Design Department

Guided by ENS Paris-Saclay's overall mission, the department offers several different design programmes for students admitted through the entrance examination.
Normalien students having competed at least their M1 may be admitted to the second year of the master's in design (M2) through written application and interview.

Contact

Bâtiment Nord - Niveau 2
4, avenue des Sciences
91190 Gif-sur-Yvette
Tel. + 33 1 81 87 56 26

    Websites

    Organization

    • Directrice préfiguratrice : anne.lefebvre [at] ens-paris-saclay.fr (Anne LEFEBVRE)
    • Directeur préfigurateur adjoint aux études : james.auger [at] ens-cachan.fr (James AUGER)
    • Responsable diplôme : Erwan.Kerdreux [at] ens-cachan.fr (Erwan KERDREUX)

     

      Training 

      The courses offered are based around the French “LMD” scheme: undergraduate degree, Master’s degree, and doctorate.

      M1 (1st year Master’s degree - M1) - Design Research

      The “Design Research” Master’s degree sets out to train designer-researchers to be able to examine contemporary ways of life through the design project and research.
      The objective of the first year of the Design Master’s is to educate students “through research and in research”, via learning by doing, helping to train them in the fundamental tools and concepts of the discipline.
      This first year of the Master’s course offers different scenarios to help improve practice (such as workshops and internships), based on essential skills for a future designer-researcher, such as gathering information, modelling, experimenting, coding, depicting, and publishing.

      M2Fesup: 2nd year Master’s degree in teacher training in design (FESup)

      The M2 teacher training in design offers training in design and applied arts teaching. The vast majority of students on the course find a job through the agrégation competitive exam for public education posts in applied arts, which opens up posts at sixth-form colleges and applied arts colleges.
      Preparation for the agrégation competitive exam for public education posts and the Master 2 is carried out in its entirety at the department’s site, under the guidance of the heads of department and specific teachers.

      M2 (2nd year Master’s degree) - Design Research

      The Master 2 “Design Research” degree sets out to train designer-researchers to be able to examine contemporary ways of life through the design project and research.
      The objective of this second year of the Master’s degree in Design Research is to continue the designer/researcher training that began in M1, this time focusing on training with research tools and research through practice, by establishing individual challenges.

      ARPE year

      The ARPE year gives students a chance to carry out long-term research work (9 months) in a research laboratory abroad, which the selected Ecole Normale student has decided is suitable for this particular year (Research programme) as part of their ENS Paris-Saclay degree.
      This acts as a great opportunity to have a rewarding research experience at the start of their academic training.
      The objective of this ARPE year is to get a feel for the culture and methods of design research laboratories.

       

      These training courses are organised in partnership with the Centre de design (Centre of Design), the ENSCI Les ateliers, Telecom Paritech, the National School of Art and Design (ENSAD), the National School of Art and Design of Saint Etienne (ESADSE), the National School of Landscape (ENSPV), University of Paris 1, and others.