Master's Degree, Year 1 (or equivalent)
FrenchObjectives
This program aims to provide students with the theoretical, practical, and pedagogical skills necessary for careers in teaching, from secondary school through higher education. Based on the science curriculum in chemistry and physics
for the agrégation exam in physics and chemistry (chemistry track), the program is primarily designed to prepare students for this exam.
- Theoretical training: This master’s program aims to consolidate students’ theoretical knowledge of
numerous fields of chemistry, starting from the foundational levels and progressing to the
first-year master’s level. One-third of the coursework is devoted to physics, with the goal of reviewing and reinforcing knowledge from the post-baccalaureate level up to the level of the PC track in CPGE preparatory classes. In both chemistry and physics, numerous connections are made between chapters to allow for a deeper exploration of reasoning and a better understanding of the phenomena studied.
- Practical training: In chemistry, the goal is to help students become more comfortable performing laboratory procedures, master standard laboratory techniques, and become proficient in using a wide range of synthesis and analysis equipment. In physics, the training aims to ensure students can perform all the experiments needed to illustrate the high school and CPGE curricula.
- Pedagogical and professional training: teaching careers are explored
throughout the year via simulations of classroom situations, tutorial sessions, lab sessions, and formats specific to the Agrégation exam. The goal is to prepare students to create various teaching materials for physics and chemistry while reflecting on the pedagogical and didactic choices they will be called upon to make.
Skills
- Build and expand one’s disciplinary and technical foundation
- Design an activity within a teaching sequence
- Present a teaching activity
- Understand a work environment within the
field of education
- Identify and select resources for a teaching activity.
Career Opportunities
There is a wide variety of careers requiring skills in teaching, outreach, or science communication in chemistry, just as there are diverse career opportunities available upon completion of this master’s program.
- Through preparation for the agrégation exam, this master’s program provides access to careers as teachers in the French National Education System at the secondary and
higher education levels. For those who choose this path, obtaining the agrégation can ultimately allow them to teach at
post-baccalaureate levels (CPGE, BTS, IUT, grandes écoles, and universities).
- The program’s content—which is theoretical, practical, and pedagogical—also provides excellent preparation for anyone wishing to pursue further studies in the field of research, through a specialized master’s degree followed by a Ph.D. Gaining a broader perspective on various concepts, the constant connections made between theory and experience, as well as the solid knowledge acquired in various fields of chemistry and physics, are often highly beneficial to students who choose a research path, regardless of their intended field. The pedagogical and teaching skills developed in this master’s program are also beneficial for careers in the research world, where communication is essential.