Engineering and digital sciences for art, culture and heritage

Programme Overview

Discover how Human Sciences and Engineering Sciences come together: through methods, tools and languages... Discover the worlds of art and entertainment, history, heritage and archaeology all from an engineering perspective. A real change of focus in the engineering curriculum ...

Objectives - learning to work together

• The engineer where he/she is least expected: a change of focus in the engineering curriculum;
• Discover the world of art and entertainment from an engineering perspective;
• Discover history, heritage and archaeology from an engineering perspective;
• How to combine human sciences and engineering sciences: methods, tools, languages etc.

Skills developed

• Acquire a common professional framework in the field of digital culture (tools, method, epistemology...), and
• Develop key skills in the Centrale Nantes skills reference framework: 'Business and innovation' and 'design and implementation of interdisciplinary projects'.

Practical aspects

• 20 students maximum, Master level
• 96 teaching hours
• 40 project hours
• Location: Centrale Nantes campus or offsite (MSH, Beaux-Arts etc)
• Courses are taught in French.

Contribution to sustainable development goals

Learn more about Centrale Nantes' commitment to the 17 sustainable development goals

Admission

International students can follow this option, taught in French, via:
 

• A double degree programme - Open to international students selected by our partner institutions. Selected students spend two years studying courses from the engineering programme at Centrale Nantes. This usually includes one year of the common-core engineering curriculum followed by one year of specialisation. Double degree students are typically accepted after successfully completing two or three years of higher education in their home institution.
  • learn more
• The fast-track engineering programme: Open to students with a Bachelor's or equivalent degree in science. Our fast-track programme gives international students who are qualified to bachelor level the opportunity to gain the 'diplôme d'ingénieur' in just two years.
  • learn more

Course Content

• An interdisciplinary approach is deployed through the creation of interdisciplinary teams: Centrale Nantes, Faculty of Arts, Fine Arts College etc. The course is not about creating new technology and / or start-ups in the digital age, but rather understanding the other disciplines to allow for better integration into the fields of art, culture and heritage.
• Technical topics covered include digital archaeology, virtual reality, user experience, museography, heritage expertise, 3D scanning, Text Encoding Initiative etc.
• Training through business methodology, managing cultural projects, external speakers, project-based learning
• Courses taught in conjunction with partner schools and laboratories:
  • Master in "Mediation, expertise and cultural development" - double degree programme taught by Nantes Fine Arts School and the University of Nantes (history / sociology / information-communication / languages)
  • Seminar with the François Viète Center for the History of Science and Technology - weekly
• Institutional and industrial partners: University of Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Voyage à Nantes, Stereolux, MG Design, 100 million pixels, liber-D, AMG Fechoz, Museums, RMN, MSH etc.
• Planned visits to cultural sites: Arc'Antique laboratory, Nantes history museum, Nantes theatre, Stereolux, Scopitone, Cie La Machine etc.
• External speakers: theatre engineer, stage show project engineer, instrument-maker engineer, photographer engineer etc.

 
Download syllabus

After the option

Sectors of activity and employment prospects

• Cultural institutions: museums, theatres
• Research laboratories
• Production or engineering companies
• Private companies specializing in media or heritage

What our students say

The INPACT option confirmed my career plans and allowed me to continue my studies in the cultural field. After further training in cultural management, I now work at the Philharmonie de Paris in the production of a permanent exhibition around music for primary school children. I now combine engineering, culture and music for young people, fields which I love and which motivate me on a daily basis. Antoine C., class of 2019

I was one of the first group of students given the opportunity to join the INPACT option when it opened at Centrale Nantes in 2017-2018. Thanks to this course, I chose a career in digital mediation. After 18 months creating educational digital resources in a company, I decided to resume my studies in order to prepare a thesis on scientific theatre.
Zoé B., class of 2018

Student Feedback

Video of Nouhayla, a student in the Engineering and digital sciences for art, culture and heritage specialisation (video in French with English subtitles).

(in French with English subtitles)

Video transcript

Pitch your specialisation: Nouhayla, specialisation Engineering and digital sciences for art, culture and heritage

My name is Nouhayla and I'm 24 years old. I'm doing a double degree in architecture and engineering at the Nantes School of Architecture and Centrale Nantes. Right now, I'm in my third year, specializing in Engineering Science for Housing and Urban Environment and following the INPACT option. 

20 seconds to pitch your specialisation:

The INPACT option focuses on the digital world in the fields of art, heritage and culture, and involves meeting a number of different speakers. Alongside this, we also work on a project in collaboration with art, heritage and culture-related organizations, and are assessed on this at the end of the semester. 

3 reasons to choose this specialisation: 

This option is very rewarding because the speakers are very diverse - they work in a wide variety of fields - so it gives us, as students, the chance to explore all the possibilities, i.e., where we go from here. It also puts us in touch with these players, particularly when it comes to looking for internships and career opportunities. It's an option that blends technical and artistic skills. This really inspires me, given my background in architecture and engineering. 

Why Centrale Nantes?

I chose Centrale Nantes above all for its double degree in architecture and engineering, but also because I see myself working in the construction and urban planning sectors, and for ecological transition. And i know that Centrale Nantes is geared towards this field. 

What's next?

I'm going back to architecture school to complete my final year project, and then I'm going to conclude with my final year internship at Centrale Nantes. Through the INPACT option, I hope to find work experience that will allow me to flourish and find a field that brings together technology, art, culture and heritage.