Address: 65 rue de Richelieu, 75002 Paris, Île-de-France, France
Digital Humanities & Data Technologies, Conservation of Written & Graphic Heritage
The École nationale des chartes is a Paris higher-education institution devoted to historical sciences and to the training of heritage professionals, mainly for archives and libraries. It was created by an ordinance of 22 February 1821 to pass on the knowledge needed to read ancient manuscripts, and it marked 200 years to the day on 22 February 2021. Today it forms part of PSL University and holds the status of a grand établissement.
Its flagship qualification is the diplôme d’archiviste paléographe, which prepares graduates for careers in the care of written and graphic heritage. The school also awards master’s degrees, among them Digital Technologies Applied to History and Medieval Studies, and a doctorate. Its fields include palaeography, diplomatics, the history of the book and, more recently, digital humanities.
Research is carried out in the Centre Jean-Mabillon, and the school’s library, created in 1846, holds more than 140,000 volumes, almost all of them in open access. The school stands on rue de Richelieu, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Ergonomics and UX, Materials, Mathematics, Physics, Project Management, Quality, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Diploma, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Constituent college of Université PSL. Partnerships with National Archives, BnF, research labs in digital humanities.
Research:
Digital encoding and processing of historical texts, Electronic publishing and digital libraries, Conservation science for books and manuscripts, History of science and technology.
Famous Alumnis:
Roger Martin du Gard, Georges Bataille
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
80
Current students***:
200
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Excellence in historical sciences, strong expertise in digital humanities and heritage conservation.
Cons
Highly specialized, primary focus on historical sciences, technical aspects are in support of these.
Best For
Grande école for historical sciences, with strong expertise in digital humanities and heritage conservation technologies.
Université PSL, the Paris grouping to which this school belongs, is public and lists physics and chemistry, life sciences and engineering through member schools.
École Pratique des Hautes Études is a public institution in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, listed for life and earth sciences and research-oriented teaching.
Université Paris Cité, public and in Paris, combines humanities and social sciences with medicine, sciences, law and economics.
Sorbonne Université is another public Paris university, based in the 6th arrondissement and listed for sciences and engineering.
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, public and in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, concentrates on evolutionary biology, biodiversity and earth sciences.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In Spain, University of Seville is public and lists literature and philology, and geography and history.
Austria's University of Vienna is a public institution listed for law, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
Durham University, a public university in the United Kingdom, is listed for arts and humanities, sciences and social sciences.
Sweden offers Uppsala University, public, with life sciences, law and humanities.
University of Copenhagen is a public university in Denmark, listed for health and medical sciences, natural sciences 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
When was the National School of Charters founded?
It was created by an ordinance of 22 February 1821, and its bicentenary was celebrated on the same date in 2021. The aim was to pass on the skills needed to read ancient manuscripts.
What does the archivist-palaeographer diploma lead to?
The diplôme d'archiviste paléographe prepares graduates for work in heritage, notably in archives and libraries. It is the school's main qualification, alongside master's degrees and a doctorate.
Which master's programmes can be followed here?
They include Digital Technologies Applied to History and Medieval Studies. The school's digital focus also appears in its programme in digital humanities.
Is the school independent or attached to a larger body?
It is a constituent institution of PSL University, which is why its official name ends with PSL. It has the status of a grand établissement.
What does the library offer?
The library was created in 1846 and holds more than 140,000 volumes, nearly all of them in open access. It is a research library for historical and philological work.
Where is research organised?
The research unit is the Centre Jean-Mabillon, attached to the school and working on historical sciences.
Where is the school located?
It is on rue de Richelieu in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Admission procedures are published on the school's official website, which should be checked for the current year.
Information Technology (IT), Research and Development
*: 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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