Conservatoire national des arts et métiers facts for kids
|
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
|
|
 |
|
| Motto |
Docet omnes ubique (Latin)
|
|---|---|
|
Motto in English
|
Teaching to everyone everywhere |
| Type | Public, Grand établissement, Grande école |
| Established | 1794 |
| Accreditation | Grande école, Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur, AMBA, EduQua |
| Budget | 174 M€ in 2020 |
| Chancellor | Olivier Faron (since 2013) |
| President | Gérard Mestrallet |
| Vice-Chancellor | Bernard Racimora |
|
Academic staff
|
1,670: 568 Professors-Researchers | 1,102 academic staff |
| Students | 70,000 (57.7% employees, 24% job seekers, 12% students, 6.3% self-employed) | 10% of foreign students |
| Postgraduates | 1,592 (Grande Ecole engineers enrollment) |
| 91 (enrolled at the EiCNAM Grande Ecole engineering School) | 340 in total | |
| Location |
Headquartered in Paris
,
France; campuses in Paris (36% of students), in 160 other French cities, in overseas France (3% of students), campuses in whole francophone Africa and in other countries (11% of students)
|
| Campus | Urban |
| Language | French, English |
| Affiliations | Paris-Saclay University, AMBA, CGE, Grand Etablissement, Consortium Couperin, Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur, EduQua, Elles Bougent, Hautes Écoles Sorbonne Arts et Métiers University, Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles |
| Website | www.cnam.fr |
The Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) is a famous French university. It's like one of the top schools in France, similar to the Ivy League in the United States or Oxbridge in the United Kingdom. CNAM was one of the very first "Grandes Écoles" (Great Schools) created in France, right after the French Revolution in 1794.
CNAM's main goal is to teach and do research to help science and industry grow. It was founded by a French bishop named Henri Grégoire. Today, CNAM is one of the largest universities in Europe. It has about 70,000 students and a budget of €174 million. Many students learn through distance education, meaning they study from home.
The university offers many different types of degrees, from Bachelor's to Master's and even PhDs. You can study subjects like Science, Engineering, Law, Business, Finance, and Humanities. CNAM also has a special museum called the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Industrial Design Museum). It shows off cool scientific and industrial inventions.
Contents
History of CNAM
CNAM was started on October 10, 1794, during the French Revolution. It was first meant to be a place to keep a collection of machines, models, tools, drawings, and books related to arts and trades. The old Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory in Paris was chosen as the location, and the collection officially opened in 1802.
Over time, CNAM became more than just a collection. It grew into an important educational institution. Now, it's known as a "Grande École" and university for:
- Adults who want to get higher education, like engineering, master's, or bachelor's degrees. Many of these classes are held in the evenings or online.
- Young students who are learning a trade through special training programs.
- International students who want to study bachelor's and master's degrees taught in English.
The original collection of inventions is now part of the Musée des Arts et Métiers. The famous Foucault pendulum, which shows the Earth's rotation, was once displayed there. It was moved to the Panthéon for a while but is now back at the museum. Sadly, in 2010, the pendulum's cable broke, damaging it and the museum floor.
In 1819, CNAM started offering higher education with three main subjects: Applied Mechanical Engineering, Applied Chemistry, and Industrial Economics.
What CNAM Believes In
CNAM is built on ideas from the Age of Enlightenment, like helping everyone gain knowledge. This led to CNAM's values of fairness, teamwork, and excellent education.
As a public university in France, CNAM has three main goals:
- Learning for Life: Helping people keep learning throughout their lives.
- New Ideas: Doing research to create new technologies and innovations.
- Sharing Knowledge: Spreading scientific and technical culture to everyone.
These goals are summed up in CNAM's motto: "Omnes docet ubique", which means "Teaching to everyone everywhere."
CNAM Campuses
Parisian Campus
About 36% of CNAM's 70,000 students study at the main campus in Paris. The rest are in other parts of France or abroad. The Paris campus is located in an old part of the city called Le Marais, in a historic building that used to be a monastery.
This old monastery was built around 1059. Its beautiful Gothic-style dining hall from the 13th century is now the university's library.
-
The main entrance of the Parisian Campus of CNAM.
-
The Parisian underground station of Arts & Métiers. Its Line 11 platforms were redesigned in a steampunk style for CNAM's 200th anniversary.
-
The Court of Honour at CNAM.
-
The CNAM library on the Parisian campus, in the old dining hall of the Priory.
-
Statue of the French physicist Denis Papin, who invented the Steam Engine, on the Parisian campus.
-
Statue of Nicolas Leblanc, a French chemist who invented artificial soda ash.
-
A view of the CNAM Parisian campus from Rue Réaumur.
-
The entrance area of the Museum of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design on the Parisian Campus.
-
The Avion III by Clément Ader at the Musée des Arts et Métiers.
-
Another part of the Parisian campus of CNAM, on Rue Montgolfier.
-
The main entrance of another CNAM building on Rue Montgolfier.
-
The Fontaine du Vert Bois at a corner of the Parisian campus.
-
Léon Vaudoyer, the architect who designed parts of the CNAM Parisian Campus.
-
Guillaume Postel, an early professor of the Collège de France, is buried on the Parisian Campus.
.jpg)
,_RP-P-1937-1373.jpg)
Campuses in France
CNAM has campuses in 160 other cities across France. These regional centers work closely with the main CNAM in Paris. Many courses are taught online, so students can often attend from their closest CNAM center.
Campuses in Overseas France
CNAM also has campuses in French territories outside of mainland France:
French Guiana
French Polynesia- Guadeloupe
Martinique- Mayotte
New Caledonia- Réunion
Campuses Abroad
CNAM has campuses in many other countries, especially in French-speaking Africa: Africa:
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Gabon
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Lebanon: Has 7 campuses since 1971.
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Republic of the Congo
Senegal
Chad
Togo
Tunisia
America:
Haiti (works with the State University of Haiti)
Asia:
China: Dongguan (Franco-Chinese Institute DGUT-CNAM, started in 2017)- China: Wuhan (Franco-Chinese Institute of Engineering and Management, started in 2012)
Europe:
Germany (works with the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences)
Switzerland / France (The Lemanic Basin CNAM Centre is a shared school recognized by both Swiss and French education systems.)
What You Can Study at CNAM
Study Areas
CNAM offers many different programs. In 2022, there were 4366 programs in total, including:
- Degrees recognized by the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP):
- 626 Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees. These follow the European Bologna Process, making it easier to study abroad.
- 126 Engineering degrees.
- 64 vocational certificates.
- Other Diplomas and Certificates:
- 241 CNAM Certificates.
- 89 CNAM Diplomas.
- Courses:
- 2201 courses that are part of a degree program, with about 84% taught online.
- 657 continuing education courses for professional development.
The "Grande École" System
CNAM is a "Grande École" (Great School). These are special, highly respected universities in France. They offer Master's degrees, MBAs, and PhDs. To get into a Grande École, students usually have to pass very tough national entrance exams. This system helps make sure that the best students are chosen fairly.
CNAM was one of the first "Grandes Écoles" created after the French Revolution. These schools are known for being very selective. Graduates from "Grandes Écoles" often go on to hold important positions in French society, similar to how graduates from Ivy League schools in the US or Oxbridge in the UK do.
In France, higher education degrees are set up in three levels: the Bachelor's (Licence), Master's, and Doctorate (PhD). These levels follow the European system, making it easier to transfer credits and study in different countries.
Competitive Entrance Exams
One key part of being a "Grande École" is having competitive entrance exams. These exams are known for being very difficult. Many students prepare for them for two years after high school.
However, for CNAM, since it offers remote and continuing education, you don't always need to go through these special preparatory classes. Instead, you might need to take required classes and tests in subjects like Math, Chemistry, Biology, and English. You also need some work experience and a certain level of previous education. After that, there's an interview to select the best students.
Famous People from CNAM
Many important people have studied or taught at CNAM:
- Louis de Broglie: A Nobel Prize winner in Physics.
- Louis Pasteur: A famous chemist and biologist, known as the "father of microbiology."
- Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot: A physicist who is the "father of modern Thermodynamics."
- Paul Doumer: A former President of France.
- Jean-Baptiste Say: A well-known economist.
- Henri Grégoire: The founder of CNAM.
- Léon Bourgeois: A former Prime Minister of France and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
- Jean Prouvé: A famous French metal worker, architect, and designer.
- Robert Solow: A Nobel Prize winner in Economics.
- Henri Fayol: A mining engineer who developed important ideas about business management.
- Josef Rotblat: A physicist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
- Yves F. Meyer: A mathematician who won the Abel Prize.
- Alexandre Millerand: A former Prime Minister and President of France.
- Claude Cohen-Tannoudji: A physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics.
- Nicolas-Jacques Conté: An inventor known for the modern pencil.
- Bernard Kouchner: A French doctor and politician, co-founder of Doctors Without Borders.
- Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba: A military officer and former leader of Burkina Faso.
- Arthur Morin: A French physicist whose name is on the Eiffel Tower.
- Paul Painlevé: A French mathematician and politician who served as Prime Minister twice.
- Mahammed Dionne: A former Prime Minister of Senegal.
- François Gernelle: Invented the first micro-computer using a micro-processor.
- Pierre Bézier: An engineer and mathematician who invented the Bézier curves, used in computer design.
- Terence John Quinn: A British physicist and former director of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
CNAM Traditions
- Vandermonde: This is a secret society at CNAM, said to be similar to the Skull & Bones society at Yale University.
- "Auditeurs": Students at CNAM are often called "auditeurs," which means "listeners" or "audience," instead of just "students."
- Graduation Scarves: Graduates from the EiCNAM Engineering School receive colorful scarves during their graduation ceremony. The color depends on their major:
- Building, Energetics, Nuclear Power Engineering.
- IT Engineering.
- Bioinformatics, Chemical, Bio-Engineering, Process, Risk Management Engineering.
- Automation and Robotics, Electrical Engineering.
- Electronic Systems, Telecommunication, and IT Engineering.
- Aeronautics and Aerospace, Rail Operation Engineering.
- Material, Mechanical, Mechatronics Engineering.
CNAM Foundation
In 1973, the Louis-de-Broglie Foundation was started at CNAM by Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Louis de Broglie and Louis Néel, along with Fields Medal winner René Thom. This happened 50 years after the discovery of matter waves. The foundation is now located at the French Academy of Sciences in Paris.
-
Louis de Broglie (1892–1987), a Nobel Prize winner in Physics.
-
Louis Néel (1904–2000), a Nobel Prize winner in Physics.
-
René Thom (1923–2002), a Fields Medal winner.
CNAM Partnerships
CNAM is part of HeSAM (Hautes Écoles Sorbonne Arts et Métiers University). This is a group of 11 universities and institutions that work together, with a total of 110,000 students.
Some of the members of this group are:
- École nationale supérieure des arts et métiers
- French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM)
- Centre des études supérieures industrielles
- École Boulle
- École Duperré
- École Estienne
- École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'art
- École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Paris-La Villette
- École nationale supérieure de création industrielle
- Institut Français de la Mode
- Paris School of Business
Images for kids
-
Paris-Saclay University is a partner of CNAM. It is ranked very highly in the world for Mathematics and Physics.
-
A Helium–neon laser used at the LNE-CNAM, a research lab that works with other top French science institutions.
See also
In Spanish: Conservatorio Nacional de Artes y Oficios para niños Écoles de l'an III scientifiques
