diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 07ba5f9556..25d0f8a776 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -777,14 +777,33 @@ endif
 	LIBS += $(NCLIB)
 endif
 
-ifneq "$(SCOTCH)" ""
-	SCOTCH_INCLUDES += -I$(SCOTCH)/include
-	SCOTCH_LIBS += -L$(SCOTCH)/lib64 -lptscotch -lscotch  -lptscotcherr -lm
+export SCOTCH ?= false
+ifeq "$(SCOTCH)" "true"
+	ifeq ($(wildcard $(SCOTCH_ROOT)), )
+		export SCOTCH_RELPATH=src/external/scotch
+		export SCOTCH_ROOT=${CURDIR}/${SCOTCH_RELPATH}/install
+		export SCOTCH_LIB_DIR=lib
+	else
+		ifneq ($(wildcard $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib/libptscotch.a), )
+			SCOTCH_LIB_DIR=lib
+		else ifneq ($(wildcard $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib64/libptscotch.a), )
+			SCOTCH_LIB_DIR=lib64
+		else
+			$(error Could not find SCOTCH library in $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib or $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib64)
+			export SCOTCH = false
+		endif
+	endif
+	SCOTCH_INCLUDES += -I$(SCOTCH_ROOT)/include
+	SCOTCH_LIBS += -L$(SCOTCH_ROOT)/$(SCOTCH_LIB_DIR) -lptscotch -lscotch  -lptscotcherr -lm
 	SCOTCH_FLAGS = -DMPAS_SCOTCH
-
 	CPPINCLUDES += $(SCOTCH_INCLUDES)
 	LIBS += $(SCOTCH_LIBS)
 	override CPPFLAGS += $(SCOTCH_FLAGS)
+	SCOTCH_MESSAGE="MPAS was built with an external SCOTCH library using SCOTCH path"
+else ifeq "$(SCOTCH)" "false"
+	SCOTCH_MESSAGE="MPAS was built with the embedded SCOTCH library."
+else
+	$(error Invalid SCOTCH option: $(SCOTCH) - valid options "true", "false")
 endif
 
 ifneq "$(PNETCDF)" ""
@@ -1086,6 +1105,7 @@ rebuild_check:
 	OPENMP=$(OPENMP)\n$\
 	OPENMP_OFFLOAD=$(OPENMP_OFFLOAD)\n$\
 	OPENACC=$(OPENACC)\n$\
+	SCOTCH=$(SCOTCH)\n$\
 	TAU=$(TAU)\n$\
 	PICFLAG=$(PICFLAG)\n$\
 	TIMER_LIB=$(TIMER_LIB)\n$\
@@ -1442,11 +1462,26 @@ musica_fortran_test:
 	$(eval MUSICA_FORTRAN_VERSION := $(shell pkg-config --modversion musica-fortran))
 	$(if $(findstring 1,$(MUSICA_FORTRAN_TEST)), $(info Built a simple test program with MUSICA-Fortran version $(MUSICA_FORTRAN_VERSION)), )
 
-scotch_c_test:
+$(SCOTCH_ROOT)/$(SCOTCH_LIB_DIR)/libptscotch.a:
+	@#
+	@# Build the Scotch library if it is not already built
+	@#
+	ifeq "$(SCOTCH)" "false"
+		$(error Could not find SCOTCH library in $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib or $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/lib64)
+	endif
+
+	$(info Building Scotch library...)
+	src/core_atmosphere/tools/manage_externals/checkout_externals --externals src/Externals.cfg;
+	cd ${SCOTCH_RELPATH} && mkdir -p build;
+	cd ${SCOTCH_RELPATH}/build && cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$(SCOTCH_ROOT) -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=$(SCOTCH_LIB_DIR) -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release;
+	cd ${SCOTCH_RELPATH}/build && make -j$(nproc);
+	cd ${SCOTCH_RELPATH}/build && make install;
+
+scotch_c_test: $(SCOTCH_ROOT)/$(SCOTCH_LIB_DIR)/libptscotch.a
 	@#
 	@# Create a C test program and try to build against the PT-SCOTCH library
 	@#
-	$(info Checking for a working Scotch library...)
+	$(info Checking for a working Scotch library in $(SCOTCH_ROOT)...)
 	$(eval SCOTCH_C_TEST := $(shell $\
 	    printf "#include <stdio.h>\n\
 			&#include \"mpi.h\"\n\
@@ -1529,7 +1564,7 @@ else
 MUSICA_MESSAGE = "MPAS was not linked with the MUSICA-Fortran library."
 endif
 
-ifneq "$(SCOTCH)" ""
+ifeq "$(SCOTCH)" "true"
 MAIN_DEPS += scotch_c_test
 SCOTCH_MESSAGE = "MPAS has been linked with the Scotch graph partitioning library."
 else
diff --git a/src/Externals.cfg b/src/Externals.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a537a0c9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Externals.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+[SCOTCH]
+local_path = ./src/external/scotch
+protocol = git
+repo_url = https://gitlab.inria.fr/scotch/scotch.git
+tag = v7.0.11
+required = True
+
+[externals_description]
+schema_version = 1.0.0
diff --git a/src/external/Makefile b/src/external/Makefile
index b6161562e8..7400e65fde 100644
--- a/src/external/Makefile
+++ b/src/external/Makefile
@@ -20,4 +20,5 @@ smiol-lib:
 clean:
 	( cd esmf_time_f90; $(MAKE) clean )
 	( cd ezxml; $(MAKE) clean )
+	( cd scotch; $(RM) -r build install )
 	$(MAKE) -C SMIOL clean