MSc in Engineering in Defense and Security

In practice:

• The engineering program lasts three years. It is the same for both civilian students and IETA military students. Discover the specific features of the IETA program
• The first year of training takes place on the Brest campus. The aim is to train versatile engineers with solid scientific, technical, and managerial skills across a broad spectrum: mathematics, mechanics, digital technology, project management, communication, modern languages, and industrial challenges, particularly in the field of defense.
• From the second year onwards, students join the campus of their chosen option: naval/land systems in Brest, cyber and AI in Paris-Saclay, aeronautics and space in Toulouse.
• Teaching formats are varied to facilitate learning, including numerous application projects.
• Three internships punctuate the program, representing more than nine months in a professional environment, to gain skills and autonomy. The highlight is the final project in the sixth semester, which results in a thesis and a defense, evaluated on the campus where you completed your specialization.

At the beginning of the second year, students join the campus that corresponds to their chosen specialization. After a third semester of core courses, which are the same for everyone, semesters 4 and 5 are largely dedicated to specialization. Here again, the courses are multidisciplinary in order to cover the overall design of systems and all their components, both mechanical and digital. The courses are taught by the teaching and research teams of both schools, with contributions from industry experts and the DGA.

Engineers who graduate from this program are valued for their ability to design, develop, and operate the most complex systems.

Career opportunities for IETA and civil engineers are extensive and include:

• the Ministry of the Armed Forces:  Military (IETA) and civil engineers make up the expertise and innovation force spread across the many centers that form the DGA (Directorate General of Armament), including the AID (Defense Innovation Agency), the SHOM (Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service), support services, and more.
• the 4,000 defense companies (200,000 jobs) that form a strategic group known as the BITD (Defense Industrial and Technological Base). The BITD brings together cutting-edge companies of all sizes, large companies, SMEs, and mid-sized companies, with military or dual (civilian and military) activities, including nine major European groups that are partners in training: Airbus, ArianeGroup, Arquus, Dassault, MBDA, Naval Group, KNDS (which brings together Nexter and KMW), Safran, and Thales.
• and all industrial sectors of civil society that design and manufacture critical, high-performance systems, in which ENSTA and ISAE-SUPAERO alumni are heavily represented: from cybersecurity to aerospace, transport and mobility, maritime, energy, digital, robotics and health engineering.

Find career prospects on the pages dedicated to the three options

• Land and naval system
• Aeronautics and space
• Cyber and AI

A program mainly accessible after scientific preparatory classes and a few places after a bachelor's or master's degree

A/ Admission after specialized mathematics on the basis of the Mines Télécom competitive entrance exam

Le choix entre le statut civil ou IETA est à réaliser au moment des vœux sur le site internet du concours.
To register for the Mines Télécom competitive exam and view the exam schedule, visit the SCEI website.

These figures will be confirmed by ministerial decree (at the beginning of 2026); the six CPGE courses listed will all be included in the 2026 competitive examination..

B/ Admission to the first year based on application and university degree (civilian course only)

Six places under student status (civilian) are available in the first year for the 2026 academic year.

Application requirements:

• Be a student with three years of higher education or already hold a Licence, Licence renforcée, Bachelor's degree, or M1 in science.
• Apply via the online platform from December 5, 2025, to March 22, 2026. The platform allows you to create your applicant account and browse the list of supporting documents and other required items. The application must be complete by March 22, 2026, at the latest.

C/ International applicants (civilian track only)

• Applications are open to students who hold an international science degree. Please visit the dedicated page for more information.

The training aims to train defense and industry engineers, both civilian and military. The choice between these two statuses and career paths is offered to you at the start of the training, when you submit your training preferences on the competition website:

• student status. These (civilian) engineers work in all innovative sectors of industry and public bodies, in particular the DGA.
• IETA status: armament design and technical engineer. This is a dual commitment: engineer and military. Within the DGA, these engineers serve their country's defense and the armed forces by designing and implementing the most innovative programs. From the start of their training, IETA students are under contract and paid by the DGA. The engineering training is preceded by a year (“0”) of immersion in the armed forces.