On its Brest campus, ENSTA Bretagne is composed of a graduate and post graduate engineering school and multidisciplinary research institute.

• 30% scholarship students
• 20% international students
• 18% military student engineers under contract
• 12 research teams in 3 laboratories
• 250 research professors, research engineers, technicians and PhD students in the Research Institute
• + 300 term employees, mainly professionals from industry, contribute to the training

* ENSIETA : École Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs des Etudes et Techniques d’Armement

1819-1940 : From the Écoles de maistrance to the Écoles techniques

On 17 April 1819, the Écoles de maistrance* saw the light of day following a decision by Baron Portal, Minister of the Marine under Louis XVIII. He recommended creating a special school in each of the ports of Brest, Rochefort and Toulon, dedicated to training workers selected for their intelligence, in the practical methods of the Arts relating to Naval Architecture.

* The Maistrance were composed of « masters, overseers and assistants tasked with leading workers of the diverse trades relative to Naval Construction”

In 1868, Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, Minister of the Marine, decided to reorganize the schools into two levels of instruction : the Ecoles Préparatoires de Maistrance (preparatory schools for Maistrance) situated in Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort and Toulon, and the Ecoles Normales de Maistrance in Brest and Toulon. The Ecole de Maistrance in Toulon was closed in 1877. That same year, the Brest school became the Ecole Supérieure de Maistrance, then in 1972, Ecole Technique Supérieure (ETS). In 1928, the Ecole Technique Supérieure d’Artillerie Navale was created in Toulon. From 1936 onwards, the two schools were accredited to deliver the title of Engineer (the Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur was created in July 1934).

1940 – 1949 : The turbulence of the 2nd World War

The events of 1940 to 1944 did not spare the technical schools. To ensure it could continue, the Ecole Technique Supérieure des Constructions Navales which had until then been within the Arsenal of Brest, upped sticks and merged with the school of the Artillerie Navale in Toulon, to give rise to a single ETS. It moved back to Brest in the middle of 1949.

1961 to 1990 : The origins, birth and growth of ENSIETA

Following on from the creation of the Délégation Ministérielle pour l’Armement in 1961, which 16 years later became the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) or the Defense Procurement and Technology Agency, several bodies merged to become the Ingénieurs des Etudes et Techniques d’Armement (IETA) and the Ingénieurs de l’Armement (IA).

ENSIETA (École Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs des Études et Techniques d’Armement) was founded in 1971, four years after the Weapon System Design Engineer (IETA) program was launched. Its first graduating class was made up of 36 IETA students. Training took place on two sites, with hydrography and naval construction programs based in Brest and land weapon system classes in Arcueil. Students studying aeronautic construction and space attended ENICA in Toulouse.  The Arcueil site closed in 1987 and all programs, including pyrotechnic chemistry, moved to Brest.

1990 to today, ENSIETA to ENSTA Bretagne: 30 years of expansion, diversification and increasing renown 

Today, ENSTA Bretagne is one of the most prestigious French engineering schools. While the school is predominantly civilian in nature, our excellence and renown are enhanced by the strong ties we have maintained with the defense sector and the French Government defense procurement and technology agency, which represent one of the most innovative fields of technological development. Our graduates contribute to groundbreaking businesses worldwide, our research center is booming, and our admissions process is increasingly selective.

In response to growing demand from businesses with an interest in the school's areas of expertise, an entrance exam was established in 1990 for civilian applicants. Student numbers grew rapidly and as of 1996, civilian students outnumbered their military counterparts and after graduating were rapidly recruited in numerous sectors.

In 1992, the school welcomed its first research professor and entered the world of engineering research. The school's research center and its groundbreaking experimental facilities were inaugurated in 2005 in the presence of France’s Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Research and numerous VIPs. Extensions built in 2010 and 2019 illustrate the vitality of our research activities, which are closely associated with various companies' R&D programs.

In December 2010, ENSIETA changed its name to ENSTA Bretagne, becoming a member of the ENSTA group along with ENSTA ParisTech. In 2012, the school adopted the Mines-Ponts entrance exam (the common entrance exam for Ecoles de Mines engineering schools), which as of 2015 became the Mines Télécom entrance exam.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister of Defense, visited the school in 2017 to witness the signing of a strategic partnership between ENSTA Bretagne and IMT Atlantique to create an engineering center of excellence.

Over the past few years, the school has focused on diversifying its programs in order to train more general engineers and graduates in its fields of expertise in response to the demands of firms in France and abroad. 

Today, ENSTA Bretagne offers 20 training cycles (5- and 6-year syllabuses) including numerous MSc programs. We are also accredited to grant PhD degrees (8-year syllabus) and we welcome a growing number of international students.
 

We are committed to equipping future engineers, researchers, and industry - particularly regarding the defence, maritime, transport, and digital sectors - with the skills to understand and conceptualize the ocean and the world, as well as the capacity to design innovative and responsible solutions, thus contributing to society, and to the maintenance of the strategic autonomy of France and Europe, for a brighter future for all.

Situated in Brest, this state establishment works in close relationship with numerous industrial and academic partners in France and abroad. Its activities contribute to innovation in numerous fields of application: the maritime, defense and more generally hi-tech sectors (transport, aerospace, energy, digital technologies, research…).

Together with the Ecole Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris and ISAE-SUPAERO, ENSTA Bretagne is part of the group of engineering schools governed by the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) (Defense Procurement and Technology Agency) of the Ministry of Armed Forces. They share the high requirements and excellence on which their solid international reputation has been built. 

Moreover, ENSTA Bretagne sets the standard in training armament research and technology engineers (IETA). They represent 18% of the students (engineering program) on campus and prepare to design and manage major defense programs at the DGA and in companies in this field.

Multidisciplinarity, Excellence, Innovation

• Enrolment at ENSTA Bretagne opens the door to a wide range of world-renowned programs, degrees, jobs and career paths. Engineers progressively define their career objectives throughout their training, and students from diverse scientific educational backgrounds can enroll at ENSTA Bretagne to pursue numerous programs recognized for their excellence. ENSTA Bretagne's engineering degrees are accredited by the French engineering degree commission (Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur), and its Master's and PhD degrees by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI). Advanced Master's degrees are accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles.
   
• Our graduates rapidly find jobs in French and international firms, proof that our programs meet the expectations of large businesses and innovative SMEs alike. General engineering and major graduates leave ENSTA Bretagne ready to enter the workforce and participate in the technological advances taking place in our rapidly-changing world.
   
• Education, research and business are our three building blocks. ENSTA Bretagne puts its scientific expertise at the service of business, and its training is enriched in turn by the real-world case studies contributed by companies. Our research programs place a strong focus on solutions for both civil and military industrial sectors. The cutting-edge research we carry out in partnership with businesses allows our research professors to train the engineers of the future to work in ever-evolving technological environments.
   
• An international outlook. The school has numerous bilateral academic agreements. A stay abroad is compulsory for student engineers. Almost 200 international students follow courses at ENSTA Bretagne on the numerous themes for which the school is renowned. The research professors are also internationally mobile, leading partnerships with universities and companies based in over thirty countries worldwide.
   
• The ENSTARTUPS incubator hosts the founders of companies, technological projects and encourages entrepreneurship in the students and research professors. Apart from entrepreneurial awareness and training, ENSTA Bretagne contributes to numerous events which encourage innovation and company creation.

Chosing ENSTA Bretagne is to:

• ensure you have scientific and technological training which is recognized by companies worldwide,
• benefit from optimal living and study conditions,
• participate in numerous and exciting curricular and extra-curricular projects and activities,
• discover a region which expertly combines authenticity and a pioneering spirit, cultural discoveries and scientific research, an exceptional coastline and a dynamic city,
• participate in the societal and technological challenges of the future,
• ensure you have an fulfilling career!  

The Student Union coordinates all extracurricular activities on offer to students: social and sporting events, galas, welcome weekend for new students, cohesion day (for students, faculty and staff members), etc.

The student life center

The Student Union is in charge of the student life center and the student lounge and coordinates the network of student clubs.

The Sports Union

The Sports Union is part of the Student Union and offers a wide range of sports activities (rugby, handball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, swimming, fencing, table tennis, tennis, badminton, judo, diving, climbing, sailing, etc.), most of which can be enjoyed on campus.

The clubs

Numerous clubs offer a wide range of cultural and leisure activities: video, IT, astronomy, model building, photography, cue sports, comic book reading, role-playing, drama, music...

And if your dream sport isn’t available yet, the Student Union and the school will help you get it on the list!

Boutique

Where can you order your year’s sweatshirt…at the Boutique ! Other items are also available on sale from the Maison des Eleves.

Robotics is a field of the future that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of ENSTA Bretagne.

Research at ENSTA Bretagne delves more particularly into the challenges of autonomous, mobile and underwater robotics: how can the robot be located? Monitored? How can a fleet of robots be coordinated? … in complex environments like the marine setting.

Multidisciplinary skills need to be brought together to tackle the issues encountered. On the one hand, physics of the marine environment, sensors, design of mobile platforms and programming are required to design robots. On the other, localization and control algorithms enable creation of their embedded intelligence.

The multiple scientific challenges involved in this work (robot autonomy, coordination, stealth, etc.) form the basis of numerous research projects at ENSTA Bretagne, for which it partners with innovative small businesses and corporations in France and abroad.