École centrale de Nantes facts for kids

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École Centrale de Nantes

Motto	Shake the future
Type	Public, Graduate engineering
Established	1919
Affiliation	Ecoles Centrale Group,
Director	Jean-Baptiste Avrillier
Academic staff	550
Students	2410 students
Location	Nantes , France 47°14′55″N 1°32′53″W / 47.24861°N 1.54806°W / 47.24861; -1.54806
Website	ec-nantes.fr

École Centrale de Nantes, also known as Centrale Nantes, is a famous French engineering school. It was started in 1919. This school offers many different study programs. You can study for Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees. They also have special programs for engineers. All their courses are based on the newest science and technology.

Centrale Nantes is part of a group of top engineering schools called the Ecoles Centrale Group. Other schools in this group include CentraleSupélec and Centrale Lille. Centrale Nantes is also part of the TIME network. This network helps students from leading engineering schools in Europe to study in different countries.

Where is Centrale Nantes?
A Look at Centrale Nantes' History
How Centrale Nantes Ranks
What You Can Study
Working with Others
Research at Centrale Nantes
Alumni Network
See also

Where is Centrale Nantes?

The Centrale Nantes campus is in the city of Nantes, France. Nantes is in the Pays de la Loire region. You can get to Nantes from Paris by train in just two hours. Nantes is the sixth largest city in France. It is located along the Loire River, about 50 kilometers from the Atlantic coast.

A Look at Centrale Nantes' History

Centrale Nantes began in 1919. It was first called Institut Polytechnique de l'Ouest. In 1948, its name changed to Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique (ENSM). Thirty years later, the school moved to its current location by the River Erdre.

In 1991, it became the Ecole Centrale de Nantes. It joined the new Ecoles Centrale Group. As part of this group, it offers a special engineering program. This program leads to a French 'diplôme d'ingénieur'. This degree is like a Master of Science and Engineering. The school also offers Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD programs.

Centrale Nantes has also teamed up with other schools. In 2013, it joined with Audencia Business School. In 2014, it partnered with ensa Nantes, a school of architecture. In 2022, Centrale Nantes became part of the new Nantes University.

How Centrale Nantes Ranks

Centrale Nantes is often listed among the best engineering schools in France. It also appears in international rankings.

For example, in 2022, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Centrale Nantes in the top 250 schools worldwide for Engineering and Technology. This made it the third-best French engineering school in that ranking. In 2025, Centrale Nantes was ranked 102nd globally for Mechanical Engineering. It was also in the top 200 for Civil Engineering.

The school is also known for student exchanges. Since 2016, it has been in the top 25 universities globally for student mobility. This means many students get to study abroad.

What You Can Study

Bachelor's Programs

Centrale Nantes offers three types of Bachelor's programs:

A four-year BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) in Big Data and Management. This program combines engineering and business. It is taught in English.
A three-year Bachelor in Science in Engineering program. This program started in September 2023.
A one-year Foundation Master's program. This helps students prepare for the Master's programs at Centrale Nantes.

Engineering Program (Diplôme d'Ingénieur)

Centrale Nantes trains about 420 students each year in its main engineering program. This program leads to the 'diplôme d'ingénieur'. This degree is like a Master of Science and Engineering. Students usually study for five years in total to get this degree.

Getting into this program is very competitive. French students often spend two years in special classes. These classes prepare them for tough entrance exams. If they pass, they then study for three years at Centrale Nantes. International students can join through special programs or exchanges.

Students learn a lot of different subjects in their first year. After that, they choose a special area to focus on. Some choices include:

Aeronautics (about airplanes)
Civil Engineering (building structures)
Computer Science for AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Robotics
Renewable Energies
Virtual Reality

In their final year, students also choose a professional option. This helps them prepare for a specific job or industry. Options include:

Entrepreneurship
Healthcare and Humanitarian Engineer
Research and Development

Master's Programs

Centrale Nantes offers six Master of Science, Technology, and Health degrees. These are taught in English. They cover areas like:

Marine Technology (M-TECH)
Mechanical Engineering (M-ENG)
Control and Robotics (CORO)
Civil Engineering (C-ENG)
City and Urban Environments (U-ENV)
Industrial Engineering (I-ENG)

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees

These are special international study programs. They are offered by a group of universities from different countries. The best students can get scholarships from the European Union to join these programs.

PhD Programs

You can also study for a PhD at Centrale Nantes. This means doing advanced research in many different fields. Each year, about 30 to 35 students complete their PhDs here.

Working with Others

Centrale Nantes works with many companies and other schools. These partnerships are both in France and around the world.

Partnerships in France

Centrale Nantes is a public school. It works closely with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. This Ministry helps guide higher education and research in France.

As part of the Ecoles Centrale Group, students can exchange with other Centrale schools. These include CentraleSupélec and Centrale Lyon.

The Alliance Centrale – Audencia – ensa Nantes was formed in 2014. This group brings together engineering, business, and architecture. It offers special double degree programs. For example, you can study both engineering and management.

International Partnerships

Centrale Nantes encourages students to study abroad. It is part of many international networks.

The school takes part in Erasmus+ Programs. These programs help students and staff to study or work in other countries. Centrale Nantes has 178 academic partners in 48 different countries.

Working with Companies

Centrale Nantes also has strong connections with companies. This helps students find internships and job opportunities.

Research at Centrale Nantes

Researchers at Centrale Nantes work on important challenges. They use different fields of study to solve problems related to:

The factory of the future (how factories will work)
Energy transition (moving to cleaner energy)
Engineering for health (using engineering to improve health)

Research Labs

The school has several research laboratories, including:

Jean Leray Mathematical Institute
Laboratory of Digital Sciences of Nantes (LS2N)
Research Institute in Civil and Mechanical Engineering (GeM)
Research Laboratory in Hydrodynamics, Energetics & Atmospheric Environment (LHEEA)
Urban Architecture Nantes Research Centre (AAU)

Research Facilities

Centrale Nantes has many cool facilities for research:

Ocean test facilities: These are some of the biggest at a university in Europe. They include a towing tank and a hydrodynamic tank.
SEM-REV Offshore test site: This is the first European site for testing different offshore technologies. It is connected to the power grid.
Supercomputer: One of the most powerful in France.
Robotics Platform: Here, they explore different types of robots. This includes robots for factories, mobile robots, and human-like robots.
Smart Factory Platform: This platform shows how future factories will work.
Virtual Reality: An immersive room with 3D projection for complex simulations.
Wind Tunnels: Used for studying how air moves around objects.

Research Chairs with Companies

Centrale Nantes works with companies to create special research chairs. These focus on specific areas, like:

Advanced Numerical Methods with ESI Group
Clean Energy Vehicles with Mann+Hummel
Composites for Aeronautics and Space with EADS
Digital Simulation with PSA Group
Electric Vehicles with Renault
Ships of the Future with Bureau Veritas

Alumni Network

Centrale Nantes Alumni is the network for former students. It started in 1922 and now has over 20,000 members. This network organizes many events each year.

The Centrale Nantes Alumni is part of a larger network for all Centrale schools. This allows former students from different Centrale schools to connect and work together.