École Polytechnique, also known as l’X is the most prestigious engineering school in France (l’X is ranked the first French institution.) It was established in 1794 in Paris but in 1976, the school was moved to southwest of Paris. In 1804, Ecole Polytechnique was transformed to a military academy by Napoléon I and given its motto: “Pour la patrie, les sciences et la gloire” (“For the Homeland Science and Glory”). Since then, Ecole Polytechnique runs under the supervision of the French ministry of Defence and all the French students of l’X has a military status. Ecole Polytechnique combines an excellent academic in science and in social. The polytechnicien engineering degree program is the most prestigious program in France.
There are many French famous scientists, who are former students of Ecole Polytecnique, including Cauchy, Coriolis, Gay-Laussac, Lagrange, Poincaré, Poisson, Bacauerel, Fresnel and Laurent Schwartz.
Each year, about 400 French students and 100 international students are admitted to the polytechnicien cycle. The admission to this prestigious polytechnicien cycle is made through two ways with a very selective examination. Firstly, the students require at least two years of very intensive preparation in classes préparatoires after high school. Secondly, the students require to follow undergraduate study at other universities in French or in other countries. After these 4 years of polytechnicien curriculum, students will receive the prestigious Diplôme d’Ingénieur de l’École Polytechnique, which is equal to a master degree in science.
The first and second year of Ecole Polytechnique are year of multidisciplinary studies. The students require to many disciplines in difference areas of science such as mathematics, physics, mechanics, computer science, chemistry, biology, economic, applied mathematics, social science. etc. In the third year, students must choose an in-depth program proposed by difference departments in l’X. This program allows students to focus on a discipline plus specific. The students in the forth year are permitted to pursue a specialized studies in Ecole Polytechnique, in others Grand Ecoles (Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Ecole des mines de Paris, Supaéro,…) or in other foreign universities such as CalTech, MIT, Oxford or Tokyo University… Atfer the forth year of Ecole Polytechnique, strudents are received a double Diploma; one from Ecole Polytechnique and other from their university in the forth year.
For more information, please refer to X official website.