engineering students can be hosted by the School’s partners.

I Engineering cycle

a) Double-degree

It is possible for ESPCI students to take a double degree abroad if their academic results allow it. The double-degree courses start at the end of the third year after their courses (from April on). These departures must be anticipated one year before. The mobility of the student has to be authorized by ESPCI Paris and the host university.
The selected student will spend an average of two years abroad after which he will be graduated from ESPCI Paris (engineering degree and 4A degree "advanced master in science and technology") and the host university. ESPCI Paris has double degrees with the University of Doshisha in Japan (Faculty of Science and Engineering : Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Mechanics and Faculty of Life Sciences and Medical Faculty of Life Sciences and Medical), Nanjing University (Physics, Materials Science, Chemistry) and Tongji University in China, Georgetown in the United States (Soft Matter Physics, Economics, Politics and Science) Negotiations with Polytechnique Montréal are under way (mechanical engineering, biomedical, chemical, civil).

Experience feedback :

As part of the double diploma ESPCI Paris Doshisha, French students are doing a two-year internship on the Kyotanabe campus, south of Kyoto, in a laboratory of their choice : Computer science, mechanics, chemistry, neuroscience.
Courses are taught in the first year, but the Doshisha course is a "mini-thesis" that taught me to organize, conduct, analyze and interpret my work correctly, to carry out an advanced bibliography, to regularly present my results understandable to non-experts ... In short, to grasp what the life of a researcher in the long term is. But above all, it was an opportunity for me to discover and get acquainted with a completely new culture and student life.
I learned to speak Japanese fluently, integrated a 100% Japanese association, met people from all over the world ... and of course visited all the possible touristic places in the region.

b) Research and industrial internship project

ESPCI students at the end of their training in the engineering cycle all have international experience. 100% of ESPCI Paris students will spend more than 32 months abroad starting in September 2017. They can choose to carry out their research project or industrial internship abroad with our academic or industrial partners. Harvard, MIT, Max Planck Institute in Goettingen, Ghent, Oxford, Imperial College, Cambridge, Yale, University of Ottawa, Tokyo, Kyoto are examples of places where ESPCI students go for internships. Michelin USA, Saint Gobain China, Nestlé Switzerland, Boestch Germany are companies that welcome ESPCI students abroad.
Contact : Research projects, philippe.nghe@espci.psl.eu ;
industrial internships, brigitte.brossard@espci.psl.eu,
international contact international@espci.psl.eu.

c) Athens week

The ParisTech network allows ESPCI Paris to participate in the Athens (Advanced Technology High Education Network Socrates) program. A third-grade week is thus released for intensive compulsory training in one of the schools of the Athens international network.

II The fourth year abroad

9% of ESPCI Paris students spend their 4th year abroad. This project must be validated by the studies department and prepared one year in advance. Students use the network of ESPCI Paris professors to go on projects in the laboratory with courses. This year can also be used abroad to integrate courses in economics (Cambridge), politics and science (Georgetown), technological innovation and entrepreneurship (Berkeley). All the doors are open at ESPCI Paris : the direction of the studies and the office of the international relations are at the disposal of the students to help them to find their way on their international project.
Contact : anne.devulder@espci.psl.eu

Feedback from experiences :

I did my 4th year in Cambridge in a supramolecular chemistry laboratory. I realized a mini thesis. This training includes setting up the project, designing the experiments, writing the "thesis and viva" and writing an article. It’s more than just a big internship, I was able to make my own choices but I had to assume them ... It’s quite exciting, the lab directors are demanding, stimulating and the atmosphere is totally different than in France. It opened my mind on different ways of thinking. This training allowed me to acquire a lot of autonomy. I also liked ’university folklore’ with middle-age colleges, student cloaks and student nights.

II PhD abroad and joint degrees in ESPCI Paris

Joint PhD degrees can be carried out at ESPCI Paris through agreements signed between foreign institutions and PSL University.

III Scholarships for international mobility

ESPCI Paris wants each of its students to have at least one mobility abroad. These nobilities are supported by various financial tools :

– Erasmus+ : ESPCI Paris benefits from Erasmus + scholarships dedicated to financially support semesters of study, research projects or industrial internships.
– Amie : the Région-Île-de France provides a financial envelope that we distribute to students for their very first mobility and according to very precise social criteria.
– ESPCI Paris Fund : the ESPCI Paris fund is a foundation that financially supports ESPCI’s student mobility.
– Scholarship and support are provided by ESPCI Paris’ Alumni.
– TheAcademy of Sciences Foundation Walter-Zellidja Grant : support a one year international mobility done by a PhD student
– Athens Scholarship : app. 200 euros Athens Scholarships are awarded to students already benefitting from a Joliot grant and wanting an international experience during the Athens’ week.

For more information, please write to : international@espci.psl.eu