Bachelor in Artificial Intelligence, Data and Management Sciences

Living cost

Monthly approximate covering housing, food, etc: €1,000

Where do apply?  Should I apply via Parcoursup or ANIMA? 

Whether you are based in France or abroad, if you are currently studying towards a French baccalaureate you must apply via Parcoursup. If you are preparing any other type of school finishing exam, you should apply via ANIMA.

How do the rounds work?

Students who are not obligated to apply via Parcoursup (i.e. any student not preparing for a French baccalaureate, either in France or abroad) can apply during any Round they choose. The candidate must respect the deadline of the chosen Round to validate the application. Once a student has created an online application, he/she will receive notification to take the Math test online. The student’s completed application (including transcripts, motivation letters, reference letters and the math test results) will be studied by the Admissions team. Candidates meeting the academic requirements will be invited for an interview. Based on the combined results of all these elements, successful candidates will receive an offer to study in the program.

How can I prepare for the mathematics test? 

The mathematics program is available on the website. Four sample questions are provided (one for each category).

I live abroad and the time zone is not the same as in France.  Can I request to take the math test at a time that is convenient for me?

No. Currently the dates and times of the Math test are the same for everyone. 

I have just applied.  When can I expect to receive an answer?

If you have met the deadline for the upcoming Round you should receive an answer shortly, with information about the Math test.

I am missing certain documents to complete my application.  What should I do?

Contact the Admissions Team at ESSEC.  They will outline the procedure that you need to follow.  In most cases your application will be postponed until the following Round.  

What profile is the best fit for this program?

Students with strong quantitative skills, a taste for business and an interest in computer data science are likely to be at ease in the program.  The AIDAMS program is rich, varied and challenging.  Students will need to juggle a heavy workload in complex disciplines.  

Is the English certification deadline in May or July? 

Students applying internationally through the ASTI Rounds need to provide proof of their English level when they apply.  Students applying through Parcoursup must provide proof of certification in English before enrollment in July.

Is it possible to speak with students currently in the program?

You can contact the admissions office and ask to be put in contact with a student ambassador.  You can also sign up to attend one of the online webinars presenting the programs and ask your questions to one of the students on the panel.  If you live in the Paris region, student ambassadors will be present at the Open House sessions to tell you more about the program.

What academic and corporate partnerships exist?

CentraleSupelec and ESSEC both enjoy a rich network of academic partners across the globe.  For their semester abroad students will be able to choose from a wealth of possible destinations.  Likewise, the range two institutions’ business partners is both dense and varied.  Find out more by visiting the school’s website.  

Regarding internships, would like more information on how the internships will work

The internships will be overseen by the ESSEC Career center. Students will be helped by the center to find an offer in the field that interests him/her the most.

What is the internship at the end of the second year?

It is a learning experience fully integrated with the teaching program that will allow students to discover the work environment in the specialties they can integrate after their studies.

How does the housing work?

Once students have accepted the offer of admission to the program and made the initial downpayment, they will then receive an email from CentraleSupelec with information detailing the procedure for accessing housing on campus.  Bachelor students on the CentraleSupelec’s Saclay campus can access housing in the nearby Césal residences.  In order to secure housing, students will be asked to pay a €1800 reservation fee. 

Are students accepted into the AIDAMS assured on-campus housing?

For the first year AIDAMS students can book on-campus housing according to the rules and process that will be communicated to admitted students.

Does the program do orals on a weekly basis?

The program does not have a system of oral examinations on a weekly basis, such as would be expected in the French prep school format. 

Contenu des cours? Programme des cours?

The course catalogue is available on demand.

For the cohort, what opportunities are there to integrate with the other students on campus? are any classes with students outside of the AIDAMS at CS, at McGill?

All technical classes are specifically designed for AIDAMS students.  However, Bachelor students have Sports classes with students from the School’s traditional Engineering Curriculum.  There are also opportunities for bachelor students to mix with students from other programs through involvement in community life.  Bachelor students are active in technical clubs, arts clubs, public speaking activities, sports teams as well as many other events and societies.

Can students participate in conferences, etc, at CentraleSupelec?

Students are free to join existing associations or to create a new association.  This year the first cohort of bachelor students created a student society dubbed the “Bureau des Bachelors”, which strives to propose both support and fun events for Bachelor students.  Many fledging associations at CentraleSupelec are created with a status of “Clubs” under the umbrella of the “Bureau des Elèves” rather than “Association 1901” status but students are free to choose the format best suited to their aims.  

What is the grading system/methodology used for this program?

The grading system is the standard French system that uses the 20 scale. At the end of the year a summary table will be provided with conversions into an internationally legible equivalent.

About the shift from CS to ESSEC - are there differences in pedagogy?

During the 4 years of the AIDAMS program, students attend courses given by instructors both from CentraleSupélec and ESSEC.  During the first and fourth years, students are based on the campus at CentraleSupélec, with ESSEC instructors coming to Saclay campus.  During the second and fourth years, students are based at ESSEC, with CentraleSupélec instructors travelling to Cergy.  Throughout that time, students enjoy a rich and varied selection of courses and pedagogical approaches from the teams of the two institutions.

Teaching methods - what proportion of class is lectures versus project work?

It depends on the skills of the classes. Programming classes include practical exercises and projects. Theoretical and fundamental classes tend to be more strongly focussed on exercises.

What time do classes start and end, typically?

Classes start at 8:15AM and end at 6:30PM. During the week free afternoons are scheduled for sport activities and competitions.

How many hours of instruction per week should be expected? 

Workload may vary from one week to another, however, students should expect around 30/35 hours of classroom work per week. 

What studies can I pursue with the AIDAMS Bachelor?

On graduation students will have a Master M1 level and so will be able to pursue a Master M2 in one of the program’s fields of specialization if they wish to remain in France.  One possible continuation would be the Master in DSBA (Data Science and Business Administration), which is a joint degree between CentraleSupelec and ESSEC.  However graduates might also choose to specialize in a specific field linked to the program (Artificial Intelligence, Data Science or Management).  The Bachelor is only now entering its second year of existence so there is no data about what students go on to study.   

What kind of networking or support can students expect for being hired by industry upon graduation?

The AIDAMS Bachelor includes two compulsory internship periods as well as an optional corporate Learning Expedition.  This means that students will quickly be introduced to the business environment and gain experience building professional experience.  Students will be guided into professional life both through CentraleSupelec’s corporate outreach services (DREV) and by ESSEC’s Career Services.

Upon earning the bachelor, how does this prepare graduates for master's degrees? Are there any transferrable credits or advantage to continuing with ESSEC or CS for a master's degree? How many students are in the cohort this year?

The bachelor gives a M1 diploma. Students can then integrate any masters in the domain at M2.

Is the CS Incubator program accessible to Bsc AIDAMS students?  Does CS/ESSEC have funds or mentoring for students to build their own startups (on-campus incubator?)

Sure, CS has a full ecosystem that supports ideas and projects of students: incubator, accelerator, etc.
Students who are interested in either creating a start-up or helping other students to build their start-up will be able to join the school’s incubator, 21st by CentraleSupelec.