General information
- Entry : September 2024
- Duration : 2 years
- Place : Nantes
- Language : English and French
- Duration : 2 years
- Place : Nantes
- Language : English and French
Academic Programme
Graduate Programme Smart Computing - Master level
Résumé
The Graduate Programme Smart Computing (GP SMART) trains high-level engineers and researchers capable of working at the forefront of digital technology and pushing its boundaries. Read moreAccéder aux sections de la fiche
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Details
Introduction
Integrated into the Nantes Science and Technology Center and the MaSTIC (Mathematics, Digital, Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies) University Research School (EUR), the Master and Doctorate in Smart Computing (CMD SMART) programme trains high-level engineers and researchers capable of working at the cutting edge of digital technology and pushing its limits. The programme awards two degrees:
- A Master's degree after 2 years of immersion training in a Research Unit (M1, M2), offering expertise in digital engineering and research. The Master's programme allows graduates to become research and development engineers in the field of digital technology.
- The Ph.D. programme allows individuals to become researchers in the field of digital technology.
Why choose the Smart Computing course?
Smart Computing is a multidisciplinary field where advanced computing methods and technologies are combined with engineering approaches to create systems, applications and new services that meet the needs of society. Everything we envision in real society now has its digital twin, enabling greater efficiency, personalization, security and sustainability. For example, smart cities could improve the quality of life of their inhabitants while promoting sustainability, efficiency and economic growth; smart power grids improve the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of electrical energy distribution and consumption ... etc.
Working on the smart evolution of society requires not only high-level engineering skills, but also new knowledge. The ability to build new knowledge and use it to meet the new needs of society is at the heart of the Smart Computing curriculum.
CMD Smart Computing Research Ecosystem
The student will be integrated into the LS2N Research Unit, the largest public research unit in Nantes and the Pays de la Loire region.
Smart Computing systems are at the crossroads of most major fields of computer science and engineering (computational intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, software engineering, computer vision, internet technologies, distributed computing and sensing, pervasive computing, social computing, computer security...) and many interdisciplinary applications linking computer science to more traditional scientific disciplines (biology, medicine, chemistry, materials, physics and economics). The LS2N is connected to the local socio-economic sphere and to other research laboratories to conduct its multidisciplinary research.
Research immersion allows students to gradually discover key topics and people, to define a research project in a given field and to start producing knowledge in this field. The research mentor helps students understand and navigate the opportunities offered by the LS2N.
Other participating research units:
Mobility International
CMD Smart Computing is a training course that is very open to international audiences:
– International attractiveness of the training at the levels thanks to teaching provided mainly in English (100% in master's from 2026), a partnership policy allowing the integration of excellent foreign students.
– Support for short, medium and long-term outgoing mobility is possible to allow 100% of students enrolled in the training to benefit from at least one international experience during their course, either for an internship or for a study trip. There are several exchange programs for international mobility (Erasmus+, BCI, ISEP, etc.) as well as agreements set up between the Faculty of Science and Technology and many foreign universities. Find out more.
– A Welcome Grant of €1,000 for selected international master's students to contribute to their installation costs in Nantes. (excluding French nationality; international students previously enrolled in a French higher education institution (university, school, etc.) are not eligible)
Do not hesitate to contact us for more information on all the options!
Admission
Entry requirement
Academic requirement
- Application for the first year of Master's: a degree equivalent to a bachelor's degree in computer science
- Application for the second year of Master's: a degree equivalent to the M1 computer science level
- The student profile must demonstrate excellent computer science skills.
• a cover letter in English demonstrating an interest in research by detailing the research area targeted in the themes covered by the partner laboratories.
• a letter of recommendation from professors highlighting the candidate's skills in a research activity.
Language requirement:French requirement: The TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is mandatory for admission to Master 1, or Master 2 programmes. The minimum required scores are 14/20 in the written expression test and 400/699 in the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) section. In the absence of a TCF passing certificate or the absence of results in the optional written expression test, the application will not be reviewed by the academic committee of the discipline. Candidates holding a DALF (C1 or C2) or DELF B2 certificate (with a minimum score of 65/100) and nationals of certain countries where French is the exclusive official language are exempt from this test.
English requirement:
Applicants who will join from the first year of master or the second year of master, regarding the English language, to achieve one of the following conditions:
- Minimum level B2 or equivalent
- Graduated from a university of an English – speaking country.
- Students who cannot justify one of the English conditions above can also have a direct English interview (by visioconference) and commit to take the TOIEC test during the first year of Master (M1) to be able to enter the last year of Master (M2)
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The criteria and expectations are defined at the level of the Master’s degree.
Application
Application procedure
Submission period
For students who do not live in France and do not have French nationality:
More information about your submission
For students who do not live in France and do not have French nationality:
- Countries that are part of the Campus France procedure, please note that the inscription will be opened from 1st October to 31st December of the year before the entry year. (Ex: Inscription period from 01/10/2022 to 31/01/2023 for the entry date on 01/09/2023). For more information please access to these links: www.campusfrance.org or Nantes Université – CEF procedure
- Countries that do not use the Campus France procedure (including EU countries), please follow our VAEE procedure.
More information about your submission
Programme
Students can join the Programme either at the Master’s level or at the PhD’s level. After the Master's, students who have obtained the master’s degree can apply for PhD or pursue other career paths as research and innovation engineer.
How to become a Smart Computing Engineer?
The educational framework aims to gradually develop research skills by offering diversified learning situations.
Progressive immersion in research is the foundation of the CMD according to this organization of the master:
- Discovery of Research (1st semester of Master 1)
- Research Engineering and Accompanied Research (2nd semester of Master 1)
- Construction of the research theme (1st semester of Master 2)
- Supervised autonomous research (2nd semester of Master 2)
According to the principles of the course:
- Integration into the research and teaching ecosystem and within a cohort of students
- Tailor-made training to enrich your training and research project
- Personalized, individual and collective support
This progressive learning of Research aims to develop research skills.
A Smart Computing engineer combines expertise in digital engineering and research. To acquire these two skills, the student follows the following program:
Master 1 (60 ECTS) :
- Common core of the Master's degree in computer science (30% of ECTS) followed by all students enrolled in the Master's degree to acquire knowledge in theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, systems, applied sciences, ethics and transversal skills.
- 3 UE on the menu from the Master's course catalog of the IT specialization and partners, in connection with the skills you wish to develop (20% of ECTS). You will be supervised by professional researchers to help you in these choices
SoftWare:
- Massive data and the semantic web
- Software Engineering
- Concurrency and Verification
- Cross-disciplinary projects
AI/DATA
- Human-Computer Interaction
- AI and applications
- Metaheuristics
- Exploratory data analysis
AI/Optimization :
- Duality and continuous linear optimisation
- Graphs and networks
- Introduction to linear optimisation
- Discrete and combinatorial optimisation
- 3 Smart Computing UEs to gradually begin research immersion with 3 learning situations (50% of ECTS):
- EU "Discovering research" (first semester): discover the players in research, their tasks, their production. Attend thesis defenses, interview research directors, laboratory directors. Observe and report on research in action.
- EU "Engineering for research" (first and second semester): integrate a research team and develop research prototypes as a research engineer. Acquire engineering skills, understand how new knowledge is validated.
- EU “Research in DUO” (second semester): Join a research team and develop a research proposal with a doctoral student supervised by a research director.
- Mandatory summer internship (>= 2 months) integrating at least one of the following characteristics: International internship, multidisciplinary learning situation, integration into the socio-economic sphere.
Master 2 (60 Ects)
- 2 UEs common to all CMD Smart Computing students (10% of ECTS).
- 3 UEs on the menu from the Master's course catalog of the IT major and partners, in line with the skills you wish to develop (20% of ECTS).
- 2 Smart Computing UEs
- UE "Pre-immersion in Solo research" (first semester): develop the research topic you wish to work on and defend it (5% of ECTS) for validation with researchers.
- UE "First Solo research" (second semester) (50% of ECTS, second semester): complete your master's thesis supervised by a recognized researcher in your scientific field.
What's next?
Level of education obtained after completion
Bac+5
(Unknown label)
Competencies acquired
The SMART CMD aims to develop skills in engineering and research.
The Master's degree in Computer Science delivers skills defined at the national level for a Master's degree in Computer Science, as well as part of the skills defined for research, as shown in the figure below:
The expected skills for a master in computer science are:
- Advanced and specialized use of digital tools,
- Development and integration of highly specialized knowledge,
- Specialized communication for knowledge transfer,
- Support for transformation in a professional context.
These skills are acquired through participation in the fundamental master's courses in computer science (30% of ECTS). Learning research also actively contributes to these skills in the professional research context.
The expected skills in research are:
- Design and development of a research and development, study, and foresight approach
- Implementation of a research and development, study, and foresight approach
- Valorization and transfer of results from a research and development, study, and prospective approach
- Training and dissemination of scientific and technical culture.
- Supervision of teams dedicated to research and development, studies and prospective activities.
These are intended for the doctoral level
Career opportunities
Whether you hold a Master's or a PhD degree from the Smart Computing curriculum, your expertise is perfectly aligned with the needs of companies and laboratories involved in advanced digital applications. Your skills are particularly relevant in sectors with advanced uses of digital technology and cutting-edge needs and where companies want to enhance the value of their complex digital data.
After the Master:
- Research Engineer in the field that interests you
- R&D Manager in the field of your choice
- Entrepreneurship in your field
After the Doctorate:
- Researcher in the public sector
- Researcher in the private sector
Further studies
After two years of masters you will have a choice between developing your own career or pursuing a research project in PhD’s level. With a PhD degree, more opportunities will be opened for you.
For more information about our PhD Programme, please follow the link (available soon)
For more information about our PhD Programme, please follow the link (available soon)
Tarif
Dans le cadre d'une alternance ou d'une reprise d'études, le coût de la formation dépend de plusieurs critères : le type de contrat, la forme juridique de l’employeur et le statut de l’apprenant. Pour plus d'informations : Service Formation continue et Alternance.
Cette formation n'offre pas la possibilité de valider un/des blocs de compétences.
L'ensemble des formations est accessible aux personnes en situation de handicap (accueil spécifique, locaux accessibles, aménagements de formation possibles). Pour plus d'informations, contactez le Relais Handicap.Partir à l'étranger (études/stages)
Il existe plusieurs programmes d'échanges pour la mobilité internationale (Erasmus+, BCI, Isep...) et la Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques a mis en place des conventions avec de nombreuses universités étrangères. En savoir plus.
Mis à jour le 30 September 2024.