INTERDISCIPLINARY DEPARTMENT: ECONOMICS, ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS

The scientific and technical training of engineers of Mines Nancy provides a complementary and interdisciplinary training in the fields of economics, strategy, management and finance.  As innovation, creativity, scientific and technical expertise are necessarily connected to business, strategic and economic decisions, Mines Nancy aims at giving to future engineers the essential background regarding technological innovations.

Department presentation

The Economics, Organization, Business Department is an interdisciplinary department. It allows the engineer student to supplement his optional courses with the acquisition of skills in the fields of economics and management. The aim is to provide the student with fundamental knowledge and expertise in order to understand and integrate the firm. The unit of analysis of these courses is therefore the firm. The understanding of the firm, of its economic, social and organizational environment is indeed essential to the training of engineer students.

With this in mind, the teaching of this department aims at providing during their whole school curriculum the knowledge and tools to comprehend the world of the firm.

During the first year, teaching is organized into joint courses and consists of giving the bases in economics (macroeconomics, microeconomics and strategy) and accounting. During the second and third years, the teaching of the department goes on with optional elective and managerial courses, allowing the students to increase their competences in the fields of strategic innovation, finance, political economy or microeconomics.

The pedagogical method rests upon interactivity and favors active participation. Theoretical concepts are followed with case studies and practical applications, with teachers and professionals of the field.

Joint teaching

First year
Creative & Business Days (S5)

The C&B Days is a working group course introducing through participative teaching methods the world of firm and its complex economic environment, strategic innovation and creativity. It gives students the opportunity to make an assessment of his personal and collective abilities and knowledge in terms of strategy, accounting, marketing and evaluation of his economic environment. It allows to enhance his creativity and work team. Finally it helps the engineer student understanding the stakes and necessity to complete his schooling with teaching that comes under the fields of economics and management.

General economics (S5)
This course gives students a global understanding of the economics environment of firms and of their strategies given the constraints they face. The course is divided into three main fields. Macroeconomics provides them some culture about the global stakes that firms have to face, in a national and international context. Microeconomics and strategy makes students accustomed with the possible strategies that firms can choose, given their economic environment.

Business accounting (S6)
Business Accounting supplies the raw material for further financial diagnosis. Engineers evolve in a world partly driven by economic and financial considerations. The aim of this course is to give the basic knowledge and vocabulary inthis field.

Second and third years

The teaching of S7, S8 and S9 emphasizes the different approaches of the firm, through several channels. Students choose one course per semester:

S7 (21h)

Public economics
Marketing
Management
Corporate finance 
Firm strategy 

S8 (35h)

Innovation and change management
Economics and finance
Managerial economics
Strategy, audit and consulting 
Industrial management and firm's performance
Cognitive ergonomy

S9 (21h)

Innovation and change management
Economics and finance
Political economy
Strategy, audit and consulting 
Industrial management and firm's performance
Human resources for engineers 

Moreover, during the third year, one whole week is devoted to the theme of innovation. Students take a course during 1 day and a half on 3 possible fields: intellectual property; financing of innovative projects; public policy and innovation. During the rest of the week, they work into groups on a case studies related to the previous fields.

Teaching team