International Cultural Studies
Etudes culturelles internationales
Sektion VII:Section VII:Section VII:|
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Internationale
Kulturwissenschaften International Cultural Studies Etudes culturelles internationales |
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Sektion VII: |
"Interkultureller" Austausch, transkulturelle Prozesse und Kulturwissenschaften | |
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Section VII: |
"Intercultural" Exchange, Transcultural Processes and Cultural Studies | |
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Section VII: |
Echange interculturel, processus transculturel et études culturelles | |
| Dominique Depeyre (Paris) (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 the T.I.M.E. double degree engineering program, 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.
Introduction
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 through the T.I.M.E. double degree program.
1. Introduction on the T.I.M.E. Network
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.
2. Foundation of the T.I.M.E. Association
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 (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Prof. Juan-José SCALA (ETSII Madrid), Prof. Giancarlo SPINELLI (Politecnico di Milano) and Prof. Dieter VORTMEYER (Technische Universität München).
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.
3. The organization of the T.I.M.E. double degree engineering program
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.
4. Some features on the T.I.M.E. Double Degree Program
On table 1 is listed the name of the 33 European Institutions which are belonging to the T.I.M.E. Association since the Como Annual General Assembly (september 1998).
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.
5. A proposal for the future
Now we are discussing to enlarge the T.I.M.E. double degree engineering program to Institutions of other european 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.
ECP proposed a few weeks ago to the World Technological University, recently founded par UNESCO, that this T.I.M.E. concept could be a WTU standard for bicultural top level engineering students at the world level.
Conclusion
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 not only for their own country but also at the world level.
Table 1: List of European Institutions belonging to the T.I.M.E. Association
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Internationale
Kulturwissenschaften International Cultural Studies Etudes culturelles internationales |
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Sektion VII: |
"Interkultureller" Austausch, transkulturelle Prozesse und Kulturwissenschaften | |
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Section VII: |
"Intercultural" Exchange, Transcultural Processes and Cultural Studies | |
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Section VII: |
Echange interculturel, processus transculturel et études culturelles | |
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