The University of Technology of Compiègne (, UTC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

located in

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

, France. The university has both the status of

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

and

grande école A (; ) is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream List of public universities in Franc ...

. It was founded in 1972 as the first experimental

Institute of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

in France. There are now two other universities of technology in France, that form the UT Group: UTT in Troyes and UTBM in Belfort-Montbéliard. The university is a founding member of Sorbonne University Alliance, a group composed of French leading academic and research institutions, which alumni and faculty include 19

Nobel laureates The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

and 7

Fields Medal The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of Mathematicians, International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place e ...

ists. It is also a founding member of the Sunrise Alliance, created in 2024 and funded by the European Union, with other smaller-sized universities in non-metropolitan areas. A fundamental principle of the UTC is the education of both

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

s and citizens inspired by humanist philosophy. Beyond an education in basic sciences (e.g. Mathematics, theoretical physics) and engineering sciences (e.g. thermodynamics,

polymer physics Polymer physics is the field of physics that studies polymers, their fluctuations, mechanical properties, as well as the kinetics of reactions involving degradation of polymers and polymerisation of monomers.P. Flory, ''Principles of Polymer Che ...

), the curriculum also has a strong emphasis on

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

s (e.g. philosophy, history of science and engineering, journalism). The overarching goal is to form humanist scientists and technologists capable of solving problems within a conscious and ethical framework of environmental, social, and societal consequences.

Academic model

The university teaching model is a mix between North American and French traditions. The overall curriculum is five years: The first two years are dedicated to basic sciences, while the last three years are focused to engineering sciences. Students typically enter directly after the

Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

, but can also integrate the engineering schools during the third year. Students form their own curriculum by selecting their classes, which are complemented by assisted classwork (French: ''Travaux dirigés'') and applied laboratory work (French: ''Travaux pratiques''). The university is organised into five Schools of Engineering, namely of (in alphabetical order)

Biological Engineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number ...

, Computational engineering,

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

, Process engineering, and Urban engineering. The university comprises 8 Research Units within the different Schools of Engineering and offers around 30 degree programs in twenty fields, leading to different

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

, master's, and

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degrees. The university is accredited by the

Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

to deliver both the Diplôme d'ingénieur and the academic title of ''Ingénieur Diplomé''. It also hosts 2

Erasmus Mundus The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme (named after Erasmus, the Renaissance scholar) aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students f ...

Joint Masters (EPOG+ and EMSSE), alongside other prestigious universities throughout Europe.

Ranking

In 2017, '' Usine nouvelle'' ranked UTC No. 2 amongst 107 French engineering schools and universities. In 2016, '' Usine nouvelle'' had ranked UTC No. 1 in France for highest number of startup creation by students and recent alumni. The UTC has been ranked No. 1 in France for highest median earnings by recent alumni in 2016 with '' L'Étudiant''.

Research

UTC has established six areas of research as institute priorities:

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

, energy and the environment,

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

, computation and information technology, and media and the arts. UTC is home to 8 research units: * Applied mathematics (LMAC) * Avenues (Multiscale modelling of urban systems) * BMBI (Bio-mechanics and bio-engineering), with CNRS and UPJV * Costech (Knowledge, organization and technical systems) * Heudiasyc (Heuristics and diagnostics for complex systems), with CNRS * GEC (Enzyme and cell engineering), with CNRS * Roberval (Mechanics, energy and electricity) * TIMR (Integrated transformation of renewable matter), with ESCOM

Campus

UTC's campus is part of the city of Compiègne, north of Paris, and overlooks the Oise River with a blend of traditional and modern architecture. The university is one among a small group of French technological universities which tend to be primarily devoted to the instruction of technical arts and sciences. Université de Technologie de Compiègne - centre B Franklin rond-point centre-ville Compiègne.jpg, The UTC from outside (Benjamin Franklin building) Université de Technologie de Compiègne - logo UTC passerelle extérieure centre B Franklin.jpg, Overpass bridge between two buildings Université de Technologie de Compiègne - intérieur passerelle bât A-B avec ordinateurs.jpg, Inside the university Château de Compiègne, view from the park.jpg, Château de Compiègne, view from the park ChateaudeCompiegneSW.jpg, Château de Compiègne, view from the city Compiegne - Hotel de Ville 01.jpg, City Hall

Faculty

There are more than 28 300 UTC alumni ''(in 2024)''. Notable alumni and faculty includes: * Julien Bahain, rower, winner of the bronze medal in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Frédéric Y. Bois, French scientist * Marie Gayot, sprint athlete,

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

student * Vanessa Proux, president of the Institut Sup'Biotech de Paris * Cécile Réal, French bio-medical engineer and businessperson * Lamia Chafei Seghaier, Tunisian engineer and politician * Thierry St-Cyr, former Canadian politician *

Bernard Stiegler Bernard Stiegler (; 1 April 1952 – 5 August 2020) was a French philosopher. He was head of the Institut de recherche et d'innovation (IRI), which he founded in 2006 at the Centre Georges-Pompidou. He was also founder of the political and c ...

, founder and director of the COSTECH research lab

International

In 2005, UTC created with

Shanghai University Shanghai University (SHU) is a municipal public university in Shanghai, China. It is owned by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. The university is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Shanghai University mai ...

, UTT and UTBM the Sino-European School of Technology (UTSEUS), a multi-disciplinary structure devoted to foundational engineering education, research, and innovation. This school has grown and counts more than 1200 students, including its students in Shanghai and in France. Its missions are to train high-level specialists in a trilingual and bicultural environment, Chinese and French, by implementing the French engineering education system, and to promote research cooperation between Shanghai University and UTC. 204 partnership with world-wide universities are in place, and 40 double degrees ''(in 2024)''. 15% of students were incoming mobilities ''(in 2024)''.

Notes and sources

External links

* {{Authority control Grandes écoles Universities and colleges established in 1972 Universities of technology 1972 establishments in France