(French: "great school") Any of several preeminent specialized institutions of higher learning in France.
The École Polytechnique was founded in 1794 to recruit and train technicians for the army. The École Normale Supérieure serves mainly to prepare future university and lycée (senior secondary-school) teachers. The École Normale d'Administration trains the highest ranks of civil servants. The internationally renowned Collège de France (founded 1530) is a research institution that offers lectures by eminent scholars; it does not grant degrees or certificates. Other grandes écoles include institutes for advanced study in social science, architecture, and the arts.