DEPEYRE, Dominique
Adviser for International Relations, Ecole Centrale Paris - F-92295-Chatenay-Malabry Cedex, France ddepeyre@ads.ecp.fr, http://www.ecp.fr
Abstract: Ecole Centrale Paris is developing since 1987 two different types of double degree programs.
First, the T.I.M.E. ("Top Industrial Managers for Europe") program, which allows French and foreign students to obtain two engineering degrees, each for a nominal study period of 5 to 6 years after high school graduation, with no intermediate degree. 33 Technical Universities from 15 European countries are now belonging to the TIME Network (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland).
Another double degree program works with industrialized countries whose educational system is based on the North American organization, that is with an intermediate degree, the Bachelor's degree, before the Master's degree. We have 25 Technical Universities in 4 countries (Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) in this program.
After some general information on these two double degree engineering programs, some figures will be discussed versus the origin of students, while giving some advantages of this new way of international engineering studies. The impact of these two programs on the industrial recruitment will be focused through the kinds of jobs, the location of jobs and the types of companies.
A proposal will be developed with countries from Latin-American region (such as Brazil) or from Asia-Pacific region (as China or Indonesia). As a conclusion, some comments have to be made on this twelve-year experience and on our projects for the future.
Keywords: engineering education, double degree, top industrial managers, T.I.M.E.
Ecole Centrale Paris, a School of Engineering created on 1829 at the service of industry, is developing since 1987 two different types of Double Degree programs in Engineering:
It may be interesting to focus on twelve years of experiment in Europe and Overseas from 1987 to 1999.
European Institutions of higher education dedicated to the training of engineers have developed syllabuses enabling selected students to obtain the engineering qualifications awarded by Institutions in two different countries on the condition that students prolong the duration of study for a maximum of one year while complying with the statutory regulations for the conferral of such awards. The training courses for engineers referred to here are those which correspond to the course of the longest duration when there are several such courses available in a given country.
The T.I.M.E. (Top Industrial Managers for Europe) network was founded on 1987 by 16 European Institutions under the proposal of Ecole Centrale Paris.
A charter was signed on October 13th, 1989. Let us recall a part of this charter :
« The signatories to this document declare themselves associated for the purpose of
« furthering high level educational programmes for engineers and industrial
« executives, preparing them to function accross national borders in the European
« Communinity and in the world. A dual cultural background is believed to be an
« indispensable component of an effective and complete scientific and technical
« training.
« These aims are to be accomplished through the development of exchanges among
« highly rated national engineering schools and universities, possibly leading to
« dual diplomas recognized equally in the participating countries.
« Each signatory institution will designate a representative to a coordinating
« committee which will be denoted as T.I.M.E. (Top Industrial Managers for Europe).
« T.I.M.E. will be the means for internal communication between its members and
« represent the association in matters involving other national or international
« organizations.
This T.I.M.E. Network has since expanded to include new members. 33 Technical Universities from Europe is now belonging to the T.I.M.E. Network (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland). These Institutions agree for developing a double degree program, the T.I.M.E. ("Top Industrial Managers for Europe") program, which allows european students to obtain two engineering degrees for study covering a period of no more than 6 years after high school graduation.
During ten years, this T.I.M.E. network has operated successfully. On May 15th, 1997, it was proposed to give a formal recognition to its existence by the creation of an Association.
There are several reasons for this, namely :
Ecole Centrale Paris has ensured the organization and follow up of the activities of the network from its creation, and will continue to handle the co-ordination between institutions for the departure of the T.I.M.E. Association.
On the campus of Ecole Centrale Paris (at Chatenay-Malabry, south Paris), Prof. Daniel GOURISSE, Director of Ecole Centrale Paris, welcomed the Rectors, the Presidents, the Directors of the Institutions belonging to the T.I.M.E. Network.
A Constitutive General Assembly was held. The statutes of the T.I.M.E. Association were defined and adopted unanimously. Internal regulations were adopted unanimously.
A first Advisory Committee of the T.I.M.E. Association with ten Institutions was elected unanimously :
A Board was elected unanimously by the Advisory Committee :
Prof. Dominique DEPEYRE, Adviser for International Relations at Ecole Centrale Paris, was nominated as Coordinator of the T.I.M.E. Association. An Admissions Committee, with 5 experts, was nominated by the Advisory Committee with as Chairman, Prof. Daniel GRIMM (Ecole Centrale Paris), and as members, Prof. Robert PONCELET (Universite Libre de Bruxelles), Prof. Juan-José SCALA (ETSII Madrid), Prof. Giancarlo SPINELLI (Politecnico di Milano) and Prof. Dieter VORTMEYER (Technische Universitat Munchen).
For this Constitutive General Assembly a first set of data were discussed :
For the year 1998-1999, 360 engineering students are involved in the T.I.M.E. program through 98 bilateral agreements.
On the example of Ecole Centrale Paris, it is possible to understand the double degree engineering T.I.M.E. program :
A selection of students is organized every two years in this scheme.
For these both ways, a student can obtain two engineering degrees in a delay of 6 years (1 year more than for 1 degree) from two high-level European Technical Universities.
In order to assure the best adaptation of this program to the needs of industry and to provide the necessary financial support (scholarships) for these exchanges, the program is running at ECP in partnership with several large companies, which make up the Club TIME-Plus of ECP.
Another Double Degree Program works on the basis of cooperation with the industrialized countries whose educational system is Anglo-Saxon in nature (Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, United States).
In the framework of bilateral agreements, students may attend graduate school in place of their final year of studies (thus obtaining a Master of Science or a Master of Engineering degree along with their degree from ECP), while students from these partner Universities obtain a « Mastère Spécialisé » degree from ECP.
At the occasion of the 10th birthday of the TIME Network an important work was made about figures and statistics. Allow us to show some of these figures.
On table 1. is listed the name of the 29 European Institutions which were founders of the T.I.M.E. Association on May 15th, 1997.
Four new members are elected by the Advisory Committee since the Constitutive General Assembly :
Now the T.I.M.E. program is running with 33 European Technical Universities coming from 15 countries.
On Table 2. is listed the number of student exchanges for the T.I.M.E. double degree program for the year 1996-1997. Two main figures are given : figures through T.I.M.E. Institutions and figures through countries with T.I.M.E. Institutions.
On table 3. it is possible to see the success story of the T.I.M.E. double degree engineering experience starting on 1987 with the number of double degree engineers graduated by the T.I.M.E. program on May 1997.
When we are looking at the first job obtained by these double degree T.I.M.E. engineers, it is possible to realize that :
While discussing with industrial recruitment staffs, we understood that this bi-cultural engineering program (2 years abroad) of our T.I.M.E. engineers is considered as equivalent to a first professional experience versus motivation, flexibility and dynamics of young engineers. These new engineers are for European companies the future Top Industrial Managers for Europe.
At the occasion of the 10th birthday of the Master’s Degree program Network an important work was made about figures and statistics. Allow us to show some of these figures.
On table 4. is listed the name of the 28 non-continental European Institutions which have signed an agreement with ECP for this program before May 1998.
On table 5. it is possible to see the success story of the Master’s Degree Engineering experience with ECP starting on 1987 with the number of double degree engineers graduated by this program on May 1998.
When we are looking at the first job obtained by these double degree Master’s program engineers, it is possible to realize that :
While discussing with industrial recruitment staffs, we understood that this bi-cultural engineering program (from 1 year and half to 2 years abroad) of our engineers is considered as equivalent to a first professional experience versus motivation, flexibility and dynamics of young engineers. These new engineers are for us the future Top Industrial Managers for Europe and for Overseas.
Now we are discussing to enlarge these two Double Degree Engineering programs to Institutions of other countries.
Two directions are defined by ECP for the near future :
We are ready to discuss with Institutions of these countries for defining on a bilateral way the possibilities of exchanging engineering students, which are with a high academic level and with a high level of motivation for a bi-cultural education in engineering.
Our both T.I.M.E. and Master’s programs are now operational tools with more than ten years of expertise, with an increasing number of candidates coming from 18 European and Overseas countries and with an excellent image for industrial recruitment staffs.
We should like to thank all these students (more than 800 during 10 years) for their experimentation with the T.I.M.E. Network and the Master’s Degree ECP Network, for their clever comments about the pedagogical and technical organization, for their enthusiasm and their efficiency.
These students are for the T.I.M.E. Institutions the best ambassadors for the future.
Table 1. :
List of European Institutions belonging to the T.I.M.E. Network (May 1997)
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Table 2. :
Student exchanges (1996-1997) for the T.I.M.E. double degree program
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Table 3. :
Number of T.I.M.E. double degree engineers (May 1997)
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Table 4. :
List of Institutions belonging to the Master’s Degree Program (July 1997)
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Table 5. :
Number of Master’s degree engineers with ECP (May 1998) : more than 130
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