History

The Institut Universitaire de Technologie, with its first Electrical Engineering department, moved into new buildings in Caucriauville in 1967. Three other departments soon followed.

With the emergence of the UER (Unité d’Enseignement et de Recherche des Sciences et Techniques), which also moved to Caucriauville in 1970, students from Le Havre were able to begin their scientific studies in their home town.

1972 saw the creation, in the lower town this time, of the Department of International Affairs, whose originality lies in its multi-disciplinary teaching: law, economics, social sciences, English and a second language.

For another twelve years, the IUT, the UER sciences et techniques and the international affairs department, as well as research, developed in parallel, under the administrative authority of the University of Rouen. These three entities will form the basis of the future Le Havre establishment.

In August 1984, Le Havre finally had its own fully-fledged university. The creation of the university was in response to a strong demand from all local players – political and socio-economic – and to the expectations of the local population.

Anchored in the Le Havre area, the new establishment expanded its range of courses and asserted its specificity: international openness and professionalization were at the heart of its pedagogical project. At the same time, the number of research laboratories was growing and scientific skills were being structured around common research themes, in liaison with economic players.

The Institut Supérieur d’Etudes Logistiques (ISEL) was founded in 1994. It is still the only logistics engineering school in France. Finally, with the creation of the UFR lettres et sciences humaines in 1998, the University of Le Havre Normandie now has 5 components.

Since January 1, 2011, the University of Le Havre Normandie has been “autonomous”, i.e. it has taken on extended responsibilities and competences (RCE) in terms of human resources and finance.

In January 2025, the Université Le Havre Normandie will inaugurate its Campus Polytechnique des Territoires Maritimes et Portuaires, offering the institution and its partners in the Le Havre basin a new model for collaboration in higher education and research.