Back to school with an international flavour at SGM
For the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, the BUT Materials Science and Engineering program at the IUT de Nîmes marks a real turning point, with a resolutely international outlook.
Now, in the second year (BUT2), willing students can choose the "International" option, in which five teachers give their courses entirely in English. Over 120 hours of the 180-hour curriculum are taught in English.
To guarantee the pedagogical quality of this bilingual teaching, the teachers have prepared themselves rigorously: all attended a one-week training course delivered by Oxford University entitled "Oxford EMI" (English as a Medium of Instruction). Some even took advantage of their vacations to perfect their English abroad.
This ambitious approach aims to give students the language skills they need to understand technical documents in English, which are ubiquitous in the industrial world, and to communicate effectively with international contacts throughout their careers.
The "International" option also opens the door to study stays abroad, thanks to partnerships developed between the IUT de Nîmes and several partner universities: University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), ETS Montréal, Cégep de Saint-Jérôme (Canada) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).
Finally, this dynamic will eventually encourage foreign students to join the SGM program, enriching the intercultural experience of all students.
A fine development for a training program that now combines subject matter, innovation and openness to the world.
"Our class seems like a family, I chose this group to improve my english."
"I chose to be into the English group because it is a golden opportunity to practice, learn and even think in English, which is the best way to improve your level about the English language. Furthermore, we are a small group so that we can learn in the best conditions."
"I joined this group to improve my vocabulary and technical terms, and I really appreciate the positive atmosphere in the group."