Computer Science Specialty

The Computer Science specialty trains engineers to design, deploy and maintain complex systems that form the core of our digital society. The specialty includes three options: Digital Imaging (DI), Information Systems (IS) and IoT, Security and Smart Cities (IoT).
Des étudiant travaillent en TP

Objective

Software is eating the world!* Our everyday objects are becoming increasingly software-driven and connected. On any given day, we interact with many different connected smart objects such as smartphones, speakers, thermostats, TVs, cars, aeroplanes, and even some refrigerators, which are all controlled by software.

What was recently merely a vision for the future has become an industrial reality. We now live in a world in which all these connected devices combine to form a continuum between the connected objects and software virtually hosted in the cloud.

These new systems are profoundly changing the way we interact with computer technologies. We can now access computing power and the Internet seamlessly and on demand as part of our everyday activities.  This full-time specialty aims to provide engineers with the necessary skills to audit, design, develop, maintain and evaluate complex software systems.

* Marc Andreessen.  Why Software Is Eating The World.The Wall Street Journal, 2011.

Key figures

  • A class of 65 students, divided into groups of 20-25 students across the three options from the second year onwards.
  • 93 % find employment within six months of graduation (figure for the class of 2021)
  • 44 weeks of work placement on average
  • 1 compulsory international mobility
  • 2/3 of teaching is delivered via tutorials, practical work and projects
  • 30% of the courses are in human and social sciences (Management, English, Communication, second foreign language, or sport) and 120 teaching hours are dedicated to innovation.
  • 30% in work-study programmes (semesters 9 and 10) in the form of a professionalisation contract.

Business sectors and career opportunities

By its very nature, software science applies to many different fields and business sectors. Graduates can choose between  employment opportunities in various different areas, including:

  • Cybersecurity
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • IT Services
  • Banking, Insurance
  • Telecommunications
  • Defence
  • Transport (rail, automotive, marine, aviation)
  • Consumer electronics
  • Health
  • …

Our graduates work in the following positions:

  • Software Engineer
  • Software Architect
  • IT Project Manager
  • Pre-sales Engineer
  • Software Development Engineer
  • Software Consultant
  • Product Manager  
  • R&D Engineer

Options and dual degrees

This specialty includes a common programme for all students in the first year (2 semesters), which allows them to acquire all the core skills required for a digital engineer. Students develop skills in engineering mathematics, software development and the digital environment. Students develop soft skills (management, administration, marketing and communication) and acquire a variety of working methods and professional skills – both individual and group-based – as well as improving their interpersonal skills and oral and written expression in French and foreign languages. Students are also introduced to the world of work through compulsory work placements.

In the last three semesters of the degree programme, students can select one of three options. Each option consists of a coherent grouping of modules to develop the necessary skills for technical experts in three areas of specialisation:

  • Digital Imaging to develop automated digital systems for image synthesis and analysis.
  • Information Systems to manage the complete lifecycle of data-intensive intelligent digital systems.
  • IoT, Security and Smart Cities to acquire software development and network skills to design connected devices for the Internet of Things.

 During the third and final year of the engineering degree cycle, students can study for a dual degree with one of the following programmes: 

Cybersecurity specialty

ESIR students can choose to specialise in cybersecurity in two different ways:

Work-study programmes

Students can choose a work-study programme for each of the three options in semesters 9 and 10 in the form of a professionalisation contract.

Admissions calendar

  • Online applications open: Monday, 6 February 2023
  • Application deadline: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
  • Pre-selection commission: Thursday, 1 June 2023
  • Interviews of pre-selected candidates (if required): Tuesday, 6 to Wednesday, 7 June 2023
  • Publication of results: Friday, 16 June 2023
  • Deadline for candidate acceptance or withdrawal: Thursday, 29 June 2023(Updated lists will be issued from 30 June 2023)
  • Student registration: early July to end August