Architecture, Ambiances, Urbanity (U-ENV AAU)

Programme Objectives

This Master offers a world-class education to future engineers and town planners by providing the skills necessary to address environmental and health issues in the context of sustainable urban development, in research and in urban design.

The programme is designed to provide scientific theoretical knowledge and tools necessary to understand and address the environmental physical problems resulting from the ever increasing urban population. Various key disciplines such as urban microclimatology, wind and ventilation in urban areas, human ecology of urban spaces, sunlight and illumination are taught through advanced lectures and research work in laboratories renowned in these fields.

The Master programme is fully recognized by the French Ministry of Higher Education and the network of contacts established by the researchers engaged in the programme guarantees international exposure for the students.

The programme of study lasts two academic years - denoted by M1 and M2 - and is fully taught in English.

Course Content

30 ECTS Credits per semester.
Language of instruction: English
 

M1 Year - 2022/23
Autumn Semester Courses ECTS  Spring Semester Courses  ECTS
Fluid mechanics 1  5 Hydrology and transfers in soils  5
Algorithmics for Engineering Modelling  4 Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics  5
Energetics and building heat transfers  5 Urban Realities Review  5
Introduction to Geographic Information Sciences  5 Urban Management and Planning  4
Introduction to research  5 History of the city  5
Business Environment  4 Social sciences for the city  4
Modern Languages *  2 Modern Languages *  2
Conferences  0

* 'French as Foreign Language' except for French native speakers who will study 'Cultural and Communicational English'

NB Course content may be subject to minor changes
M2 Year - 2022/23
Autumn Semester Courses ECTS
Research methods and practice 4
Ambiance, ambiances 5
Urban project 1: theoretical approach and environmental indicators  4
Urban project 2: design and evaluation 5
Urban environment 1: sunlight & sound environment 5
Urban environment 2: wind & microclimate 5
Modern Languages * 2
Conferences 0

* 'French as Foreign Language' except for French native speakers who will study 'Cultural and Communicational English'
NB Course content may be subject to minor changes.
 
Spring Semester ECTS
Master thesis / internship                                                    30
 

Examples of previous internships in industry/research labs:

  • Thermal comfort of pedestrians in urban outdoor spaces: simplified model for predicting mean radiant temperature
  • Research and outlook for the implementation of desilting in Guangzhou as part of Sino-French cooperation
  • Urban Biodiversity in South America: Exploring Public Space in the Brazilian City
  • (Re)Generation of an obsolete urban structure: the redevelopment of the Source district in Orleans
Skills developed
  • Understand and master the theoretical and methodological foundations of urban environments through the problematic of ambiances.
  • Master the physical phenomena that contribute to the comfort and to the perception of the developed or built environment.
  • Know how to characterise urban ambiances.
 

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

 
  • Express assumptions to analyse and solve a problem
  • Communicate comprehensive results in a meaningful way
  • Undertake bibliographic surveys of international research and professional literature
  • Carry out an urban project through its environmental challenges

Download syllabus | U-ENV AAU 2022/23


NB all courses are taught in English from 2023/24
Facilities and Partnerships

Faculty

This Master is taught by faculty at Centrale Nantes and at ensa Nantes (School of Architecture).

Collaboration

Focus on unique resources

CORAULIS at ensa Nantes - Observation centre in augmented reality and sound immersion site

Virtual reality immersion is destined to be one of the major knowledge vectors of tomorrow. It offers numerous possibilities for exploring the sensitive dimensions of past, present and future architectural and urban projects, and for taking up the challenge of innovative and participative approaches to design, training and creation, in situ, at a distance and in a network.

In this context, CORAULIS offers a new mode of representation of the city to architects, urban planners, researchers, teachers, students and artists: it is adapted to research on the sensory experience in built environments, techniques of visualization and analysis of urban projects, etc. The platform lends itself to all the research and developments that deal with experience in virtual environments and is also an innovative training tool.

► Learn more
Admissions
 
  • Apply online on the eCandidat platform
  • Applications for the 2023 M1 intake are open and are processed in three rounds
  • Applications for the 2023 M2 intake open: 15 February 2023
 
Application process

Application rounds

  • Applications are reviewed in rounds. M1 applicants may apply in any of the three M1 rounds, and M2 applicants in either of the two M2 rounds. Applications should be submitted on the eCandidat platform as early as possible, but before the deadlines below;
  • Applications are not considered 'complete' until all required elements are submitted. Only complete applications received by the round's deadline will be considered in that round;
  • The admissions board reviews applications at the conclusion of each round and notifies each applicant of the outcome of their application;

Accepting your place

  • Successful applicants must accept their place on the eCandidat platform by the deadlines below;
  • The first installment of tuition fees must be paid by the deadlines below to definitively secure the applicant's place on the programme.



Important dates for the 2023 intake

M1 | Round 1 M1 | Round 2 M1 | Round 3 M2 | Round 1 M2 | Round 2
Submit your complete application by 14 December 28 February 30 April 30 March 30 April
You will be notified of the outcome of your application by 27 January 24 March 26 May 28 April 26 May
Accept your place by 14 February 10 April 11 June 11 May 10 June
Pay your first tuition installment by 31 March 25 May 15 June 30 May 15 June
Admission requirements

Admission requirements for the first year (M1)

  • International students with a bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Technology) or equivalent, in a field related to Science and Technology
  • French and European students with a 'license' qualification or equivalent.
  • Students must have graduated from the above before the end of August in order to enrol in a Master's Programme at Centrale Nantes in September.
  • Applicants must have a good level in Mathematics and be fluent in English - written and spoken. An applicant whose native language is not English is required to pass a recognised international test of English*:
    • TOEFL - IBT 80, or ITP 550, paper-delivered test 60,
    • Cambridge B2 First Test - 173 or higher,
    • Cambridge C1 Advanced Test - 160 or higher,
    • IELTS - 6.5 or higher,
    • TOEIC - 800 or higher.
  • Applicants who carried out their studies in English (you must provide an official confirmation letter from your university) are eligible without passing such a test, but providing the results of a recognized international test can add value to the application.
  • Students who completed their studies in the countries listed below are exempted from submitting a language certificate: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, English-speaking Canada, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritius, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia or Zimbabwe.

*no other test is recognised.

Language of instruction

English.


Admission requirements for the second year (M2)

Students who have successfully completed a first year Master's programme can apply for the second year Master's programme.

Language of instruction

English.
Required documents

When applying for a Centrale Nantes Master's Programme you will be asked to provide the following documents:
 

  • Your official transcripts
  • A CV/Resume and cover letter
  • Your diploma
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Your passport or other form of official identification

Your documents must be uploaded in English or French. If the original version of your documents is not in one of these two languages, a certified translation by a sworn translator is required.

Apply online
Apply online on the eCandidat platform
 

How to use the eCandidat platform:

 

Your application in 5 easy steps:

Contact and admissions support

Master's Admission Office

master.admissione07138b0-0579-45b3-98c4-69201ef01976@ec-nantes.fr
Tel: +33.2.40.37.68.36 / 33.2.40.37.68.51

Chinese students: lichunlai5fe72114-aa54-433a-b7e2-3ce6b2f8593f@ec-nantes.cn
Indian students: applicationdd66ca1b-d394-4f52-b581-b3e446b14498@galaxy-edu.com

Tuition fees and financing

Fees for non-European students:

  • Master 1 year: €9,000
  • Master 2 year: €6,000

A reduction of €1,500 for the first year of study is granted to non European international students who make their first tuition payment within one month of being offered a place on the programme.


Fees for European students:

€243 per year


Scholarships

Different scholarships are available for students enrolling in a Master's Programme at Centrale Nantes:
 
  • Centrale Nantes Elite Scholarship
  • Government scholarships
  • Inter-government scholarships
  • Industry scholarships
  • Scholarships from organisations
  • European Programmes
Why choose this Master's?







 

After the Master's

Career Prospects

  • Sectors: urban planning and design; urban environment
  • Fields: urban planning, microclimatology, comfort in urban areas
  • Positions: urban planner in consulting office or groups specialized in environmental engineering; assistance to contracting authorities; research and academia (post PhD)

Where are they now?

► Find out what our recent Master's graduates are doing now
What our students / graduates say

Read what our students and graduates have to say about the programme: more coming soon

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 13 research platforms, some of which are unique in France, and modern and varied sports facilities, the Centrale-Audencia-Ensa incubator and vibrant student life. Facilities on the Centrale Nantes campus:

  • 45 classrooms
  • 6 lecture theatres 
  • 13 computer rooms (with nearly 180 fully equipped PCs and extended opening hours)
  • 1 media library
  • 5 research institutes
  • Sports and cultural facilities: 1 gymnasium, 1 multisport/dojo hall, squash courts, 1 piano room
  • 1 student house
  • Student halls of residence and accommodation support
  • 1 online platform for students, Onboard, with timetables, grades, attendance management, distance learning and teaching resources,
  • 1 Moodle platform (Hippocampus) with collaborative functionality available to faculty and students (additional resources, working groups, forum, online assessments, etc.).
  • Students also have access to meeting rooms / learning innovation / videoboxes equipped with video projectors, cameras, interactive whiteboards, etc., for their classes, presentation preparation, project work, etc.
  • 1 lifelong email address and an individual digital workspace and storage space, with remote 24H access.


Virtual Tour

Explore the campus with its classrooms, research platforms, student life and sports activities: Take the virtual tour

Published on April 13, 2017 Updated on March 9, 2023