The Diplôme d'Ingénieur ([diplom dɛ̃ʒenjœʁ]) is an advanced academic degree of higher education (see Engineer's Degrees in Europe) awarded by the French Grandes Écoles in engineering. It is generally obtained after five to seven years of studies after the French Baccalauréat (equivalent to the high school diploma or the A-level certificate for entrance to universities). The diploma holder is also conferred the academic title of Ingénieur Diplômé (qualified graduate engineer) which is protected by the French government, and is differentiated from the word "engineer" used in English-speaking countries. However, this title is usually not written with the person's name.
Contents
Accreditation
Since the signing of the Bologna Process in 1999, the European Master's Degree is also conferred by the state to the holder of a Diplôme d'Ingénieur, but the reverse is not true. All titles of Ingénieur Diplômé are protected by the state, and any institution that issues the Diplôme d'Ingénieur must be accredited by the Minister of Higher Education. Anyone found misusing the title of Ingénieur Diplômé is liable for a €15,000 fine and one year in prison.
The French engineer training can be highly multidisciplinary and is usually considered to be more intensive and finer compared to specialized master's degrees in engineering, especially in the top-tier institutions. However, a specialized master's degree or PhD will be desirable, or even necessary, for careers that require expertise on a particular area.
Since 2013, the diplôme d'ingénieur is recognized in the United States by the AACRAO as a Master of Science in Engineering.
Grandes écoles and universities in France
France is particular in that, only Grandes écoles in engineering are certified to offer the diplôme d'ingénieur, which is differentiated from the undergraduate or masters degrees in engineering issued by universities (universités).
Universities are comprehensive educational institutions composed of several faculties covering various fields (natural sciences, engineering, law, economics, medicine, humanities, etc) with a large student body. By law, admission to a French university is non-competitive and open to anyone with a high school diploma. On the other hand, "Grandes écoles" (university polytechnic schools or university external engineering schools) are much smaller in size and recruit their students with very selective processes. Moreover, the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur is the unique body empowered to issue the engineering degree and to protect the title of ingénieur diplômé.
However, the curriculum and selectivity involved in such programs leading to the French engineer title varies significantly from one Grande école to another, despite the official nationwide recognition of the title. In general, the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles offer a generalist curriculum, while less selective schools usually focus on a very narrow specialization (although exceptions are easy to find).
Curriculum
French engineer candidates are educated in close cooperation with industries. These academic-industry partnerships introduce graduates to professional life while giving them a solid grounding in their discipline. As graduates will in most cases be in positions leading future projects and teams, management-related courses are also included in the curriculum.
In addition to courses in science and engineering, the training often includes:
Professional training
More than 90 percent of the French engineer programs require at least one internship (typically in a business setting) 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 within the industry. One can distinguish “worker” (blue-collar) internships, “senior technician” internships, and “graduate” internships where the students do the same type of work they will do as graduate engineers. Internships are graded and constitute part of the academic degree requirements.