Each year, ENSTA welcomes several hundred doctoral students to its two campuses, enabling them to pursue their research at the highest scientific level in a variety of exciting and innovative fields of innovation.

Why pursue a thesis at ENSTA?

Internationally recognized as a mark of excellence and a sign of a very high level of expertise, a Ph.D. opens the door to highly skilled positions in both the public and private sectors. In addition to providing access to the academic world, it opens up major long-term career opportunities based on the specific skills acquired during the doctoral program, which are widely recognized in the socio-economic sphere for highly skilled positions.

Within the ENSTA laboratories, doctoral students work in a cutting-edge research and innovation ecosystem. With close ties to industry (many CIFRE theses), they become part of a large, internationally recognized research community.

Key figures

300
PhD students
11
academic laboratories
27
industrial chairs and joint laboratories
Over 200
lecturers and research professors

What is a doctoral dissertation?

Available to those who have earned an MSc in Engineering, a master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification, the doctorate is a national degree awarded by an accredited institution of higher education in recognition of the research conducted by a doctoral student as part of a dissertation.

This research is generally conducted in a research laboratory at the institution (or partially in a company under CIFRE agreements), is supervised by one or more thesis advisors, and typically lasts three years. Doctoral students enroll in doctoral schools that support them throughout their research-based training. The doctorate is an internationally recognized degree.

Doctoral Schools

The doctoral schools affiliated with ENSTA are:

In the field of Humanities and Social Sciences, ENSTA doctoral students, in association with the FoAP laboratory, are affiliated with the Abbé Grégoire Doctoral School at CNAM Paris.

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Our latest news

International | Research | Student Life
A promising first step into the world of research

From March 16 to 19, Edinburgh hosts HRI 2026, one of the leading international conferences on human-robot interaction. Among the scientific papers selected for presentation is one by a group of ENSTA students who initially had no other ambition than to...

A promising first step into the world of research

From March 16 to 19, Edinburgh hosts HRI 2026, one of the leading international conferences on human-robot interaction. Among the scientific papers selected for presentation is one by a group of ENSTA students who initially had no other ambition than to...

Research
Hybridization of metal 3D printing processes for more resistant parts

Bringing together three prestigious engineering schools under the supervision of the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), École Polytechnique, ENSTA, and ISAE Supaero, the QUADS2 project aims to hybridize two metal additive manufacturing processes...

Hybridization of metal 3D printing processes for more resistant parts

Bringing together three prestigious engineering schools under the supervision of the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), École Polytechnique, ENSTA, and ISAE Supaero, the QUADS2 project aims to hybridize two metal additive manufacturing processes...

Institute | Training
2026 Flag Ceremony: a tradition of commitment and excellence

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the traditional Flag Ceremony took place on the ENSTA campus in Brest, a solemn and symbolic event for engineering students studying weapons systems and technology (IETA). These students chose a dual commitment, engineering...

2026 Flag Ceremony: a tradition of commitment and excellence

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the traditional Flag Ceremony took place on the ENSTA campus in Brest, a solemn and symbolic event for engineering students studying weapons systems and technology (IETA). These students chose a dual commitment, engineering...