History of the School

Central School Paris

The École Centrale Paris – originally called the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures – was founded in 1829. It was founded by businessman Alphonse Lavallée, assisted by scientists Jean-Baptiste Dumas, Eugène Péclet, and Théodore Olivier, with the aim of training general engineers for the emerging industry. Initially a private institution, it was bequeathed to the State in 1857 to ensure its long-term survival, thus becoming a recognized public school. In 1884, the school moved to new premises on rue Montgolfier in Paris, alongside the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers. 

After nearly a century of existence, the École Centrale graduated its first female students in 1921. In 1969, it left Paris to settle on a modern campus in Châtenay-Malabry and officially adopted the name "École Centrale Paris" on this occasion.
 

Key dates at the École Centrale Paris

• 1829: Creation of the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures. It welcomes its first students in November at the Hôtel de Juigné in Paris, also known as the Hôtel Salé.
• 1857: Alphonse Lavallée (founder and first director) donates the school to the State to ensure its sustainability.
• 1884: Centrale students return to the new buildings on rue Montgolfier.
• 1925: The school is awarded the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918. It will receive the Legion of Honor for its centenary on May 18, 1929.
• 1951: The Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 is awarded to the Central School.
• 1959: Centrale is recognized as a public administrative establishment.
• 1969: The school joins Châtenay-Malabry.
• 1984: Centrale takes on the status of a Major Establishment.
• 2005: Opening of the Beijing Central School.
• 2010: Centrale decides to build a new campus in Saclay.

Higher School of Electricity

Supélec was founded in 1894 by physicist Éleuthère Mascart, with the support of the International Society of Electricians, to train engineers specializing in the emerging field of electricity. In 1896, it took its definitive name of École supérieure d'électricité, from which the nickname "Supélec" is derived, and was then directed by École Normale Supérieure graduate Paul Janet. Originally located in Paris, the school moved in 1927 to a new campus in Malakoff, which also housed the French Society of Electricians. That same year, two women earned their first engineering degree from Supélec, a milestone in its history. The school then expanded its presence in the provinces by opening a campus in Rennes in 1972. In 1975, the main campus was moved from Malakoff to Gif-sur-Yvette, in the heart of the future Saclay technology center. Finally, a third campus was created in Metz in 1985. These developments made Supélec a pioneering school in the field of energy and information sciences at the turn of the XNUMXst century.^e century.

Key dates for the Higher School of Electricity

• 1894: The Central Electricity Laboratory's training school opens its doors.
• 1896: The Application School, located on rue de Staël in Paris, takes the name of Higher School of Electricity (ESE).
• 1912: General Ferrié founded the radiotelegraphy section at ESE.
• 1917: First women admitted to the ESE.
• 1927: The ESE moves to Malakoff.
• 1939: The two-year course is adopted.
• 1952: The War Cross is awarded to the ESE.
• 1963: The course is extended to 3 years
• 1972: Supélec establishes a campus in Rennes
• 1975: Supélec leaves Malakoff for Gif-sur-Yvette.
• 1985: A third campus is established in Metz.

CentraleSupélec

The two schools have long-standing cooperative ties. Starting in 1967, a joint entrance exam was organized with other institutions, bringing Centrale Paris and Supélec closer together for student recruitment. Over time, their collaborations intensified. A framework partnership agreement was signed in 2005 to formalize joint projects in research, teaching, and industrial relations. In 2011, the "CentraleSupélec" brand was launched to unite the two institutions under a common identity. At the same time, Centrale Paris and Supélec jointly committed to the development of the Paris-Saclay campus and were among the founding members of the Université Paris-Saclay in 2014. 

This convergence resulted in the official merger of the two establishments on 1^er January 2015.

• 2005: Signing of the framework cooperation agreement between Centrale and Supélec.
• 2008: Strategic alliance between the two schools.
• 2011: Creation of the CentraleSupélec brand.
• 2015: Foundation of CentraleSupélec, a public scientific, cultural and professional establishment, directed by Hervé Biausser.
• 2017: Inauguration of the Eiffel and Bouygues buildings on the Gif-sur-Yvette campus by President Emmanuel Macron and relocation of teams from the Châtenay-Malabry campus.
• 2018: Creation of the CentraleSupélec foundation and CentraleSupélec Alumni.
• 2018: recruitment of the first unified CentraleSupélec promotion which benefits from a completely redesigned curriculum.
• 2020: Creation of Paris-Saclay University.
• 2021: Graduation of the first class of the unified CentraleSupélec course.