42 programme / common core
The 42 curriculum teaches foundations by making you build.
After the Piscine, selected students enter a project-based curriculum. The shared shape is a common core followed by more specialised work. Instead of semesters built around lectures, progress comes from completing and defending increasingly connected technical projects.
- Common core
- Shared technical and human foundations
- Projects
- Progress is demonstrated through working systems
- Peer review
- Students read and defend unfamiliar code
- Advanced work
- Direction becomes more specialised
What students actually learn
The common core develops programming, algorithms, Unix and systems thinking, networks, graphics, object-oriented work, and client-server or web foundations. The exact project set changes over time and by curriculum version. More important than memorising project names is understanding how the areas connect.
Common core
The first phase builds a technical floor.
42 Paris describes a common core that includes C, classical algorithms, Unix process and file management, network architecture, system administration, object-oriented programming, client-server work, and basic web development. 42 Lisboa publishes a similarly broad foundation and now lists areas including Python and artificial intelligence.
Those differences are a reminder that curricula evolve. A public project list from an older cohort can help you understand the shape of the work, but it is not a current contract.
Progression
Projects replace the semester as the unit of movement.
A project usually combines a visible output with constraints: a program must behave correctly, a system must communicate, memory must be handled, or several components must work together. Automated checks may verify behaviour; peer evaluation makes the implementation discussable.
Later work depends on habits formed earlier. A weak shortcut can survive one deadline and reappear when the system becomes larger.
Pace
Self-paced does not mean timeless.
42 avoids one timetable for every learner, but campuses still publish progression expectations and maximum periods. Paris describes a paced system for the common core. Lisboa currently describes a broad six-to-24-month common-core range and recommends enough on-campus time to maintain momentum.
The practical question is not “can I log in whenever I want?” It is “can I create enough consistent time for difficult work, peer availability, evaluations, and recovery?”
Beyond the core
Specialisation adds direction rather than ending the method.
Advanced areas across the network include cybersecurity, algorithms and AI, games, mobile and web development, and deeper Unix or networking work. Internships, professional experience, and cross-campus opportunities can also enter the path.
The precise choices, credentials, time limits, and professionalisation routes belong to the campus. Check them before making a decision based on one country’s system.
What remains
A portfolio shows outputs; evaluation develops judgment.
Projects give students material they can discuss with employers, but the less visible skill is being able to enter somebody else’s system, read it, question it, and make a change without pretending to understand more than they do.
That is why the curriculum’s social elements matter. Software work is not only producing code. It is building shared confidence in what the code does.
Comparison
The broad shape of the 42 curriculum
| Phase | Primary focus | Typical evidence of progress | What can vary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piscine | Experience the method and begin programming | Modules, peer reviews, group work, exams | Dates, logistics, exact local format |
| Common core | Programming and computer-systems foundations | Working projects, automated checks, defence | Project version, pace rules, published language mix |
| Professional experience | Use skills in a work setting | Internship or campus-defined experience | Timing, requirement, employment framework |
| Advanced work | Choose deeper technical directions | Specialised projects and portfolio | Available branches and campus resources |
| Credential | Represent completed learning | Certificate, badge, or recognised pathway | Country and campus rules |
Common questions
The 42 curriculum teaches foundations by making you build.
How long does the 42 curriculum take?
There is no single network-wide duration. Paris describes an average three-year route and up to two years for the common core; Lisboa publishes a six-to-24-month common-core range. Personal pace and local rules matter.
Which programming languages are used?
C is a major early foundation. Official campus pages also describe object-oriented programming, Python or C++, web technologies, and specialist tools. The curriculum is designed to outlast one language.
Is there mathematics in the curriculum?
Algorithms, graphics, systems, and specialised projects require mathematical and logical reasoning, but 42 does not present the programme like a conventional mathematics lecture sequence.
Do students receive a diploma?
Credentials vary. Paris publishes recognised certification pathways; Lisboa describes a completion certificate rather than a conventional diploma. Verify the campus and country relevant to you.
Can students change campuses?
The network promotes mobility after students master the fundamentals. Availability, eligibility, project compatibility, and administrative steps still need campus confirmation.
Is the curriculum identical everywhere?
The network shares a common foundation, but curriculum versions, timing, advanced choices, credentials, and local professional opportunities can differ.
Sources and boundaries
Check the details that can change.
This is an independent guide. The network and each campus remain the authority for admissions, dates, curriculum, credentials, and rules.