The new Global Engineering Program, a unique partnership between 平特五不中鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering and France鈥檚 CentraleSup茅lec, has an ambitious aim 鈥� to reimagine what an undergraduate degree in engineering can look like.
Students in the four-year program will spend the first two years at CentraleSup茅lec, located 20 kilometres south of Paris in a region known as France鈥檚 Silicon Valley. The final two years of the program will take place at 平特五不中. The overall goal is to combine the distinct strengths of the European approach to training engineers with the advantages of the North American model.
鈥淭his is an innovative undergraduate engineering program like no other in the country,鈥� says Laurent Mydlarski, a professor of mechanical engineering at 平特五不中 and the program鈥檚 co-director. He says the Global Engineering Program 鈥渙ffers more breadth, in both scientific and non-technical matters鈥� than conventional engineering degrees.
鈥淭his program has been developed from scratch, drawing on the strengths of two institutions,鈥� says Mydlarski.
CentraleSup茅lec, affiliated with the Universit茅 Paris-Saclay, is one of France鈥檚 top engineering schools (it was ranked second in the country by Le Figaro) and has strong ties with the businesses in its region. Like 平特五不中, it has an international orientation 鈥� 26 per cent of its students come from outside France.
The Global Engineering Program, for its first two years, follows a French model, establishing a broad foundation with a focus on science courses 鈥� primarily math, physics, chemistry, biology and computer science. Students are also required to take non-science courses in areas such as economics, project management and ethics.
Following this, students come to Montreal for two years at 平特五不中 (the first cohort will arrive next fall), where they will specialize in one of nine engineering streams.
While many of the streams relate to existing 平特五不中 engineering programs 鈥� bioengineering, chemical, civil, electrical, materials, and mechanical engineering 鈥� there is also a data science stream along with entrepreneurial and breadth streams, the latter providing a general engineering education.
鈥淥bviously there鈥檚 the international aspect, which makes it global. But another definition of 鈥榞lobal鈥� is all-encompassing.鈥�
- Professor Laurent Mydlarski, co-director of the Global Engineering Program
After four years of study, students graduate with degrees from both institutions, having completed a program that is more specialized than they would receive at CentraleSup茅lec, but more generalized than the typical 平特五不中 offering.
Mydlarski believes this balance reflects the experiences of a significant proportion of engineering graduates in Canada who might not need such highly specialized training, and who would benefit from exposure to a broader range of subjects.
According to Engineers Canada, only 38 per cent of graduates of engineering programs ever get professional licensure as engineers 鈥� and while not all engineering jobs require this license, the numbers indicate that many graduates take their engineering skills to successful careers in other areas.
鈥淭he basic understanding that an engineering education gives you in problem solving is a skill that goes well beyond engineering,鈥� says Mydlarski.
Mydlarski says the program might also appeal to students who aren鈥檛 yet certain about what area of engineering they want to focus on.
鈥淲hen you apply to engineering at 平特五不中, you have to choose your specialization right away, at age 18,鈥� he says. The Global Engineering Program offers students an opportunity to experience a variety of subject matter before deciding on a specialization.
Franck Richecoeur is the dean of undergraduate and graduate studies at CentraleSup茅lec and the co-director of the Global Engineering Program.
鈥淲e wanted to create a bachelor鈥檚 program that was different,鈥� Richecoeur says. 鈥淚n France, we know how to train generalist engineers, not specialized engineers. We wanted to have international cohorts and train students within an international environment.鈥�
While the program is based in France and Montreal, the language of instruction for all courses is in English 鈥� a request from CentraleSup茅lec, which wanted to maximize the program鈥檚 appeal to international students.
Still, students in the program are encouraged to make the most of the fact that they鈥檒l be spending their time in two French-speaking cities 鈥� especially since they are expected to be able to speak at least two languages once they graduate (language courses are also a required part of the program). The hope is that the students who emerge from the program will be equipped to work in a wide variety of milieus.
Mydlarski estimates that about a third of the program鈥檚 students will come from Canada, a third from France, and the remainder will arrive from other countries.
He says the name of the Global Engineering Program has a double meaning. 鈥淥bviously there鈥檚 the international aspect, which makes it global,鈥� says Mydlarski. 鈥淏ut another definition of 鈥榞lobal鈥� is all-encompassing.鈥�
Students in the program will participate in three internships in addition to their studies. The initial one, between their first and second year courses, focuses on understanding the impacts that engineers can have on society, beyond strictly technological matters.
The second and third internships form a pair, both being spent with the same company; the 鈥減rofessional discovery鈥� internship follows the second year and enables students to get to know a company, while the third 鈥� the 鈥済lobal project鈥� internship 鈥� takes place the following summer and sees students working on a defined project with expected deliverables.
As befits a global engineering program, the companies participating in the internships can be located anywhere in the world.
This article was originally posted in .