The Diplôme d'Ingénieur is a postgraduate degree in engineering ' usually awarded by the French Grandes Écoles in engineering. It is generally obtained after five to seven years of studies after the French Baccalauréat. Each holder of the diplôme d'ingénieur is also conferred the title of Ingénieur diplômé. This is distinguished from the term ingénieur''' which is less-regulated. The diplôme d'ingénieur is recognized as Master of Science in Engineering in the United States and in the countries of the European Union. Most Grande Ecole give the opportunity to their students to join a double degree with a University. Furthermore, Diplôme d'ingénieur graduates can pursue a selective PhD after their engineering studies to later join academia or an industrial R&D department.
Accreditation
The title Ingénieur diplômé is a strictly regulated and protected by the French state. Any institution issuing the diplôme d'ingénieur must be accredited by the Commission des titres d'ingénieur which is the official administrative body responsible for evaluating higher education institutions to train professional engineers in France. Anyone found to be misusing the title of Ingénieur diplômé is liable to a €15,000 fine and a one-year sentence in prison. Since the signing of the Bologna Processin 1999, the European Master's Degree is also conferred by the state to the holder of a diplôme d'ingénieur. The diplôme d'ingénieur is also recognized in the United States by the AACRAO since 2013 as "Master of Science in Engineering".
France is particular in that it is mainly the Grandes Écoles in engineering that are accredited and are certified to issue the diplôme d'ingénieur, which is differentiated from bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering issued by public universities. Universities in France are comprehensive institutions composed of several faculties covering various fields with a large student body. On the other hand, Grandes Écoles in engineering are much smaller in size and recruit their students with more selective processes.
Curriculum
Student engineers in Grandes Écoles are educated in close cooperation with the various industries through academic-industry partnerships, which introduce graduates to professional life while giving them a solid grounding in their discipline. As many graduates will advance to positions leading future projects and teams, courses related to management and professional training are also included in the curriculum. In addition to the core curriculum in engineering and science, the French engineer training often includes, and is not limited to:
More than 90 percent of the French engineer programs require at least one internship at some point in the curriculum. Most schools arrange three types of internships that train the students with progressive responsibilities, initially as observers and increasingly as actors, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding and perspective of all levels of responsibility and roles within the industry. One can distinguish “worker” internships, “senior technician” internships, and “graduate” internships where the students perform the same type of work they will do as graduate engineers. Internships are graded and constitute part of the academic degree requirements.
