University Institute of Technology of Nîmes

A new school year with international flavors at SGM

Published on in Education, International Relations, Institutional Life

For the 2025-2026 academic year, the BUT Science and Engineering of Materials at the IUT in Nîmes is embarking on a real turning point by resolutely opening up to the international scene.

Now, in their second year (BUT2), volunteer students can choose the "International" option, in which five teachers deliver their courses entirely in English. This means that more than 120 hours of the 180 hours of resources are taught in the language of Shakespeare.

In order to guarantee the educational quality of this bilingual teaching, the teachers prepared thoroughly: all of them attended a week-long training course delivered by Oxford University entitled "Oxford EMI" (English as a Medium of Instruction). Some even used their vacation time 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 abroad programs, thanks to partnerships developed between the IUT of Nîmes and several partner universities: University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), ETS Montreal, Cégep de Saint-Jérôme (Canada), and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).

Finally, this dynamic will ultimately encourage the admission of foreign students to the SGM program, thereby enriching the intercultural experience of all students.

A wonderful development for a program that now combines substance, innovation, and openness to the world.

"Our class feels like a family. I chose this group to improve my English."

"I chose to join 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 of English. 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."