The BUT “University Bachelor of Technology” is a higher education diploma (post-baccalaureate), created rather recently - in 2019 - by reforming the DUT by extending it by one year - thus going from 2 to 3 years.
This reform took into account the fact that the vast majority of DUT students continued their studies for at least 1 year.
The BUT is a national diploma (having the same value regardless of the establishment in which you obtain it), thus allowing you to obtain a DUT and a professional License diploma.
It is also sometimes abbreviated to LP-BUT (Professional license - University bachelor of technology).
What is PURPOSE?
At Bac + 3 level and conferring the License level, the BUT is prepared in one of the hundreds of IUTs (University Institute of Technology) in France welcoming some 130,000 students each year.
Previously, the IUTs provided training over two years, leading to a DUT (university technology diploma).
This national diploma at Bac + 2 level can nevertheless still be issued after the first two years of the BUT course now planned over three years, as an intermediate diploma of the LP-BUT.
Named intermediate DUT, the two-year diploma is awarded to students who have validated 120 ECTS (European Credits Transfer System: European system for the transfer and accumulation of credits).
Also read: BTS, BUT, License, Grande école... which diploma is right for you?
The transition to a Bac + 3 to conclude the training provided in IUT was necessary with a view to continuing to bring the French university system into compliance with European standards, begun in 2003 with the major LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorate) reform. having notably abolished the DEUG, another old national university diploma at Bac + 2 level. The university Bachelor of Technology therefore requires the validation of 180 European credits (60 ECTS per year), like the License.
However, unlike this, which is a fairly general training (before an expected specialization in Master), the BUT is considered as a diploma reserved for students who already have a good idea of their future professional career, because it provides specialization.
Teaching in BUT: lecture hall, TP and TD with compulsory attendance.
Course.
During the 3 years of study, you will have lectures but also and above all TD (tutorial work) and TP (practical work) taught in small groups and by professionals from the business world.
Courses and educational projects represent 35 to 40 hours per week, to which must be added personal or group work.
Unlike the license: attendance at classes is also compulsory and conditions obtaining the diploma.
Internships.
You will also have to complete 22 to 26 weeks of internship during the course.
Indeed, professionalizing practical work, courses taught by professionals, as well as an internship period of 22 to 26 weeks are planned in these different GOALS.
Attendance at all organized educational activities is mandatory (lectures, tutorials, practical work, company internships, tutored hours, conferences, company visits, etc.).
Teachers monitor attendance during educational activities.
No exam in BUT: the evaluation of your knowledge and skills is only done through continuous assessment.
You can follow your BUT training under the status of a traditional student, or in the form of a work-study program (time shared between courses and work in a company).
What are the 24 specialties of BUT?
You can
choose from 24 BUT specialties, also called “mentions”
.
These 24 mentions of the University Bachelor of Technology touch on a wide diversity of fields (legal, social, business, IT, management, etc.) and
can be classified into two families
: specialties relating to the tertiary sector, and those belonging to the scientific sector.
The eight BUT mentions concerning the tertiary sector are:
The BUT Legal Careers (BUT CJ);
The BUT Social Careers (BUT CS);
The BUT Administrative and commercial management of organizations (BUT GACO);
BUT Business and administration management (BUT GEA);
BUT Management of logistics and transport (BUT MLT);
The BUT Information-Communication (BUT Infocom);
BUT Data Science (BUT SD);
The BUT Marketing Techniques (BUT TC).
The remaining 16 BUT mentions, which concern the scientific sector, are:
The GOAL Chemistry;
BUT Biological Engineering (BUT GB);
The BUT Chemical Engineering - Process Engineering (BUT GCGP);
The BUT Civil Engineering – Sustainable Construction (BUT GCCD);
The BUT Electrical engineering and industrial computing (GEII);
BUT Industrial engineering and maintenance (BUT GIM);
The BUT Mechanical and production engineering (BUT GMP);
The GOAL Careers in energy transition and efficiency (MT2E);
The Health, Safety, Environment GOAL (HSE GOAL);
BUT Informatique (BUT Info);
The BUT Physical measurements (BUT MP);
BUT Packaging, packaging and packaging (BUT PEC);
The GOAL Quality, industrial logistics and organization (GOAL QLIO);
The BUT Networks and telecommunications (BUT R&T);
BUT Materials sciences and engineering (BUT SGM);
The BUT Multimedia and Internet professions (BUT MMI).
Among all these university Bachelors of Technology, some include several courses, that is to say several different learning routes.
The different courses of a mention provide distinct courses, offering you the possibility of following very specialized training.
Thus, the BUT Biological Engineering can be obtained from five different courses: Agronomy course, Medical Biology and Biotechnology course, Dietetics and Nutrition course, Food Sciences and Biotechnology (SAB) course, and finally Health Sciences course. environment and ecotechnologies (SEE).
The details of each of these training courses and courses can be consulted on the national Parcoursup portal in the form of an information sheet.
The latter presents the characteristics of the training, the analysis criteria and the application procedures, possible opportunities, etc.
How to register for a BUT?
Parcoursup
is THE national information portal which also serves as a registration platform for the first year of a Bachelor's degree.
In particular, it
allows you to register for a BUT
, a diploma accessible to students wishing to start higher education studies after the Baccalaureate, or to resume studies in the first year of a Bachelor's degree.
You can still access a university Bachelor of Technology, regardless of the Bac you obtained.
On the other hand, the BUT is part of Parcoursup's selective courses, meaning that
the access rate is generally lower than for registration in a traditional Bachelor's degree
.
The selection is made based on your file, which will be evaluated as a whole by the targeted IUT to decide whether you are accepted or not.
In order to increase your chances of obtaining a BUT, the writing of your cover letter must be particularly careful, because it is of particular importance, like your grades.
Read alsoParcoursup: medicine, law degree, BTS, BUT... here are the most requested types of training
When you have found the BUT training course you wish to follow, you can apply by following the Parcoursup calendar and its stages from January to April.
The dates for enrolling in a classic BUT are in principle not exactly the same as those for enrolling in a work-study BUT.
In addition, Parcoursup distinguishes the number of wishes for the two courses.
The platform allows you to make a total of 20 wishes for all existing training courses (License, BTS, BUT, etc.), including 10 on a work-study basis.
Work-study BUTs represent around 10% of all university technology Bachelors taught in France.
The cost of registering for a BUT is equivalent to the university registration fees, i.e. 170 euros for one year of the Bachelor's degree at the normal rate.
On the other hand, it is much cheaper than another type of Bachelor (in Grandes Ecoles), which can be important if you are wondering which training to choose between BUT, License and Bachelor.
Of the 627,000 final year students registered on Parcoursup for the 2022-2023 school year, the BUT was the 2nd most requested wish (10% of students), behind the License (50%).
It was also the third most accepted course by students after their application was accepted (also 10%).
What are the opportunities for a BUT?
A BUT is therefore a diploma offering specialization, and even professionalization
.
If you leave an apprenticeship with a BUT in your pocket, it is logical, given this first professional experience, that you can start working directly, whether in the company where you were on a work-study program or in another where you would have applied.
Also read: GOAL or bachelor?
Budget, teaching method… how to choose your future Bac + 3 training
By obtaining a classic BUT, you can also hope to sign an employment contract in a company belonging to the field of training you followed.
The university Bachelor of Technology is still considered less professional than a traditional professional Bachelor's degree
.
Offering good knowledge in a field,
it allows you to continue your studies
, in order to specialize a little more and further increase your knowledge and skills.
With the 180 European credits validated at the end of three years, BUT offers you a diploma with the grade of License (professional), and therefore gives you access to all the training requiring obtaining a Bac + 3.
Thus, a BUT can notably lead to studies on:
A Master's degree (Bac + 5): holders of a professional degree, including BUT graduates, have the right to apply for registration for a first year of a Master's degree via the dedicated national My Master platform.
A business school: the BUT route to business school is particularly interesting if you wish to pursue an executive career in the business or digital marketing sectors.
An engineering school: the three years spent in BUT can follow on from three other years spent in engineering school, whether as part of a professional project defined before your BUT or during it.
An ATS preparatory class: the Advanced Technician Adaptation prep prepares you in particular for the Agro-Véto competitions, the Passerelle Grande École competitions, and chemistry schools.