Everything you need to know about the engineering degree: how to obtain it, career opportunities

What is an engineering degree?

An engineering degree is a training representing a BAC +5 level, i.e. a Master level.

Europe has put in place regulations to guarantee the qualification of engineers and to facilitate their mobility within the EU. Not all states have the same regulations regarding curriculum. They must, however, prove that they have an adequate educational background that is consistent with their country of origin. Graduates must have completed 3 years of study at an institution of higher learning to practice professionally.

The skills acquired (for the most part scientific) during this training will enable us to respond to human, environmental and technical problems.

Are there different types of engineering degrees?

The particularity of the engineering degree lies in its wide variety of specializations. It covers fields as diverse as they are varied, and allows everyone to find their way whatever their desire of orientation. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the different types of engineering degrees:

• General engineering degree
• Diploma in Building Engineering
• Diploma in chemical engineering
• Diploma in Life Science Engineering
• Environmental engineering degree
• Diploma in Biotechnology Engineering
• Diploma in Automotive and Transportation Engineering
• Engineering degree in optics
• Diploma in Climatic Engineering
• Aeronautical engineering degree
• Robotics Engineering Diploma
• Diploma in Energy and Electrical Engineering
• Engineering degree in statistics

How do I get an engineering degree?

• The most traditional (and most prestigious) way to access the engineering degree is through a scientific preparatory class. The level of requirement is very high and the final selection is strict. For many students, it is also a way to give themselves time to reflect on the direction of their specificity. At the end of the two years of preparation, the student is faced with the entrance exam to the major engineering schools. 40 percent of future engineers go through this study path.

• The integrated preparatory program is another way to prepare for an engineering degree. Accessible directly after obtaining the baccalaureate, it is carried out within the establishments themselves. Thus, the student can choose more directly a precise orientation for his curriculum, by choosing a specialized school. The integrated preparatory courses offer a more practical and professional training, in particular thanks to the one-month internship in a company. Theoretical teaching is then less dense, more connected to the reality of the field. 25 percent of students go through this route to graduate.

• The BTS or DUT option is chosen more by students who want to choose their orientation. Emphasis is placed on the practical aspect of the training, notably through the use of teachers who are themselves professionals in the sector. With this curriculum, it is possible to have a first level of degree with a balanced base between theory and practice before embarking on more demanding engineering studies. BTS and DUT students have access to a one-year ATS prepas (Adaptation technicien Supérieur) to prepare efficiently for the competitive entrance exams of the Grandes Ecoles, and thus enter directly into the 3rd year of an engineering school.

What are the professional opportunities after obtaining an engineering degree?

Obtaining an engineering degree represents a high-level title. Thus, the holder of such a diploma can claim to work in many professional sectors. It is even one of the fields offering the most perspectives as the sectors it touches are numerous. Approximately 95% of new graduates find a job within 6 months of graduation, in France or abroad. Some are even offered a job during their final internship. The field of orientation is multiple, in the private as in the public sector:

• Finance
• Banks
• Biotechnology
• Electrical engineering
• Geology
• Large-scale distribution
• Computer Science
• Aeronautics
• Automotive

How much does an engineering degree cost?

Choosing the right school and curriculum can be a real headache. The criteria are numerous: type of degree, specialization, reputation of the institution… The investment that such a course of study represents should not be left to chance. Some students are even obliged to take out a loan to complete their project.

Most schools offering engineering degrees are public. Thus, their price is controlled by the Ministry of Higher Education, which makes learning accessible to all. On average, this type of institution is charged 600 euros per year per student.

In the private sector, on the other hand, prices are freely decided and fees can be tripled. On average, the central schools (Lyon, Nantes, Lille) charge around 2,500 euros for a year of study. Ironically, the most expensive schools are also the ones with the best results.

Among the most expensive schools, most of them are located in the Ile de France:

• Ecole Polytechnique – Palaiseau – 19 000 euros
• ISAE SUPAERO – Toulouse – 14850 euros
• Centralespélec – Gif sur Yvette – 10500 euros
• Ecole des Mines ParisTech – Paris – 10500 euros
• Ecole des ponts Paris Tech – Champs sur Marne – 9270 euros

What kind of engineering degree does ECE offer?

ECE Paris is a school that trains tomorrow’s engineers in general and high tech fields. The school offers an accelerated scientific refresher course via Prepac, in one year, in order to better understand the future training. Within the framework of the engineering cycle, the candidate must choose disciplines with various coefficients, divided into two categories:

• Majeure technologie : 
  • on-board systems
  • Connected objects
  • Information systems
  • Transport and mobility
  • Energy and environment
  • Finance and quantitative engineering
  • Health and technology

• Professional Minor:
  • Business
  • Project management
  • Marketing of innovation
  • Business engineering
  • Consulting professions
  • Digital creation professions
  • Professions and specificities of technical purchasing

• Deepening option
  • Aeronautics
  • Design
  • Innovation and entrepreneurship
  • nanotechnology
  • Robotics
  • Big Data
  • Communicating vehicles
  • Electric and hybrid vehicles
  • New generation Internet
  • Scientific computing

ECE students can do an internship from the 3rd to the 5th year in order to get a double degree, in partnership with the partner universities. This course aims to strengthen their skills and knowledge of the international field and thus promote their employability.

Learn more about engineering training

• How to become a consulting engineer?
• Private engineering school: status, price, program
• Preparatory engineering course: the complete guide
• How many years of study does it take to become an engineer?
• Engineering school guide: definition, program, registration
• Everything you need to know about engineering studies: prices, opportunities, programs
• Everything you need to know about engineering training
• Which degree should I do to enter an engineering school?
• What average should I have to enter an engineering school?
• Engineering school salary: how much do you earn after graduating from an engineering school?

Updated 2 January 2024