To familiarise yourself with the French academic world, here is a glossary of the most commonly used abbreviations and terms.

Course Units (UE) are counted in ECTS Credits (European Credit Transfer System). A course unit may combine several subjects and include different forms of teaching (classes, seminars, practical work, personal work, etc.).

Each UE has a defined value in ECTS credits, which takes into account the amount of work the student must do to obtain this UE. A student who passes an UE acquires all the ECTS credits allocated to the UE.

The total value of the units that make up a semester is set at 30 credits. In other words, a validated semester is worth 30 credits. Diplomas are obtained by the accumulation of ECTS credits.

ECTS credits are used in all European countries. They are a ‘common currency’ for exchanging and accumulating learning.

These classes generally take place in lecture halls (amphithéâtres). The professor goes through a lesson while students write notes on the lecture.

Less theoretical, these supervised classes are given in smaller groups and hands-on activities. They usually include group work and more interactions with the professor.

LMD stands for Licence (Bachelor’s degree) Master (Master’s degree) Doctorat (PhD). These degrees correspond to three levels:

• Bac +3
• Bac +5
• Bac +8

They are common to all countries in the European Higher Education Area.

Bachelor’s degrees include :

• core courses specific to each pathway, based on the field of study, the major and the specialism chosen ;
• additional courses to personalise each pathway;
• cross-disciplinary teaching: IT, modern languages, methodology modules, etc.
• open course units (culture, sport, community project, IT, language, etc.) to be chosen in 2nd year from a list provided by the University of Poitiers.

Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie (B.U.T.) is the reference degree for IUTs.

• A national university diploma validating the Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS). Called the Bachelor, the course remains public, with university tuition fees.
• A selective programme open to general and technological baccalaureate holders. Bridges are available to enable students to enter the course at different stages.
• A national programme that encourages work experience (practical teaching, work placements, sandwich courses, tutored projects, etc.).
• A teaching approach based on the acquisition of skills and encouraging project-based work.
• Individualised support and a university environment on a human scale.
• A degree aligned with international standards, facilitating mobility abroad.

To be admitted to the Licence Professionnelle, you must first have 120 ECTS credits (four valid bachelor’s degree semesters) or have obtained a BTS or DUT. Admission is subject to selection. At the end of this year of specialisation, students will have accumulated 60 new credits and will hold a professional licence. This degree is designed for direct entry into the world of work. It is not possible to continue studying immediately, except in special cases.

Drawing on its many partnerships with the professional sector, ENSIP offers 3-year engineering degrees specialising in fast-growing fields, particularly environmental protection engineering.

The University of Poitiers offers Masters degrees in all its fields of study. Enrolment in the 1st year of a Master’s degree is open to all holders of a licence in the same field (180 validated credits). Students from other fields may be accepted by decision of the training team.

The doctorat is an 8-year degree that is open to holders of a research-based Master’s degree. It is awarded after the defence of a thesis. In addition to their thesis work, doctoral students complete their training in one of the doctoral schools at the University of Poitiers.

Emploi Du Temps/EDT (Timetable)

Environnement Numérique de Travail/ENT (Work Digital Space)

CVEC/Contribution de Vie Etudiante et de Campus (Student and Campus Life Contribution) : to sign-in to a higher education institution in France, you need to pay  the CVEC, a mandatory yearly fee of 100€. More info on : https://cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr/?_locale=en