The Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle grew out of the Jardin royal des plantes médicinales, a royal garden of medicinal plants created under Louis XIII. After the French Revolution the Convention established the Muséum d’histoire naturelle in 1793. It is a French public institution that combines research, teaching and museum work, and its Paris base is the Jardin des Plantes.
The Muséum runs 13 sites made up of gardens, museums and zoos that are open to the public. It employs about 2,500 people, among them nearly 600 researchers, who work in laboratories and in the field. Its natural history collections hold about 68 million specimens, including rocks and minerals, plants and animals, fossils and anthropological objects, and it produces about 1,500 scientific publications a year.
The institution teaches as well as researches. It delivers master’s degrees, and several hundred students enrol each year. Its stated missions include producing knowledge on the Earth and life, preserving biodiversity and natural and cultural heritage, sharing science with the public and giving expert advice to the French state. Details of courses, collections and visiting hours are published on mnhn.fr.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Food Science, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Optics, Physics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Grand Établissement. Part of Sorbonne Alliance. Numerous international research collaborations and museum partnerships.
Research:
Systematics and evolution, Biodiversity conservation and ecology, Paleontology and earth history, Anthropology and human evolution, Environmental science.
Famous Alumnis:
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Georges Cuvier, Théodore Monod
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2000
Current students***:
600
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
World-renowned museum and research institution, vast collections, strong research in natural sciences.
Cons
Primarily a research institution and museum, higher education is at graduate level.
Best For
Leading research institution and museum for natural history, evolution, and biodiversity, offering graduate programs.
The University of Exeter in England is public, with environmental science alongside business and humanities.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
How did the Muséum start?
It began as the Jardin royal des plantes médicinales, a royal garden of medicinal plants established under Louis XIII. The Convention turned it into the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in 1793.
What does the institution do?
It is at once a research body, a teaching institution and a museum. Its five activities are research, collection management, teaching, public outreach and expert advice.
How many sites does it manage?
Official sources describe 13 sites, covering gardens, museums and zoos open to visitors.
How big are the collections?
The natural history collections hold about 68 million specimens, covering minerals, plants, animals, fossils and anthropological objects.
How many scientists work there?
The Muséum has about 2,500 staff, including nearly 600 researchers. They produce some 1,500 publications a year.
Can one study at the Muséum?
Yes, it delivers master's degrees, with several hundred students enrolling each year.
Where can one find practical information?
It is a French public institution, and its website mnhn.fr gives access to course details, collections and opening information.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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