Foundation

The school was founded in Liancourt, Oise, by Duke of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt in 1780; it was originally meant to provide in-depth training for military dragoon officers children. After 1800, the institution became known as the École d'Arts et Métiers.

Under Napoleon's reign, it was known as the "École impériale des arts et métiers". He intended to use the school to train "Non-commissioned officers of Industry". The empire decided to move the school to a bigger city, Compiègne, in 1799. When Napoléon Bonaparte visited the castle where the school was located, he thought that it was inappropriate for such an industrial school to occupy the place. He decided to relocate the school to Châlons-en-Champagne in 1806, where two former monasteries were made available to offer much more space.

During the world wars

Many students and alumni enlisted in the armed forces during the World War I. It is estimated that of the 6500 gadzarts who joined the army, 1100 died the first year of the conflict. Many campuses were damaged by the war, especially that of Châlons-sur-Marne, which was in the middle of the Battle of the Marne. The Lille campus was occupied by the Germans and used as a military hospital. The other campuses were completely closed from 1916 to 1917 and the new Parisian campus was undamaged.

Between the wars, the rapid industrialization of Europe favoured the Gadzarts. The arms race pushed industry to hire more engineers and the gadzarts matched their needs perfectly. The other important factor was the creation of new ranks in the hierarchical working organization. The middle management and upper management positions were perfect for the gadzarts engineers who rapidly filled these positions in most industries; especially automotive, aeronautical and construction.

During World War II , the school tried to keep a certain level of activity. The only campuses to experience some difficulties were Lille and Châlons-sur-Marne: in 1939 no new students were admitted. The Cluny campus was the target of a roundup in 1943 and a large part of students and staff were deported. The death of Jacques Bonsergent left a mark on the conflict, he became a symbol of resistance to the oppressor.

Expansion and new campuses

The second school of this kind was founded in 1804 at Beaupréau and then transferred to Angers in 1815. Three decades later, a third school was built in Aix-en-Provence in 1843, in former barracks and monasteries.

Facade of Arts et Métiers ParisTech, Paris Centre

At the dawn of the 20th century, the development of the school expanded to three new campuses. In 1891, the ancient abbey of Cluny was chosen to host the activities of the fourth school. Then, to go hand in hand with the industrial revolution, the members of parliament decided to create a fifth campus in Lille, a city that was rapidly growing. The facilities of Lille were the first ones to be built expressly for the school. The campus of Paris, a long-standing project, was built between 1906 and 1912. It became the biggest campus of the Arts et Métiers but World War II delayed the school's opening. By the end of the war, the campus had over 500 students.

In the middle of the "Trentes Glorieuses" (the Glorious Thirty), the seventh campus was created near Bordeaux, in the science park of Talence. The modern buildings were operational in 1963.

The latest campus established was Metz (1997). The campus was built in the science park, close to the transportation hubs. The school wanted this campus to become an international one, being close to Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Its construction was also motivated by partnerships with German (KIT) and American (Georgia Tech) universities.

Between 1990 and 2000, the three institutes of research were created : Chambéry in 1994, Chalon-sur-Saône in 1997 and Bastia in 2000.

The school also has two satellite campuses in Bouc-bel-Air and Laval that are under the authority of the main campuses of Aix-en-provence and Angers. These satellites are linked to the research programs and laboratories of the school.

• 
  Châlons-en-Champagne centre (1806).
• 
  Angers centre (1815).
• 
  Aix-en-Provence centre (1843).
• 
  Cluny centre, view of the abbey (1891).
• 
  Lille centre (1900).
• 
  Main campus in Paris (1912).

Important dates

In 1817, the school's military status was removed by royal order and the official goal of the school was set to train qualified technicians. However, in practice, the organisation remained military and the students continued to wear the uniform. This tradition continues today.^[7] In 1826, a second royal order confirmed this new status and the military organisation was fully removed. The students were granted the right to wear the uniform as a civil one. After a third attempt, the students gained the right to form an association of the Arts et Métiers alumni in 1847. The regional campuses were transformed into engineer training institutions in 1907. In 1963, the curriculum was modified in order to recruit new students from the Classes préparatoires. In 1964, the first woman was enrolled at the Arts et Métiers. The school became a grande école in 1976 and received the EPSCP status in 1990.

In 2007, the school created the PRES ParisTech and adopted the brand name "Arts et Métiers ParisTech" and no longer uses "ENSAM" in its publications,^[8] until removing the mention of «ParisTech» from its logo in 2016.^[9]

Logos and symbols

At the beginning of its history, the school did not have a proper logo, but shared its blazon with the Duke and the city of Liancourt. On the bottom-left of the blazon, the letters A and M are written on the inside of a gear, over a red background. With the different regimes and the different names of the eightieth and ninetieth centuries, the visual identity of the school was not defined properly. First it adopted the imperial eagle as a symbol, when Napoléon Bonaparte was in authority, then it was replaced by a royal flower to greet the return of the monarchy. Eventually the students decided to create their own symbol and keep it regardless of the status quo. This symbol originally represented interlocking capital A and M, inspired by the blazon of Liancourt. It is still used today by the students but it evolved slightly to a smoother version in the 1950s. The alumni association first logo was also inspired by the blazon of Liancourt (A&M, gear), but later adopted the students' version.

In 1963, a modern logo was designed for the school, completely different from what was known so far, but it kept the letters A and M. In 2007, with the creation of ParisTech, the school decided to create a brand new logo. This time the letters are not written anymore, but they can be read on the contours of the purple and orange diamonds. The new brand name of the school is mentioned on the right of the diamonds.

• 
  Liancourt Blazon (1780–1799)
• 
  Students symbol (1800–today)
• 
  Students symbol (1950–today)
• 
  Alumni symbol in the eighteenth century
• 
  Logo from 1963 to 2007
• 
  Logo 2007 to 2019
• 
  Logo from 2019

Engineering curriculum : "Diplôme d'ingénieur"

Arts et Métiers ParisTech is renowned for its 3-year graduate engineering training that leads to the "diplôme d'ingénieur" degree, equivalent of a Master's degree of industrial and mechanical engineering.^[13]

Curriculum

Each student spends at least three years in school. This time is usually extended with the choice of a special training, a stay abroad or an extra internship.

Numerical simulations, like the Finite Element Method and lab techniques, like metallography for materials science, are part of the curriculum of the Engineer Arts et Métiers.

The first 2 years are dedicated to a core curriculum covering all the fields of engineering :

• Mechanics
• Materials science
• Mechatronics
• Electrotechnics
• Process engineering : welding, forming, machining, casting
• Statistics
• Programming
• CAD and computer methods
• Fluid mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Supply chain
• Systems and commands
• Power transmission and transformation
• Mechanical and industrial design

The training also includes management, finance and language courses. The third year is dedicated to specialised courses, such as sharp technical skills and good management basics.

During the three years, the students have to work on two big projects (one in first year, the other in second year) and have to complete three internships (as a labourer for one month, then as an engineering assistant for three months and then as a research engineer for six months).

Master programs

The master programs are divided into two different groups : the Masters of Science that include graduate courses followed by a master's thesis (project of expertise) and the Advanced Masters, focused on a very specific field of science (equivalent to some professional degrees).

Doctoral programs

The school offers two doctoral programs : the first one includes all the PhD specialities regarding physics, sciences and engineering, the other one includes all the PhD specialities regarding management, economy and social science.

Bachelor of technology program

In 2014, Arts et Métiers was the first French engineering school to open a Bachelor of Technology program. 48 students were enrolled in the first class. The program aims to offer more possibilities to high school graduates that are interested in sciences but do not necessarily want to reach the diplôme d'ingénieur level.

Double-degree programs

The school created special partnerships with several institutes of technology worldwide to offer integrated double-degree programs to the students :

• USA : Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
• Germany : KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Technische Universität Dresden
• Spain : Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
• Portugal : Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
• China : Shanghai Jiao-Tong University, Tongji University
• Sweden : KTH (Kungliga tekniska högskolan), University of Linkoping
• Canada : Polytechnique Montréal (Montréal Polytechnic), Université Laval
• Czech Republic : Brno University of Technology

In France, some special curriculums lead students to other degrees, along with their diplôme d'ingénieur. In the last two decades, the creation of ParisTech (the 12 best graduate schools in France) and héSam partnership with business schools, has created many opportunities. The most popular programs are with:

• Supélec (electrical engineering)
• IAE Paris (management and business administration)
• Polytechnique (military engineer)
• ESTP (civil engineering)
• IFP School (petroleum engineering)

International partnerships

The school has a huge variety of academic partnerships with over 190 universities in the world. The students usually spend 1–2 semesters abroad in their third year. The partners are spread on the 6 continents : Tsinghua University, MIT, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur(IITK), Tokyo Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, University of Bristol, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Politecnico di Milano, University of California, Berkeley, University of Queensland ...

Traditions

Uniform of the Gadzarts

Since its inception, the students perpetuate their own traditions and folklore, and are members of a student society. They call themselves "Gadz'Arts", abbreviated from "Gars des Arts" ("Guys from the Arts"). The "Gadz" folklore includes traditional clothing, language, songs and legends, related symbolism, and ceremonials. Gadz'Arts activities are independent of the administration of the school and are exclusively run by the students, although the two parts often cooperate for organising cultural or sporting events. Students still wear the uniform from the military past of the school.

Student clubs and activities

Each one of the eight campuses has its own student association (AE) and clubs, but they all follow a national scheme. Paris is the headquarters of the national student association (UE) and organizes all the global events. The UE is one of the biggest student associations in Europe, with 3500 active members and a budget of 3.5 million €. Each year, big events are organized :

• a national career fair in Paris : the Forum Arts et Métiers introduces 5000 students to 150 companies, offering full-time positions or internships.
• a two-week-long ski session called Skiozarts (SKZ), where 1500 Gadzarts meet on the slopes and overrun a ski resort in the French Alps, such as Val Thorens, l'Alpe d'Huez, les Arcs, Val d'Isère...
• a national student committee, organized each year in a different campus, where 1000 students meet, discuss and vote the big decisions concerning the UE.

Many clubs exist, in various domains, and the teams of each campus can cooperate or participate in external events (Shell Eco-Marathon, French Robotics Cup, Challenge of the automotive engineers). In the same way, each campus has its own sport teams. Once a year they compete against each other during the Olympic week.

Galas

The student associations organises several galas, in each campus as well as a national one in Paris :

The abbey of Cluny during the gala

• Angers : twice a year
• Metz : once a year, 2000 guests
• Bordeaux : once a year, 3000 guests
• Cluny : once a year, 4000 guests
• Lille : once a year, 3000 guests
• Aix-en-Provence : 3 times a year, 5000 guests
• Chalons-en-Champagne : twice a year, 3000 guests

The National Grand Gala in Paris takes place in different buildings or monuments, depending on the year : the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Palace, the Palais Garnier, the Palace of Versailles... Thousands of guests, students and alumni meet, usually in May or June.

Industrial partnerships