A grande école is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other previous French colonies such as Morocco or Tunisia. Grandes écoles are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream French public university system, and take the shape of institutes dedicated to teaching, research and professional training in either pure natural and social sciences, or applied sciences such as engineering, architecture, business administration, or public policy and administration.

Arts et Métiers ParisTech is a French engineering and research institute of higher education. It is a grande école, recognized for leading in the fields of mechanics and industrialization. Founded in 1780, it is among the oldest French institutions and is one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France. It has been consistently ranked among the top ten French engineering schools and was ranked fifth in France for Mechanical Engineering in the Shanghai ranking 2018.