MSc Mechanical Engineering
Advanced Manufacturing

• 2-year fully accredited master’s degree
• Fully taught in English
• Open to applicants with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, in a field related to Science and Technology
• M1 & M2 entry
• 6-month Master's thesis/internship
• Next intake: every year in September

Interested in applying?

Find out about eligibility, application deadlines, English-language requirements, tuition fees and funding opportunities for Centrale Nantes MSc programmes.
 

• Visit our admissions page
• Apply online
• Contact our admissions team (admission5a0ed6b3-9404-4f18-9711-00f26a8fa3ee@ec-nantes.fr)
• Applications for the 2027-28 intake open on 28 October 2026

About the programme

• This MSc in Advanced Manufacturing (M-TECH AM) develops skills for providing innovative and optimized solutions in the advanced design and manufacturing of products and structures for both research and industry.
• The courses rely on both theoretical and practical aspects and cover the following areas: mechanical design of innovative mechanisms and products and customer-oriented design of products. Technical, human and economic factors are taken into account.

The programme of study lasts two academic years - denoted by M1 and M2 and is taught in English. It comprises three study semesters followed by a paid Master's thesis / internship in the final semester.

Our Master of Science (MSc) programmes in Mechanical Engineering are fully accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space.

See our other Master's programmes in Mechanical Engineering

Meet the Programme Supervisors

Matthieu Rauch, M2 Programme Supervisor 

Matthieu Rauch is Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Research Institute in Civil and Mechanical Engineering (GeM), Centrale Nantes. His main research interests are manufacturing tool-paths generation, CNC machine tools programming, Additive Manufacturing.

Laurent Gornet, Programme Supervisor Mechanical Engineering

Laurent GORNET is Professor of Structural Mechanics at the Research Institute in Civil and Mechanical Engineering (GeM), Centrale Nantes.
His research focuses on testing and modeling the mechanical behavior of elastomer and composite materials.

Contact: m1-meng-supervisiorb5eff4da-94ea-4668-b191-8f6c9caed905@ec-nantes.fr

Course Content

30 ECTS Credits per semester.
Language of instruction: English
 

M1 Year

M1 Year 2026/27

Autumn Semester Courses	ECTS	Spring Semester Courses	ECTS
Algorithmics for Engineering Modelling	4	Computer-aided Design	5
Tools and Methods for Research 1	4	Constitutive Laws	5
Continuum Mechanics	5	Engineering Materials	5
Fluid Mechanics	5	Mechanical Design	5
Numerical Methods	5	Structural Mechanics	5
Vibrations	5	Business Environment	3
Modern Languages *	2	Modern Languages *	2
Conferences	0

* 'French as Foreign Language' except for French native speakers who will study 'Cultural and Communicational English' or Spanish (depending on sufficient demand).

NB Course content may be subject to minor changes

M2 Year

 

M2 Year 2026/27

Autumn Semester Courses	ECTS
Additive Manufacturing and advanced manufacturing processes	5
Advanced CAD/CAM/CNC	5
Design of Experiments methods for manufacturing	5
Composite Constituents and Processes	5
Multi-physics modelling for processes	4
Optimization in manufacturing engineering	4
Modern Languages *	2

* 'French as Foreign Language' except for French native speakers who will study 'Cultural and Communicational English' or Spanish (depending on sufficient demand).

NB Course content may be subject to minor changes

 

M2 Year 2026/27

Spring Semester	ECTS
Master thesis / internship	30

 

Examples of previous Master theses/internships

• Ikerlan - Design, optimisation and experimental validation of a high-speed mechanism
• EPFL - Study of the thermomechanical transformations for different metal alloys, produced by LPBF and research into suitable thermal processes
• Vallourec - Development of a multidisciplinary design tool for Design Selection phases
• GE WIND France SAS - Development and improvement of the current design of bolted connections within the offshore wind turbine
• Technip Energies France - Process definition and development of an automated welding machine for the assembly of the floating wind turbine components
• Timken Europe - Development of model of bearing creep phenomenon
• Faurecia Interior Industries - Assistant plastic injection engineer
• SNCF - Additive Manufacturing Design and Simulation Engineer

NB Internships undertaken in France are strictly regulated and are only open to current full-time students of an accredited educational institution. Interns are entitled to all the rights guaranteed to regular employees (such as social protection and redress mechanisms). For internships that exceed two months in duration a minimum level of remuneration is set by the government, at approximately €600 per month. In some professional branches, this amount may be higher.

Skills developed

• Develop innovative processes and products for composite and metallic materials and structures
• Design products adapted to the processes
• Work in an integrated numerical environment and in a design & manufacturing global chain

In addition to the above specialism-specific skills, students will also develop more general skills:

 

• Identify models, perform simulation and analyse results
• Communicate comprehensive results in a meaningful way
• Undertake bibliographic surveys of international research and professional literature
• Manage or be part of a project

Contribution to sustainable development goals

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

Download syllabus | Mechanical Engineering - Advanced Manufacturing

• M1 Year
• M2 Year

Facilities and Research

Faculty and Research Facilities

This Mechanical Engineering programme relies on Centrale Nantes’ faculty and the research facilities of the GeM and the LS2N.

Focus on unique resources

Watch a guided tour of the Additive Manufacturing Platform:

Learn more about the additive manufacturing platform

Industrial Partnerships

Naval Group, Airbus, Chantier de l'Atlantique, General Electric, Renault, PSA

Campus facilities

Centrale Nantes houses 17 buildings on a 40-acre green campus.
In addition to the standard facilities of a university campus (classrooms, media library, computer rooms, etc.), it is home to a total of 13 research platforms, some of which are unique in France, and modern and varied sports facilities, the Kivo incubator and vibrant student life.

► Learn more about the campus

After the MSc

Where are our Mechanical Engineering graduates now?

Survey conducted in 2024 of our 2022 MSc Mechanical Engineering graduates, 76% of whom are currently in employment and 15% pursuing a PhD.

Image transcript

Job/PhD search duration:

• 74% find their first job in 3 months or less
• 100% secured their PhD in less than 3 months

Country of origin

• France - 19%
• Asia Pacific - 32%
• Europe other - 10%
• Middle East - 32%
• Africa - 6%

Current country of residence

• France - 90%
• Europe other - 6%
• Americas - 3%

 

• 64% earn a starting salary in excess of €40K
• 25% are undertaking their PhD in the laboratory where they interned for their Master's thesis
• 100% have a permanent work contract
• 70% recommend the programme

Career Prospects

• Sectors: Aeronautics, Automotive, Transportation, Wind and Marine Energy, Mechanics, Consulting
• Fields: Mechanical Engineering, Design, Materials, Advanced Processes, Additive Manufacturing, Research and Innovation
• Positions: Mechanical Engineer, Process Engineer, Design Engineer, Research and Innovation Engineer (post PhD)

Examples of companies where our 2022 Advanced Manufacturing graduates are working:

• Apex Technologies
• SWIMS
• Vitibot

And of the positions they hold:

• General installation engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer - Research and Development

PhD Opportunities

Examples of PhD topics pursued by our 2022 Advanced Manufacturing graduates:

• 5-axis machining - LaBoMaP (ENSAM de Cluny), France

Why choose this MSc?

Five reasons why you should choose the MSc in Advanced Manufacturing at Centrale Nantes:

 

• A wide scope of manufacturing expertise: from design to manufacturing processes and control and production
• Ideal preparation for a career in either industry or research
• Fully taught in English for a cohort of international students
• Centrale Nantes is ranked in the top 250 in the world for Mechanical Engineering in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
• Accredited Master of Science (MSc) preparing for a PhD in France or abroad or for direct entry into the workplace

What our students/graduates say

Video of Eleanor, a student in the MSc Mechanical Engineering

Video transcript

Meet our Students: Eleanore, from USA, MSc Mechanical Engineering Advanced Manufacturing M-ENG AM

I'm Eleanore. I'm from America and I'm doing the Mechanical Engineering track with the specialty in Advanced Manufacturing. 

Why did you decide to join Centrale Nantes?

I actually decided to join because of the specific program. I decided to do my Master's degree because I was laid off because of the pandemic. I noticed that this design program that I wanted to do had the career opportunities that I was looking for. It was great because it was in France and I always wanted to come back to France. 

How is the programme going so far? 

The course structure is a lot different from in America because there is only the exam at the end and then there's retakes. But I like it a lot and I think it was really interesting how the courses got more specialized as the semester went on. The last semester was the most specialized to my major which I really liked. 

What about student life on campus?

It's good. My favorite thing is when it's warm out and everyone can bring their lunches and sit outside on the picnic tables. What's great about that is that you can meet people from different majors, not just the people on your courses. 

What are you doing now? 

I'm working for GE Renewable Energy Offshore Wind. I'm working with the offshore wind turbines off the coast of St. Nazaire and all over. My job is to work on standardizing bolted connection design across the turbines. 

Any advice for new applicants? 

For new applicants, I would say that the courses can be difficult, but if you put in the right amount of effort then they're actually quite reasonable. I would also say that it's important when you first get here you put yourself out there. That's when people are finding their groups and really trying to make friends. 

Centrale Nantes in 3 words? 

Multicultural - Friendship - Engineering