Aeronautics

Programme Overview

Aeronautics must adapt to future requirements. On the one hand, growing demand from travelers for a fast, safe and economical means of transport, suggests that civilian air traffic will double by 2030-2040. On the other hand, growing public attention and sensitivity towards ecological and environmental problems is putting considerable pressure on the development of aeronautics.

In order to adapt, the aeronautics sector must respond accordingly to new challenges:

on a scientific and technical level, reducing the “environmental footprint” of civilian aircraft: new aerodynamic forms, new engines, new materials and lighter and more resistant structures, controlling the “sound signature”.
on a cultural level, with the “nuclearisation” of this means of transport: automatic flights for various missions (drones), individual modes of transport (flying taxis, flying cars), specific military applications (hypersonic missiles, combat fighter new generation).
on a human level, with specific training needs in new techniques and applications in aeronautics.

The Aeronautics Specialisation provides general knowledge in the fields of aerodynamics, aeronautical materials and structures, allowing the Centralian engineer to contribute to the far-reaching future developments in aeronautics.

Contribution to sustainable development goals

SDG 9 - INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

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

Admission

This specialisation is open to international students selected by our partner institutions via a double degree programme.

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.

NB Most engineering programme courses are taught in French.

► Learn more about the double degree programme

Course Content

2024/2025 academic year
Autumn Semester	Spring Semester
Gas dynamics	Aeroacoustics
Flight dynamics	Aircraft design and construction
Introduction to numerical computation	Computational aerodynamics
Aircraft structure modelling	Passive safety of aeronautic structures
Inviscid aerodynamics	Project 2
Structural dynamics	Internship
Turbulence modelling
Aircraft propulsion
Project 1

Download syllabus

Examples of projects and internships

Examples of past R&D projects

Numerical modelling of the reduction drag of a wing with Gurney flaps.
Aircraft of VLA kind with hybrid engine.
Design of a propulsive system by MHD.
Aerodynamic design of an electric ULM.
Control of the boundary-layer separation close to a wing.
Flight simulation of a shaped hypersonic vehicle.
Trajectory optimization of a drone.

Examples of internships undertaken by previous students

Improving comfort in Falcon aircrafts (Dassault)
Analysis and definition of a sensor in the Soyouz world (ArianeEspace)
Computation of aircraft structures by using NASTRAN (AIRBUS)
Contribution to micro-gravity research effects (AIRBUS)
Implementation of a Java code for nozzle modelling (SNECMA)
Technical study of airport logistics (AIRBUS)
Design and study of a methodology to evaluate aircraft noise (AIRBUS)

After the Specialisation

Double degree programmes with:

University of Cranfield, Imperial College (GB)
Georgia Tech, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota Universities (USA)
KTH University (Sweden)
Keio University (Japan)
McGill University (Canada)
Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)

Industry sectors:

Industry sectors Aircraft construction (Airbus, Eurocopter, BAE Systems, Stelia Aerospace, Dassault Aviation, Saab Aerospace, MBDA)
Engine/Components manufacturers (Safran/SNECMA, Turboméca, Rolls-Royce, Techspace Aero, DAHER, GKN, Sagem)
Research and development (ONERA, CNES, DLR, MBDA, Ariane Espace)
Simulation (Thalès, Altran, Dassault Systems)
Servicing/Maintenance /Logistics (Airports, Supply chains)

Career prospects:

Trade/finance/logistics
Research/CFD Engines
Materials/structures
Production Design/flight testing

Student Feedback

Video of Timothée, a student in the Aeronautics specialisation (video in French with English subtitles)

Video transcript

Pitch your specialisation: Timothée, Aeronautics specialisation

My name is Timothée, and I'm in my 2nd year at Centrale Nantes, in the aeronautics specialisation. I came to Centrale Nantes after the ‘classes préparatoires’.

20 seconds to pitch your specialisation:

The aeronautics specialisation is basically the study of what an airplane is and how it works. So, we look at materials, the shape of the plane so that it's optimized for flight, and also propulsion systems.

3 reasons to choose this specialisation:

First of all, I'd say that if you're passionate about aeronautics, you can really blossom in what you do. The second is that we have projects that are quite specific to the aviation field, so we get to discover things that are a bit specialized. It motivates us to work. The third would be the external speakers. It's cool to have someone in the field from a big company come and talk about our specialisation, and teach us new things.

Why Centrale Nantes?

I hesitated between Centrale Lyon and Centrale Nantes. What made me choose Centrale Nantes was the aeronautics specialisation, which was better described and which interested me more at Centrale Nantes. There are also more options for going abroad, I think. The last one would be the location and environment.