Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics in Ecole Normale Superieure

Facts About Ecole Normale Superieure

Based in Paris, the École normale supérieure (ENS) is known as one of the most prestigious and most selective graduate schools in France. The institution also sets itself apart as the only grande école to have research departments in all natural, social, and human sciences.

The ENS has seven main departments in its Sciences section (which include mathematics, physics, computer science, and cognitive science), while its Letters section has eight departments (including philosophy, literature, and social science). The school currently offers graduate degrees, Master's programs and 3-year PhD programs in these divisions. The institute's Master's programs span numerous fields of study in the humanities and sciences, including Applied Economics, Physics, Life sciences, and Philosophy. The ENS also offers Master's degrees co-organized by the institute and hosted by the Paris Sciences et Lettres University.

In addition to these departments, the school is home to a language laboratory and various centers of research. The ENS is also well-known for its network of 10 libraries, which together make up the third largest library in France. The main library houses more than 800,000 books and 1,600 periodicals.

The ENS was established in 1794, based on the recommendation of a commission on public education. Intended to serve as the core of a centralized national education system, the school was expected to provide the French Republic with teachers who can offer a uniform education for secondary schools in the country. This school's first courses focused on the sciences and humanities and were supervised by prominent scientists and philosophers of the time. By 1845, the school had gained much of its current identity, including its present name as well as its academic divisions of "Sciences" and "Letters".

The institution has achieved recognition as one of the foremost training grounds in mathematics and physics in France. Its alumni have received recognition all over the world for achievements in the sciences and humanities. Notably, the ENS has produced 14 Nobel Prize laureates, 12 Fields Medalists (the most of any university in the world), and numerous CNRS Gold Medalists. Aside from renowned scientists, such as Louis Pasteur and Paul Langevin, the school is also known as the alma mater of well-known authors and philosophers, such as Michel Foucault, Jean-Paul Sartre, Emile Durkheim, and Jacques Derrida.

Today, the ENS remains committed to training students through research while combining intellectual freedom and individual tutoring. Admissions at the ENS remains highly competitive, with a recruitment process involving competitive examinations. Each year, the school hosts approximately only 2,300 students, including doctoral students and exchange students. The school is currently known as a training institution for researchers, professors, and high-level civil servants.