The UNITECH International programme is a partnership between Universities and companies in seven countries. The partner Universities are:

• Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen
• Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg
• Insa-Lyon
• Politecnico di Milano
• Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
• Trinity College Dublin
• Loughborough University
• Universitat Politecnica de Barcelona – UPC, Barcellona, Spagna

Programme content and duration

The aim of the Unitech International programme is to integrate an engineering degree with international experience and a solid basis in business and management. The Unitech International programme begins with a one-week Start-Up course at the end of August, organised jointly for the Unitech students from all eight Universities. All Unitech students meet again for the Midterm week (first week in January) and for the End-of-Year event at the end of August. Apart from this common core, the programme content is individually tailored for each student as a combination of engineering courses and business and management studies.

The Unitech International programme uses the European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS) as measure of academic study units. In addition, each month of internship is worth 10 credits for the Unitech programme. The student must achieve a minimum of 90 credits during the Unitech International exchange period. At least 20 of these credits must be from academic studies at the host university abroad, where students spend a full semester. Another 30 credits must be from the internship. 30 variable credits can be gained either gaining more credits at the host institution or with a longer internship or both. The Unitech Joint Modules count as 10 credits. In addition, for a successful completion of the programme a minimum of 10 academic credits in business and management/ non technical courses is also required. These can be obtained at the home university before and after the year abroad or at Politecnico di Milano during the Unitech academic exchange.

The duration of the Unitech International Programme is one year, divided between academic work at one of the partner Universities and a minimum of 3 months internship in one of the partner companies.

Students usually spend the first semester of the academic year in the host institution. Any variation (second semester or a whole academic year) must be approved by the Unitech Central Office.

Corporate Partners

One of the unique characteristics of the Unitech International programme is the strong link with the Corporate Partners. The companies are committed to the educational objectives of the programme, which will guarantee that the internship period offers challenging tasks in an interesting environment, giving the student an in-depth insight into the international aspects of corporate management in practice.

The partnership is still growing. To date the following leading companies have joined the Unitech programme as Corporate Partners:

• ABB
• Biomérieux
• Bühler Group
• Covestro
• Danfoss
• Evonik Industries
• Geberit
• Hilti
• Hyva
• Infineon Technologies
• Kingspan
• Kostal
• Metall Zug
• Truma

Unitech Alumni Association

After the Unitech year, the Unitech students can become member of the Unitech Alumni Association.

The Unitech Alumni Association (UAA) is a network of young international engineering professionals who have taken part in the Unitech International Programme.

The Association aims to preserve the Unitech spirit and is responsible for liaising between its members, the Unitech International Society and its Academic and Corporate Partners.

Every year, UAA puts together a rich programme of educational and social events for its members. This includes the Spring Session as well as the Annual General Assembly held every end of August in conjunction with the Unitech International Society.

Scholarships

Students accepted into the Unitech International programme pay their tuition and fees only at their home institution.

Accommodation and living expenses during the three joint modules are covered by the Unitech International Society.

During the internship Unitech students are paid a salary by their employing company, which should cover at least the living costs.

Selection

The selection process to the Unitech International programme will be in two steps.

Online Application

Students can apply with an online form at www.unitech-international.org. Your curriculum vitae, a motivation letter explaining why the student would like to participate in the Unitech International programme, a preliminary study plan, indicating which courses the student plans to take during the study abroad period in each of the institution listed in his/her application form. Copies of language certificates the student may have, and a photo are also required. 

The student will be able to choose three alternative Universities in the application.

Apart from the language certificates, all documents must be in English. Criteria for pre-selection will be the academic achievement, motivation, language skills and the CV, including extra-curricular experiences. An interview may complement the written application. 

Assessment Centre

Students chosen in the pre-selection phase will participate in the next step: an Assessment Centre at the home institution, carried out in cooperation with Unitech corporate partners. The evaluation focuses on soft skills and will consist of a group discussion, a presentation and an interview, all held in English. 

The candidate will get personal feedback on the result of the Assessment Centre. The Assessment Centre is not only a valuable opportunity for the student to learn, but also a crucial step in the selection process. Therefore, Unitech candidates cannot be excused from the Assessment Centre under any circumstances.

At Politecnico di Milano the student could choose exams offered by the Schools of Engineering (Laurea and Laurea Magistrale) in any Campus and in any Programme Degree.

Deadlines

The application deadline for the Unitech International exchange is different in each partner University. Detailed application instructions are available on the Unitech website and from the Local Unitech Office at your home institution.

Further information

Further information is available on the Unitech International website www.unitech-international.org. Information on the courses available at the different partner Universities is available on their respective websites (see the links at the Unitech International website). Information of the study programmes of the Unitech International partner Universities is also available at the International Office.

For further information about Unitech at Politecnico di Milano you can also contact the Unitech Local Coordinator at unitech@polimi.it