BUT and DUT: which qualification are we talking about today?
The bachelor universitaire de technologie, or BUT, is the qualification prepared in France’s university institutes of technology (IUT). It runs over three years, represents 180 ECTS credits and confers bachelor’s-level status. It replaced the two-year DUT, which now survives as an intermediate qualification: it can be awarded to a student who has passed the first two years, worth 120 credits.
This distinction matters for the internship search. A second-year BUT student is no longer on a two-year course; their department expects “end of second year” skills and plans a third year to follow. On a CV or in a letter, it is better to write “BUT 2” followed by the exact specialism, rather than “DUT”, a term some recruiters still associate with the old programme.
The IUT network offers about twenty specialisms, in production and service sectors: mechanical engineering, networks and telecommunications, marketing techniques, social careers, business and administration management, computing, among others. Each specialism is divided into pathways, and it is these precise titles that serve as keywords in an application.
How much time in a business over the three years?
Across the three years, the course includes between 22 and 26 weeks of internship. This total is not spread equally: the first year favours projects and supervised practical exercises within the IUT, while the longest workplace periods fall in the second and then the third year. The exact length depends on the specialism and pathway, and each department publishes its course plan.
For a student in initial training, the usual pattern looks like this:
- a short period in a business at the end of the second year, used to discover a trade and demonstrate basic skills;
- a longer period in the third year, often in spring, which prepares entry into working life or further study;
- supervised projects and learning and assessment situations, which keep the link with the professional world going throughout the year.
This spread is a tendency, not a national rule. Only the department’s calendar counts, and it changes from one IUT to another.
Internship or apprenticeship: two ways of learning in a business
The BUT can also be followed as work-study, with an apprenticeship contract. Depending on the IUT and the specialism, this route is open from the first year or only from the second; some courses offer it alongside the traditional route, others reserve it for part of the intake. You should therefore put the question to the department before deciding.
What changes with an apprenticeship
The apprentice signs an employment contract with a company or a public body. They alternate periods at the IUT with periods in the organisation, receive a wage set as a percentage of the minimum wage according to their age and year of training, and follow the course without tuition fees. Their supervisor is an employee, and the apprentice training centre, often integrated into the university, handles academic follow-up.
What stays with an internship
The intern keeps student status and signs a three-way internship agreement between themselves, the IUT and the host organisation. The internship is shorter and more flexible, but the student has to build a network of contacts alone, and the stipend, when due, remains modest compared with an apprentice’s wage.
Neither route is “better”: one favours long immersion and financial independence, the other leaves more time for study and international mobility.
The legal framework of a BUT internship
In France, an internship can only take place as part of a course and on the basis of an agreement signed before the first day. This sets out the assignments, the dates, the weekly hours, the supervisor on the business side and the lead teacher on the IUT side. The student does not replace an absent employee and does not fill a permanent post.
When the internship exceeds two months of attendance at the same organisation, a stipend is compulsory. For 2026, its minimum hourly rate is set at 15% of the hourly social security ceiling, which comes to 4.50 euros an hour under the rules applying in 2026; some sector agreements or employers provide more. The length of an internship at the same organisation is limited to six months per academic year.
The student remains covered by social protection and should check before starting that their civil liability insurance covers activity in a business. Hours, leave and travel appear in the agreement, which must be completed and validated by the IUT before the assignment begins.
Finding an assignment that matches your specialism
The search starts with the department. Teachers know businesses that regularly take students, and several IUTs have a service for business relations or an internal platform of offers. Next come former students, forums organised at the institute, chambers of commerce and industry, trade federations and general internship and work-study websites.
Keywords should echo the title of the specialism and pathway, then the target job. A networks and telecommunications student, for instance, would search for “network technician”, “junior systems administrator” or “monitoring”, and not just “IT internship”.
A well-targeted unsolicited application also has a chance, particularly with small and medium businesses and local authorities that do not always publish their needs. It benefits from mentioning a project completed at the IUT, whose title and outcome fit in a single line.
An example calendar, for illustration
Take a fictional student on a BUT in marketing techniques. The figures that follow are rounded and hypothetical; the real calendar depends on the IUT.
- September to October of the second year: they have their CV reviewed by the department, list ten target organisations and note the dates of their internship in the course plan.
- November to January: they send about fifteen applications, half in response to advertised offers and half as unsolicited approaches.
- February to March: they attend two interviews, receive an offer of ten weeks and have the agreement validated.
- April to June: they carry out the internship, write a weekly report and prepare their oral defence.
At 35 hours a week and at the rate of 4.50 euros an hour, a statutory stipend would come to about 680 euros a month: the example shows the order of magnitude, not a commitment by the organisation.
Making the most of your time in business and using your review
On the first day, it is useful to have the three or four expected deliverables, the rhythm of check-ins with the supervisor and the person to contact in case of difficulty set out in writing or aloud. This clarity avoids assignments drifting towards tasks unrelated to the course.
Throughout the internship, a daily logbook lets you keep evidence: what you did alone, what you did with help, what you only observed. This distinction helps in writing the report, which is often graded, and in answering without exaggeration at interview.
At the end of the period, you should ask the supervisor for written feedback on the skills used and link these points to the skills in the specialism’s framework. A structured review then helps you choose between continuing into the third year as an apprentice, a professional licence or a master’s, or going straight into a job.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting too long: spring internship offers fill up from autumn and winter.
- Signing without an agreement: starting before the IUT has validated it exposes the student in the event of an accident or dispute.
- Accepting an off-topic assignment: filing archives for ten weeks does not feed a specialist report.
- Confusing DUT and BUT in your documents: it blurs the level of study you declare.
- Forgetting mobility: an internship abroad requires extra steps, notably for insurance and, depending on the country, for residence permits.
- Neglecting the oral defence: a presentation that details the tasks without showing the outcome gives an impression of something unfinished.
If in doubt about a clause or a length, the safest course is to ask the department’s internship manager before signing.
Frequently asked questions
Must a BUT student do an internship?
Yes, in the great majority of cases: the course provides for 22 to 26 weeks in business over three years, as internships or work-study. The detail varies with the specialism, the pathway and the IUT. The department publishes its course plan, which states the number of weeks, the periods and how each year is assessed.
Can you do a BUT entirely as an apprenticeship?
At some IUTs and for some specialisms, yes, from the first year. Others open work-study only in the second and third years or reserve places for part of the intake. You need to ask the department and the apprentice training centre, because the offer changes from site to site and year to year.
Does the DUT still exist?
The DUT survives as an intermediate qualification of the BUT: it is awarded to a student who has passed the first two years, that is 120 ECTS credits. It is no longer prepared as a stand-alone two-year course. The arrangements for awarding it are handled by the IUT, which can explain the procedure.
Is a BUT internship always paid?
No. A stipend becomes compulsory when the internship exceeds two months of attendance at the same organisation. For a shorter period it is optional, although many employers pay one. The minimum rate is set by regulation and changes, so check it when you sign the agreement.
Who signs the internship agreement at an IUT?
Three parties: the student, the IUT, represented by the person authorised by the university, and the host organisation. The lead teacher and the supervisor also appear in it. The agreement must be signed before the first day of attendance, otherwise the student is not covered under the conditions provided for an internship.
What is the difference in pay between an internship and an apprenticeship?
An intern receives a stipend, compulsory beyond two months, whereas an apprentice is an employee and earns a wage expressed as a percentage of the minimum wage according to age and year of contract. The level for an apprenticeship is generally higher, but exact amounts should be checked with the apprentice training centre.
How do you write the BUT internship report?
It draws on the logbook kept during the assignment: the organisation’s context, the problem addressed, the method, the results, the limits and the skills gained. Guidelines on length and presentation come from the department. A clear plan and concrete evidence are worth more than an exhaustive description of every task carried out.