ECTS
60 credits
Duration
1 year
Training Structure
College of Sciences
Language(s) of Instruction
French
Overview
The L2 préPAC is a program offered during the second year of the Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences in Montpellier. This program, which serves as preparation for the Professional Bachelor’s degree in Fragrances, Flavors, and Cosmetics (LproPAC), is strongly recommended for students wishing to enroll in the LproPAC program.
This program (500 hours of training, a minimum of 8 weeks of internship) consists of a core component and a component specific to each track: fragrances and flavors, and cosmetics.
The courses are taught by a dynamic faculty team composed of faculty members from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Montpellier, as well as faculty members from the Faculty of Pharmacy and various external industry experts.
The number of available spots in the L2 préPAC program is limited to 20 students.
90%
Success Rate
Objectives
The goal is to complete the proPAC bachelor’s degree program (L3) in order to pursue careers as senior technicians or engineering assistants in the perfume, cosmetics, and food aromatics industries.
Expertise and Skills
Apply appropriate theories, models, and concepts to solve problems in organic and analytical chemistry for applications in perfumes, flavors, and cosmetics.
Understand the specific raw materials, the chemical classes of odorant molecules, and the main synthetic raw materials used in flavors, fragrances, and cosmetics.
Raising awareness of aromatic plants in perfumes, flavorings, and cosmetics.
Understand the influence of thermodynamic parameters on applications in the fragrance, flavor, and cosmetics industries.
Understand the laboratory equipment and analytical techniques used in the fields of fragrances, flavors, and cosmetics.
Understand the essential concepts of colorimetry for applications in cosmetics and fragrances.
Understand the physicochemical phenomena at interfaces, the properties of surfactants, and colloidal systems as they apply to the cosmetics and food industries.
Understand the physiology of taste and smell, as well as their applications in cosmetics.
Pre-professional Skills
Select and use raw materials to create simple and complex combinations of fragrances and sweet and savory flavors, and apply them to a base.
Know how to select and use cosmetic raw materials to formulate emulsions, foaming products, colored products, and toothpaste.
Evaluate raw materials and finished products (sensory and chemical analysis, including smell and taste).
Characterize and analyze (quality control) raw materials and finished products.
Understand the basics of regulations governing fragrances, flavors, and cosmetics; develop specifications for a cosmetic product; and perform quality control procedures tailored to industrial challenges.
Apply marketing concepts to the development of regulatory and promotional labeling for a cosmetic product.
Cross-Functional and Language Skills
Be able to work independently and as part of a team.
Understand and follow health and safety rules in a chemistry laboratory.
Communicate, process production-related information, and share operational practices.
Use standard digital tools and IT security guidelines to collect, process, produce, and disseminate information (preparation of documentation: written and oral reports).
Identify and select various specialized resources to research a topic.
Analyze and synthesize data for use.
Develop an argument using critical thinking.
Use written and oral comprehension and expression in English (with vocabulary appropriate to the field of expertise).
Organization
Internships, supervised projects
Internship | Required |
|---|---|
Duration of the internship | 2 to 4 months |
Internship Abroad | Possible |
Duration of the internship abroad | 2 to 4 months |
The end-of-year professional internship is required to complete the L2préPAC program. It is a formal internship that begins in May and lasts between 2 and 4 months.
Good to know:
The duration of any internship(s) completed by the same intern at the same company may not exceed four months per academic year (Art. L 612-9) and must end on August 31.
The maximum weekly work hours are 35 hours
When the duration of an internship at the same company exceeds 2 consecutive months, the internship is subject to a mandatory stipend, calculated based on a legal standard of 35 hours of internship per week. (In 2020, approximately €500 per month.) There is no upper limit on this stipend.
For more information, visit the Faculty of Sciences website, Internship Management Office.
The Internship Agreement
It is mandatory that the agreements be signed BEFORE the internship begins (Pstage app). To access the app as a student, log in tothe digital campus (ENT) with your username and password. Go to the “My Academic Records” tab > “Internships and Job Postings.”
Program
The first semester (S3) of the L2 Chemistry PréPAC program includes several course units (UE) that are common to both the fragrances and flavors and cosmetics tracks.
The second semester (S4) of the L2 Chemistry PréPAC program includes several course units (UE) common to both the fragrances and flavors and cosmetics tracks, as well as one course unit specific to each track.
Internships and Supervised Projects:
The end-of-year professional internship is required to complete the L2préPAC program. It is a formal internship that begins in May and lasts between 2 and 4 months.
Aromatic Plants and Regulations
2 creditsIntroduction to Cosmetics
2 creditsBiochemistry
3 creditsFragrances: Sensory Education
2 creditsEnglish S3
2 creditsChemistry of Raw Materials 1
5 creditsPPE
2 creditsAnalytical Chemistry of Volatile Compounds
4 creditsColor Measurement
4 creditsPhysiology
4 creditsASTRE's Scientific Approach to the Ecological Transition
2 credits
Choose one of the following two options:
Fragrance / Flavor Profile
Sensory Analysis
2 creditsPre-professional Project: Application on Matrices
2 creditsChemistry of Specific Materials 2
5 creditsInternship
5 creditsAnalytical Tools for the Characterization of VOCs
2 creditsEnglish S4
2 creditsExperimental Physical Chemistry of Colloidal Systems
2 creditsFragrances/Flavorings: Formulation
4 creditsBacteriology
2 creditsPolymers, Colloids, and Rheology
4 credits
Cosmetics Profile
Sensory Analysis
2 creditsPre-professional Project: Application on Matrices
2 creditsChemistry of Specific Materials 2
5 creditsInternship
5 creditsAnalytical Tools for the Characterization of VOCs
2 creditsEnglish S4
2 creditsCosmetics: Formulation
4 creditsExperimental Physical Chemistry of Colloidal Systems
2 creditsBacteriology
2 creditsPolymers, Colloids, and Rheology
4 credits
Admission
Admission Requirements
Bachelor's degree (L1) in Chemistry or Biology; BTS or DUT in the field of Chemistry or Biology; PASS-LASS
Applications will be screened via e-candidat starting in March, followed by interviews with shortlisted candidates.
Selection is based on the candidate’s educational background, academic performance, and evaluations received during their post-high-school studies, as well as on their career goals and knowledge of the field in which they wish to specialize (Fragrances or Flavors). Shortlisted candidates are invited to a telephone or video interview and/or an on-site interview at the training facility.
Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Applications can be submitted through the following platforms:
- French and European students: Follow the application process on the University of Montpellier's e-candidat portal
Registration Procedures
Applications are submitted via e-candidat (usually between March and June) and evaluated by the faculty members responsible for the program.
Application Process
Application via e-candidat
Review of the case file
Selected for an interview
Acceptance Notice: Your application has been accepted into the program. You must confirm your acceptance within the following week.
Rejected: Your application was not selected.
After the candidates have been accepted
Final registration for the L2 Chemistry PréPAC program takes place at the Faculty of Sciences.
Target Audience
This program is intended for students who have earned a scientific baccalaureate and have continued their studies at a science-focused university by completing the first year (L1) of a bachelor’s degree program with a major in chemistry, biology, or a related field, as well as for students in the PACES program (the first year common to all health-related degree programs). The program is also open to students who have earned a DUT or a BTS with a focus on chemistry and/or biology.
Capacity
20 students
Mandatory Prerequisites
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry:
- Theory: molecular structure, chemical reactions, functions, and reactivity.
-Practical exercises: weighing, dilution, setup, and yield calculation
Recommended Prerequisites
Knowledge in the Field of Fragrances and Flavors
Previous experience (an internship or a fixed-term contract) in the perfume, flavor, or cosmetics industry is highly valued.
And then
Continuing Education
Professional Bachelor's Degree in Perfumes, Flavors, or Cosmetics (LProPAC) (University of Montpellier). Except in exceptional cases, all students go on to pursue the LProPAC bachelor's degree.
Continuing Your Education Abroad
yes
Employment Placement
The primary objective of the LProPAC bachelor’s degree program in perfumes and flavors is immediate entry into the workforce; further study is not recommended. In exceptional cases, upon graduation, students may be able to transfer into master’s programs in a different field (marketing, management, entrepreneurship, etc.).