We Know It Student mobility Prof. Claudio Beccari Socrates Institutional Coordinator

1. We Know It Student mobility Prof. Claudio Beccari Socrates Institutional Coordinator

2. Outline • The Italian University education scheme • Interaction between the education scheme and the student mobility • Mobility programs • Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • Conclusion

3. Magistrale Italian University Education Scheme • European 3+2+3 Scheme: Italian implementation

4. Degrees awarded • First level degree: Laurea • Second level degree: Laurea magistrale • Third level degree: Dottorato di ricerca • First level continuing education degree: Master Universitario di primo livello • Second level continuing education degree: Master Universitario di secondo livello

5. Meaning of Laurea • Short for the Latin phrase corona laurea  laurel crown • It indicates the laurel crown that was worn by the new doctors after their dissertation in the first medieval universities • IEE motto: Lauream ferat qui meruitLet him wear the laurel crown who deserved it

6. Meaning of Laurea magistrale • Since the word “Master” had already been used for the continuing education degrees, the second level degree could not be called “Master” • … but again Latin comes handy and “laurea magistrale” is the Italian equivalent of “laurea magistralis” the master’s laurel crown

7. Interaction between the education scheme and the student mobility • With the old pre-European scheme we used to arrange student mobility only for students on the fourth or fifth year of their curriculum • We considered them mature enough to face the difficulties of an international experience

8. New scheme mobility • This is why, with very few exceptions, now we arrange mobility programs only for second level students, Italian students who already got the laurea degree, or foreign students frequenting courses on the second level path • This is particularly handy for double degree programs

10. Incoming foreign students2004/05

11. Latin American countries

12. Outgoing Italian students

13. Outgoing Italian students2003/04

14. Mobility programs We must distinguish between • Undergraduate student mobility • Graduate student mobility In general the undergraduate mobility programs for our outgoing students are very restricted.

15. Special programs for foreign undergraduate students • We accept foreign students on their third year of the first level path • We do not accept them only for attending their internship • Up to now we accepted them for just one semester • We have no double degree programs for undergraduate students, …

16. … except two degree courses where all three years are part of a joint program: • LIFI: Laurea in Ingegneria dell’informazione Franco–Italiana Licence en Ingénierie Franco Italienne [Politecnico di Torinoand Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble] • Ingegneria della Produzione [Politecnico di Torino, Centre Leonardo de Vinci de Paris, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya de Barcelona, University of Ashton]

17. Mobility for our undergraduate students • Students of the faculties of Architecture are allowed to participate to unrestricted undergraduate mobility • Students of the faculties of Engineering frequenting in the non metropolitan campuses may participate to undergraduate mobility • Other undergraduate students of Engineering may participate only to special programs

18. Special programs for our engineering undergraduate students • The above mentioned two special programs that rely on global curriculum joint programs are the only ones available for our outgoing undergraduate students • We have them undergo a special selective procedure in order to chose the best and most motivated ones

19. INP-G Nationale INP-T BAC Degre d’Ingenieur INP-L INP - CPP Cycle Polytechnique Préparatoire 3years 2 years French System of National Polytechnic Institutes (INP)

20. 3rd year 2nd sem. 3rd year 1st sem. 2nd year 1st sem. 1st year France 2nd Year 2nd sem. 3rd year 2nd sem. 2nd year 1st sem. 1styear Italy The LIFI curriculum

21. FRANCE ITALY ELN Laurea Magistr. Diplôme Ing. ENSERG INF ENSIMAG LIFI LIFI TLC TELECOM ENSPG ITC Further Education Opportunities after the LIFI Degree 2 years 2 years

22. Graduate student mobility • Graduate student mobility forms the major part of our programs • One semester of courses • Two semesters of courses • One semester courses plus one semester for the master thesis • Master thesis • Two semesters of courses plus master thesis for double degree programs

23. Special graduate student programs • Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer engineering jointly with the University of Illinois in Chicago • Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering jointly with the University of Illinois in Chicago • These degree courses require approximately three semesters; they are taught completely in English

24. 1st level Italian Master degree Laurea degree or equivalent One semester work for the Master Thesis in English defended in Chicago WORK Laurea Magistrale in ITC Engineering Two semesters of courses in English Two semesters of courses in English 2nd level degree in ITC and EECS Master Degree UIC

25. European postgraduate courses • Joint master degree on Nano- and micro-technologies [Politecnico di Torino, INP-Grenoble, EPF-Lausanne] • European Master degree (Erasmus Mundus program) in Information Technologies [Barcelona, Torino, Louvain, Karlsruhe] • …

26. European postgraduate courses • … • 2nd level Master Universitario degrees in Information and Telecommunication Technologies: three different degree courses, all taught in English • One complete second level degree course in Information Technology completely taught in English leading to the Laurea Magistrale degree

27. 1st semester courses Project work Italy (Turin) Project work 2nd semester courses France (Grenoble) Project work 3rd semester courses Switzerland (Lausanne) Micro- and Nanotechnologies Master degree

28. Programs • One semester courses • Two semester courses • One semester courses and one semester thesis • One semester thesis • Double degree: two semester courses plus one semester master thesis

29. 45 double degree agreements

30. Different double degree arrangements • The double degree programs are our preferred programs • They really offer foreign and Italian student concrete possibilities of intercultural education • The diplomas are automatically recognized by at least two countries • Graduates may effectively exercise the European right of working (almost everywhere) in Europe

31. Double degree schemes • There are various constraints that may cause the realization of these programs a little difficult: • Obviously the different background and the different education systems • The semester purposes; in some countries the last semester is totally dedicated to the final project • Some countries require that at least half of the education time is spent in their universities • Some countries may require an additional semester for language requirements

32. Double degree schemes • Most of our agreements (except those for which there is an overall agreement on the complete degree course  Erasmus Mundus European Master) require a curriculum one semester longer than the normal master degree one • The +2 section of the European education becomes +2.5 : two semesters of courses and one semester dedicated to the master thesis • Normally we do not accept the TIME projects that last more than 3 semesters

33. Double degree schemes • We developed around 25 different schemes for coping with the various constraints with different European or extra European universities for outgoing and incoming students respectively • I’ll show only a few samples

35. DEGREE

38. DEGREE

40. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • We are very satisfied that a large number of foreign students have the possibility of studying here; some of them eventually decide to remain, at least some years, in order to work here; some of them continue their education on the third level, the Doctorate.

41. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • We are also very glad that many of our students have the opportunity of studying abroad so as to enlarge their views, learn new languages, and appreciate other countries education systems and ways of life. Some continue with their doctorates and some remain working abroad.

42. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • These were actually the goals that the European Commission had in mind when first set up the Socrates programs • These are also the goals of the institutions that made reciprocal agreements with extra European countries

43. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • The lows are mostly due to bureaucratic issues in spite of the excellent work done by the staff and the professors involved • Education systems are different even at the high school level: Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany have a 13-year primary and secondary education, while most other countries have a 12-year system, and some even 11- o 10-year systems. The backgrounds of the enrolling university students are necessarily very different

44. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • The compulsory education not necessarily coincides with the complete duration of the primary and secondary schools; for example in Italy school is compulsory only for 10 years, but the secondary education allowing enrollment in the university lasts 3 more years; this implies that the last three years of the secondary school are by definition “not for everybody’’ and there exists a moderate selection

45. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • In principle the Austrian, German, Italian, and Swiss students should have less general education in university, since they had more in high school • And this is what really happens; in facts the university curricula in these countries contain more professional courses and less general education ones

46. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • The traditions of some countries are such that the 3+2+3 scheme hardly will be ever adopted. • For example the Grands Ecoles system is based on the 2+3+3 scheme, where the first two years are done outside the university, in the classes préparatoires • As we have seen, also the Instituts Nationaux Polytechniques are based on a 2+3+3 system

47. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • The different time schedules for courses and exams make student mobility a little difficult; in Sweden courses start just after the middle of August, while in Italy they may start even by the middle of October (by the middle of September in our Politecnico)

48. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • In Italy we have from three to five examination periods; one of these periods occupies the time from the end of summer vacations (August) to the beginning of the fall semester • In some countries, among which Italy, exams may be repeated at will (but only once per session)

49. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • Even some terminology is confusing: • Industrial engineering means different things in different countries • Information technology is sometimes confused with Computer science • Architecture may imply something very similar to Civil or Building Engineering • Et cetera…

50. Highs and Lows of our mobility programs • Due to different timings and different bureaucratical procedures for recording the exams and producing the transcripts of grades there might be delays for the validation and accreditations of the exams passed abroad • Let’s not speak of the different grading systems