Address: Cité Scientifique, Boulevard Paul Langevin, 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq, Hauts-de-France, France
General Engineering, Data Science & AI, Industrial Engineering
Centrale Lille is the name now given to a group of engineering schools on the Cité Scientifique campus in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, next to Lille. Its centre is the École Centrale de Lille, a generalist engineering school, and the Centrale Lille institute also brings together the chemistry school ENSCL, the digital engineering school IG2I and the management-engineering school ITEEM.
The origins go back to 1854, when the school was founded in Lille as the École des arts industriels et des mines. It became the Institut industriel du Nord in 1872 and moved to the Cité Scientifique campus in 1968, where its teaching and laboratories have been located since.
The generalist programme follows the three-year Centralien curriculum and leads to an engineering degree. Research units associated with the school include L2EP (electrical engineering and power electronics), IEMN (electronics, microelectronics and nanotechnology), UCCS (catalysis and solid-state chemistry) and a mechanics laboratory in Lille. The school also awards master’s degrees and doctorates, and takes part in double-degree schemes such as the TIME network.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of Groupe des Écoles Centrales. Member of T.I.M.E. network. Regional and international industrial partnerships.
Research:
Smart systems and data science, Advanced materials and manufacturing, Energy and environment, Civil engineering and sustainable cities.
Famous Alumnis:
Jean-Pierre Pernaut (studied)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
500
Current students***:
2000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
18000
Pros
Prestigious general engineering school, strong links with regional industries, good research facilities.
Cons
Highly selective, demanding curriculum, large campus.
Best For
General engineering school with a focus on data science, industrial engineering, and sustainable development.
École Centrale de Lyon is a public generalist engineering school at Écully, also working in mechanical engineering and acoustics.
École Centrale de Nantes, a public school in Nantes, combines mechanical engineering with marine engineering and hydrodynamics.
Gif-sur-Yvette hosts CentraleSupélec, a public school offering generalist engineering with energy and computer science.
Arts et Métiers, a public engineering school that includes a campus in Lille, covers mechanical, industrial and energy engineering.
Université de Lille, the public university of the same metropolitan area, offers sciences and technologies from physics and chemistry to biology.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, a public technical university in the Netherlands, works in data science, automotive technology and photonics.
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie in Karlsruhe, Germany, is public and combines mechanical engineering, computer science and physics.
In Belgium, Université de Mons offers materials science, engineering and computer science as a public university.
Politecnico di Bari is a public technical university in Bari, Italy, with mechanical engineering, ICT and civil engineering.
Poland's Warsaw University of Technology, a public institution, spans mechanical, electrical and computer science engineering.
*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 did Centrale Lille start?
It was founded in 1854 as the École des arts industriels et des mines de Lille. The institution took the name Institut industriel du Nord in 1872, and today's school grew from that foundation.
Which schools make up the Centrale Lille institute?
The generalist École Centrale de Lille is joined by ENSCL for chemical engineering, IG2I for digital engineering and ITEEM for management engineering. Each of the four schools delivers its own engineering degree.
Where is the campus located?
The school has stood on the Cité Scientifique campus in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, in the Lille metropolitan area, since 1968. The site lies in the Hauts-de-France region.
Which laboratories are linked with the school?
Units associated with it include L2EP for electrical engineering and power electronics, IEMN for electronics and nanotechnology, UCCS for catalysis and solid-state chemistry, and a mechanics laboratory in Lille.
What degrees can students earn there?
The main route is the generalist engineering degree built on the three-year Centralien programme . The school also offers master's degrees, specialised masters (mastères spécialisés) and doctorates.
Are double degrees possible with foreign partners?
Yes. The school takes part in double-degree schemes such as the TIME network, which links engineering schools in several countries. Conditions are set out on the school's international pages.
Where can I read about entry routes and fees?
Entry routes depend on the applicant's background and are explained on the admissions pages of Centrale Lille. Those pages are the reliable source for current dates, fees and requirements.
*: 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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