Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering: the best of three engineering schools at the University

The Master’s program is still young, the beautiful examples of successes are before us, but I am already very proud of our current students. One of them is pursuing their thesis at the prestigious McGill University in Montreal, while others have obtained internships in Singapore on microfluidics projects.

PSL: Why did you create this Master’s program in 2016?

Cécilie Duhamel: It started from a simple observation: the three engineering schools of Université PSL (MINES ParisTech, Chimie ParisTech and ESPCI Paris) had both expertise and complementary Master’s level courses in the materials sector. By uniting, we could strengthen our visibility and rethink the courses. The Master’s program is based on this synergy and gives it the most strength. Thanks to the union of the three schools, it covers a wide field of expertise on materials which allows the program to have an overview on this field. Moreover, the training is oriented equally towards research and innovation, thus offering students a real choice of orientation.

PSL: What kind of student profiles are looked for ?

CD: For entry into M1, we are mainly looking for students holding a degree in Chemistry, Mechanics, Physics, Engineering Sciences, and having a taste for research. For entry into M2, we also welcome engineering students in double courses or engineering students who have finalized their studies and wish to specialize.
Our students come from all over the world: from our three engineering schools, but also from the Universities of Paris (Paris Descartes University, Paris Diderot University, Paris Saclay University), or the Institut Mines Télécom. We also welcome international students. We are very interested in this diversity. Above all, (and I am very proud), the program promotes gender parity! Our students are equally or almost equally boys and girls.

PSL: What is the specificity of the training offered by the Master’s SGM?

We bring our students to the laboratories, we offer them practical work, and PhD student tutors; we teach them how to get the knowledge and how to organize it. Training by and for research that is, in my opinion, an essential contribution regardless of the professional ambitions of students.

CD: It is an atypical Master’s program, in essence: it is the association of three engineering schools in a university context, offering the best of both systems. Unlike very general training, it allows students to focus deeply on a discipline and to acquire a real level of expertise. All the teachers are also researchers and laboratories are our place of work. Naturally, we bring our students to the laboratories, we offer them practical work, projects tutored by our doctoral students, and we teach them how to get the knowledge, how to organize it. Training by and for research that is, in my opinion, an essential contribution regardless of their professional ambitions of our students.
Attention, however not to be confused, we train not only researchers, but also future professionals hardened to the techniques of research: our students progress into internships, academic circles as well as in industrial sectors. Moreover, thanks to the networks of engineering schools, we have very good contacts in the industry.
Another specificity at the heart of the Master’s program is interdisciplinarity. Between Chemistry and Mechanics, we are facing two very different disciplines. We are working on different opportunities to create bridges and moments of collaboration between courses. For example, we offer our students management courses, which are also moments of exchanges, meetings and new horizons.

PSL: What do you think are the most desired qualities for candidates?

If I had any advice for applicants, it would be "Look after your resume!" For us, it's a great way to understand their journey!

CD: Now it's a difficult question! I would say that a student who can testify to his experience on materials, highlighting internships or laboratory projects ... puts a lot of chances on their side. A student should prove to us that their candidacy has nothing to do with chance, and that their motivations and capabilities are already well established. Of course, candidates who have a very good record have better chances. More general, in regard to candidates, the cover letter is important, but if I had any advice for applicants, it would be "Look after your CV! " For us, it's a great way to understand their journey, and it's a much more revealing tool than overly formatted cover letters.

Finally, a good command of English is also a major asset: English is essential to the careers for which our future graduates are destined.

PSL: What are the main opportunities after the training? What would be a good example of success for a student from the SGM Master’s degree?

CD: In itself, the Master’s program is aimed mainly at students who are destined for an academic or industrial career in the research and development field, usually after preparing a thesis. As such, I would like to encourage our future students attracted by entrepreneurship and innovation to participate in the PSL-iTeams program, which enables multidisciplinary teams of Master’s and doctoral students to contribute to the technology transfer of inventions and knowledge from PSL laboratories.

The Master’s is still young, the beautiful examples of successes are before us, but I am already very proud of our current students. One of them is pursuing their thesis at the prestigious McGill University in Montreal, while others have obtained internships in Singapore on microfluidics projects.

PSL: What will be your welcome message to future recruits?

CD: Be curious, dare, enjoy your environment and Parisian life!
This is essential for me, because when students feel at home here with a spark of interest and they take pleasure in learning, they are able to do great things in research or elsewhere!