P e G A S U S Aerospace Engineering Programmes

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES
PARTNERSHIP OF A EUROPEAN GROUP

OF AERONAUTICS AND SPACE UNIVERSITIES
PEGASUS
ENSURING THE HIGHEST QUALITY

IN EUROPEAN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING EDUCATION
10th Anniversary
3rd Edition
July 2009
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THANKS
Special thanks to all the Working Group 2 contributors to this 3rd edition of the
PEGASUS Aerospace Programmes catalogue, namely:
Pascal BAUER (ENSMA)
Alain CARRERE (ISAE)
Gianfranco CHIOCCHIA (Politecnico di Torino)
Daniel HANUS (TU Prague)
Karsten KUHLMANN (RWTH Aachen)
Salvo MARCUCCIO (U.di Pisa)
Filippo SABETTA (U.di Roma, La Sapienza)
Klaus WOLF (TU Dresden)
And a special tribute to important contributors of the 1st & 2nd edition,
which served as a basis for this one :
Klaus WELL (Univ. Stuttgart)
Bernard REITH (TU Delft)
Toulouse, July 2009

Pascal REVEL (ENAC)
Chairman of PEGASUS Working Group 2
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PEGASUS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

Introduction
Aerospace Engineering education: the need for European harmonisation
Why PEGASUS ?
PEGASUS members, organisational structure, admission criteria, map of the network
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN EUROPE
1. THE EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

1.1 The needs of the European aerospace industry
1.1.1 Aerospace, a high-tech sector in need of skilled engineers
1.1.2 Quantitative needs for aerospace engineers
1.1.3 Qualitative needs for aerospace engineers
1.1.4 How does PEGASUS meet those needs?
1.2 National higher education systems for Engineering in Europe
1.2.1 Engineering diplomas vs. engineering profession
1.2.2 Convergence of national higher education systems for engineering in
Europe
1.2.3 Existing accreditation systems
1.2.4 Comparison with non-EU systems
1.3 The international dimension of Aerospace Engineering Education, European
exchanges, ECTS, Erasmus Mundus, bilateral & multilateral programmes
1.3.1 European exchanges, ECTS, ERASMUS
1.3.2 Bilateral and multilateral programmes
2. THE PEGASUS EDUCATIONAL OFFER IN AEROSPACE PROGRAMMES

2.1 PEGASUS Aerospace Engineering programmes
2.1.1 General structure of PEGASUS engineering degrees
2.1.2 Aerospace Engineering programmes in the UK
2.1.3 Engineering degrees : definition of course categories
2.1.4 Commonalties of PEGASUS Aerospace Engineering programmes
2.2 PEGASUS Master degrees
2.2.1 Aerospace Master degrees
2.2.2 Other Aerospace-related Master degrees
2.2.3 Erasmus Mundus Master degrees
2.2.4 Specific modules offered by PEGASUS members
2.3 Strong areas of PEGASUS Aerospace programmes
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3. ENSURING ADEQUATE, HIGH-QUALITY AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROFILES FOR THE

EUROPEAN INDUSTRY
3.1
Quality, a must for a high-tech sector like aerospace
3.2
Innovative pedagogical methods, best practices
3.3
Contribution of PEGASUS to transnational profiles
3.4
PEGASUS Certificates and Awards
3.5
Quality assessment and advice: a possible role for PEGASUS
4. Annex
INTRODUCTION
Aerospace Engineering education : the need for European harmonisation

The PEGASUS network of European aerospace universities was founded in 1998 in
Toulouse. The idea of PEGASUS originated from a growing awareness within academia that the
European aerospace industry was on the track of a strong concentration with no equivalent in any
other industrial sector. At that time, when the major employers of engineering graduates were
about to be reduced to a small number of key players, the engineering education institutions could
hardly remain isolated. At the other end, aerospace research also had been reinforcing its ties for
years. Therefore, only engineering education would still have been scattered among tens of
institutions across Europe, with just a few academic ties through sporadic student exchanges or
joint research projects. PEGASUS was born as an initiative of academia to accompany research
and industry in their move towards more synergy and effective co-operation.
One characteristics of aerospace engineering is that not all European countries are
similarly involved in it (some countries are even not involved at all), which is less true for other
engineering domains such as mechanical or electrical / electronics engineering. At the same time,
being part of the high technology sector, aerospace is considered in certain countries with no or
little aerospace industry as a field of interest for improving the overall level of engineering
education and research. Geared towards the highest quality levels in the high-technology sector of
aerospace, PEGASUS was first conceived as a restricted network of the main aerospace
universities of the main aerospace countries and their partners. Therefore, the initial founding
members group was deliberately limited to 20 universities from 8 European countries so that the
first required analysis of aerospace engineering education could be done efficiently. In a second
phase, PEGASUS has begun to open its membership to more aerospace universities (see list of
current members page 8), the admission being granted based upon a set of admission criteria
established by the 10th PEGASUS Council meeting held in Delft in March 2003.
4 / 87
As the most integrated industrial sector in Europe, aerospace can be seen as a real chance
for the harmonisation of engineering education. Long-standing projects and structures have
actually been launched years ago at the European Union level or even wider, in order to try to
harmonise engineering education across all its domains, but with very little success in the end:
engineering education is just too wide and too diverse to be framed in a simple, comprehensive
set of criteria. On the other hand, engineering education in the single domain of aerospace may be
easier to overlook. This was one of the leading ideas for the creation of PEGASUS : to build up a
comprehensive understanding of what "aerospace engineering education" means in Europe, and
then bring that knowledge to our integrating industry, in an interactive process of selfimprovement. This action line has lead to the current catalogue of aerospace engineering
education programmes in Europe. Its first version was published in 2002, revised three years later
in 2005 (2nd edition). This is the third version (2009).
Why PEGASUS ?
BACKGROUND: In Europe and worldwide, the aerospace industry is involved in an
intense restructuring process that transcends national boundaries and interests. Increasingly the
market polarises into several sectors, not only Europe and North American alone anymore, but
also new, emerging countries in the aerospace industry. At the same time in Europe, there is a
move directed by the individual Ministers of Education to harmonise higher education (The
Sorbonne / Bologna Declaration). For some nations this involves greater change than for others.
For all, however, it involves only structure and not content of the education and training
programmes. As a consequence, it does raise the question as to whether or not improvements can
be made to those programmes offered by academia to the aerospace industry. Additionally, there
remains the fact that our industry is in danger today of losing its appeal in the face of other
growing industries, including services, with the possible consequence that there will soon begin a
move of intellectual capital away from the aerospace programmes.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF PEGASUS: In full recognition of these facts, PEGASUS
has been formed from an initiative taken by the main French Grandes Ecoles involved in
aerospace engineering. The general objective of PEGASUS is to optimise the services that its
member institutions offer in the best interests of Europe both in terms of continuing to attract the
best students and also to offer highly relevant educational and research programmes. Coordinated change and innovation will be required to achieve objectives to be defined through
close links and interaction with our aerospace industry and relevant Government / accreditation
agencies. The members of PEGASUS have collaborated for years in an ad-hoc manner (largely
supported by EU funding through the ERASMUS programme) but now wish to work more
closely together in a manner that better satisfies the needs of their students and their employers
across Europe. Today more than 2500 aeronautical engineers graduate from the member
institutions of PEGASUS each year.
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SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: To achieve the general goals of PEGASUS, it is essential that

there exists, on an on-going basis, a close working relationship with the European aerospace
industry and Government Agencies. At the simplest level one aim would be to accelerate the
process by which employers within each nation of Europe understand and fully appreciate the
nature of the programmes of study offered outside their own country, and so assist in the
European-isation of employment opportunities. A more important aim would be that of
tailoring the student experience so as to maximise the advantages that can be associated with the
multi-language, multi-culture nature of our industry (as opposed to the single-language culture of
the competition). Even more importantly, PEGASUS members must ensure that together they
offer a range of high quality and efficient programmes of support including:
Degree-awarding programmes
Continuing Education
Research
International cooperation
Essentially, PEGASUS aims to offer itself as the European portal for higher education
services in aerospace engineering.
ACTIONS TAKEN TO DATE: Working groups have been established to identify the
areas of focus and steps to be taken for each of the programmes listed above. The members have
signed a Partnership Agreement (or PEGASUS Charter) on the common objectives of
PEGASUS and these are reflected in the tasks set for the Working Groups. The emphasis on all
affairs will be that of high level, high quality activities with the highest degree of relevance to the
needs of the European industry and member States.
Progress has been made in the definition of the upper aerospace engineering level
requirements behind the granting of a European Certificate in the education and training of
aerospace engineers and also of an AWARD in recognition of an individual students multinational experience (see Section 3.4). In this respect, all partners have agreed on a specific
curriculum description format, enabling an immediate understanding by the industry of the level
of education provided by the members. Other collective actions were undertaken or completed, in
partnership with the aerospace industry, like the PEGASUS-AIRBUS Roadshows (from 20022003 onwards) and the implementation of a European component to the annual AIAA (American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) student paper competition: the PEGASUS-AIAA
Student Conference (from 2005). European student conferences, within this framework, were
held in Toulouse (2005), Munich (2006), Naples (2007), Prague (2008) and Toulouse again
(2009).
After the initial launching phase, PEGASUS was able to welcome new members, based
on the new admission procedure defined in 2003 (see admission criteria below): TU Dresden
(September 2003), Universit di Napoli Federico II (March 2004), Istituto Superior Tecnico
(IST), Lisboa (March 2004), Universit degli Studi di Roma (La Sapienza, October 2004).
Another university, Universidad de Sevilla (Spain) was accepted as a Probationary Member for 2
years in October 2008.
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Further actions were launched recently: creation of the PEGASUS Foundation (July
2007), based in Delft (the Netherlands). The Foundation aims at providing PEGASUS with a
suitable financial framework to secure funding for European-wide projects relevant to the
PEGASUS objectives.
A study about a voluntary accreditation system for Aerospace Engineering education in
Europe was conducted by PEGASUS members for the European Union, recommendations were
delivered in December 2006.
During the Spring 2008 meeting in Prague, PEGASUS decided to create a PEGASUS
Business Club that should become a forum for structured and regular interaction between the
PEGASUS academic members and the European industry. It was also decided to further open the
PEGASUS network to new academic partners who may not be eligible for full PEGASUS
membership by creating a new status of Associate Partner. This new status will allow non-EU
aerospace universities with high quality standards to partner and take part to specific activities
with the PEGASUS network.
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LIST OF THE 23 PEGASUS MEMBERS (2009):
CZECH REPUBLIC (1) : esk Vysok Uen Technick v Praze (CVUT), Praha
FRANCE (3):
Groupe des Ecoles Aronautiques et Spatiales (GEA):

ENAC, ENSMA, ISAE
GERMANY (6):
RWTH Aachen, TU Berlin, TU Braunschweig,

Universitt Stuttgart, TU Mnchen, TU Dresden
ITALY (5):
Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Universit di

Pisa, Universit degli Studi di Roma (La Sapienza), Universit
di Napoli
THE NETHERLANDS (1): TU Delft

PORTUGAL (1):
Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST), Lisboa
SPAIN (2) :
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) / ETSIA

Universidad de Sevilla / ESI (Probationary Member)
SWEDEN (1):
Kungl Tekniska Hgskolan (KTH), Stockholm
UNITED KINGDOM (3): University of Bristol, Cranfield University, University of

Glasgow
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MAP OF THE PEGASUS MEMBERS
KTH Stockholm
University of
Glasgow
RWTH Aachen
Cranfield
University
TU Braunschweig
TU Delft
University of
Bristol
TU Berlin
TU Dresden
CVUT Prague
ENSMA
Poitiers
Universitt
Stuttgart
ENAC
ISAE
Toulouse
TU Mnchen
Politecnico di
Milano
IST, Lisboa
Universit di
Pisa
Univ. de
Sevilla / ESI
UPM / ETSIA
Madrid
Universit di
Roma
9 / 87
Politecnico di
Torino
Universit di
Napoli
PEGASUS ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

The PEGASUS Network main organisational bodies are: the Council, the Board, the
Chairman, supported by the Permanent Secretariat, and the Working Groups (WGs). The Council
and the Board are permanent bodies, the Chairman is elected on a rotating basis, and the Working
Groups are non-permanent bodies, being modified according to the actual needs.
The Council consists of one member of each partner University, including the probationary
members. The Council :
defines the policy and the action plans of the network,
decides on the admission of new members and possible rejections (probationary members
cannot vote on such issues),
decides upon every important subject relevant to the PEGASUS objectives, like e.g.: the
contents of the labels (Certificate and AWARD) and the awarding procedure, the dates and
management of the annual PEGASUS-AIAA Student Conferences, ...
The Board consists of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and at least 5 full members appointed
by the Council every two years. Where possible, according to the need of a national
representation as broad as possible, the members are selected among the Chairmen and Deputy
Chairmen of the Working Groups. The Board :
prepares and executes the decisions of the Council,
promotes the Networks and represents it to outside partners (industry, EU Commission, other
organisations),
develops standards and criteria for active membership,
suggests possible developments of the association,
suggests improvements of the Network organisational structure,
generates funding from the EU and the industry, to be managed by the PEGASUS
Foundation,
monitors the label awarding,
submits to the Council the proposal of the new Chairman, as well as any strategic revision or
the updating of the action plans, as needed
The Council appoints a Chairman (PEGASUS Chairman) who is also the Chairman of the
Board and the Chairman of the PEGASUS Foundation, on a rotating basis (2-year). The
Chairman :
appoints a Deputy Chairman and submits a proposal for the Board composition to the Council
is the primary contact between the network and its outside partners,
conducts the daily business in consultation with the board members (promotion of the
network, financial, personal affairs, etc),
prepares the Board and Council meetings and the minutes of the meetings.
From the creation of PEGASUS, the Chairmen were:
1. Prof. Klaus WELL, Univ of Stuttgart, from 2000 2003;
2. Prof. Gianfranco CHIOCCHIA, Politecnico di Torino (2003 2007);
3. Prof. Pascal BAUER, ENSMA Poitiers (from 2007)
10 / 87
A Permanent Secretariat supports the PEGASUS Chairman and assumes the permanent
administrative tasks and the coordination for the network. It is also in charge of the organization
of common projects, events, of the promotion of the network towards industry. This Secretariat
is located at ISAE (Toulouse) and provides information about the network.
PEGASUS Permanent Secretariat
ISAE (Institut Suprieur de lAronautique et de lEspace)
Campus SUPAERO 10 avenue Edouard Belin
F 31055 Toulouse cedex
There are presently four main Working Groups, each one listed below with its tasks:
WG1 (Internal and external communication, Image):
to manage the PEGASUS website
to develop communication among the PEGASUS member Universities,
WG2 (Education and Quality) :
to produce and update the PEGASUS catalogue of aerospace engineering programmes.
to suggest descriptors for curricula,
to define educational standards and to promote initiatives aimed to provide PEGASUS with a
recognised role in the debate on Quality Assurance for Aerospace High Education in Europe
to update labels, certificates and AWARD
WG3 (Continuing and Distant education) :
to collect existing initiatives inside PEGASUS and to facilitate the submission of joint
proposals to EU
to develop new specific programmes for continuing and distant education
WG4 (Research)
to evaluate commonality and level in research efforts,
to evaluate the human potential and technical facilities,
to suggest future research activities,
to make research capabilities available to European organisations and industries.
In spite of being non permanent structures, these four WGs have been active (with different levels
of intensity and passing through some updates of the attributed tasks) during the whole
PEGASUS history up the present time. Other WGs may also be appointed from time to time with
more limited charges (e.g. the formulation of a specific project to be submitted to the EU, the
management of an initiative agreed with an aerospace company ...). These WGs ared usually
dissolved once their tasks have been fulfilled.
The PEGASUS Foundation has been registered in Delft as a Stichting according to the Dutch
Law. It has been created to provide the PEGASUS Network with a body having juridical
structure, hence able to administrate financial means according to decisions taken by the Network
Council. The PEGASUS Foundation has a Chairman (the same as for the PEGASUS Network)
and a Board composed by the Chairman, a Treasurer and a Secretary.
11 / 87
In addition to the described (already fully operating) organisational structure, the Prague Council
(March 2008) decided to open PEGASUS:
- to those academic aerospace Institutions which, in spite of a recognised level of quality, are
not (or not yet) eligible to become members, sometimes only for formal reasons (e.g. not
being located in the EU). For these Institutions a new category denominated Associate
Partner has been approved. Associate Partners will be involved in important PEGASUS
activities, but they will not be represented in the Council and cannot deliver the PEGASUS
Certificate and AWARD..
- To the EU Aerospace Industry, by establishing an official forum called PEGASUS Business
Club, including the major Companies, to bring advice and recommendations to the PEGASUS
Council and Chairman.
The implementation of both proposals will start as soon as all still pending regulatory issues will
be defined by the Board and definitely approved by the Council.
PEGASUS Network Admission criteria:

In 2003, the PEGASUS Council decided to open membership to new members who would be
considered eligible by the Founding Members and demonstrate their willingness to actively
participate in the networks activities.
Admission to PEGASUS is based on a set of published criteria, focusing on two fundamental
keywords: quality and international co-operation, all related to the higher education offered in
aeronautical / aerospace engineering at the European level. The criteria have been set on the basis
of the decisions taken and formalised by the Council in the Partnership Agreement, signed by all
PEGASUS founding members (see list of admission criteria below).
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PEGASUS ADMISSION CRITERIA

The candidate should match the following criteria:
A. GENERAL
1. Be a public and/or non-profit institution of higher education in aeronautical / aerospace
engineering
2. Have its main base of operations in a EU country
3. Demonstrate the willingness to sign the PEGASUS Charter and to actively commit to the
PEGASUS network activities including working groups
B. EXCELLENCE
4. Have a good reputation and quality recognition (e.g. national accreditation by an official body)
in education and research, nationally and internationally
5. Deliver one or several degrees in aeronautical / aerospace engineering in compliance with the
European Bologna orientation (LMD, +5 level or M for Aerospace Engineering or higher)
6. The main curriculum in aeronautical / aerospace engineering should comprise a sufficient base
in Fundamental Sciences (minimum 15%), General Courses including foreign languages, and
Engineering Sciences (minimum 40%) of which at least 50% should be Aeronautical / Aerospace
Engineering Sciences (that is: minimum 20% of the overall program, or 60 ECTS for a 5-year
programme)
7. Have or plan to reach a sufficient volume of activity in terms of student output: 30 graduates
per year at the +5 level or higher in Aeronautical / Aerospace should be considered as the
minimum target volume
8. (supporting, non-mandatory criterion) Produce a record of first employment of the graduates in
industry over the last 3 years, showing the relevance of the engineering programme for the
aerospace industry
C. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
9. Produce a list of active partnership agreements with aeronautical / aerospace faculties or
departments of foreign partner universities recognised at the international level, including at least
3 members of the PEGASUS network from at least 2 different countries
10. Produce a record of student and faculty exchanges with foreign universities over the last 3
years
13 / 87

11. (supporting, non-mandatory criterion) Produce a record of research activities involving
international partnership
PEGASUS ADMISSION PROCEDURE

The candidate should write a letter to the PEGASUS Chairman asking for admission and
detailing its motivations as well as the benefit of his candidacy for the PEGASUS network.
- The candidate should provide all the data relative to its higher education in aerospace
engineering, by filling up the tables of the PEGASUS questionnaire;
- An evaluation of the candidate application will be conducted by at least two PEGASUS
members, including at least one from a different country of the candidate. This evaluation should
assess the compliance of the candidacy with the above criteria. The evaluation will be in the form
of a concise written report, that will be distributed to all Council partners prior to the next
meeting, and that will remain in the PEGASUS archives;
- Presentation of the partner's recommendations to the next Council meeting, leading to
admission, rejection or request for further details;
- In case of admission, the new member will be granted the status of "Probationary Member" for
2 years, during which it should show its active involvement in the PEGASUS network activities
including working groups. If this involvement is positive, then the status of "Full Member" will
be granted at the end of the 2 years;
- In case of admission, the new member will be asked to sign the Partnership Association
Agreement, in the section dedicated to Probationary Members ;
- In case of rejection, the candidate could not apply again for a period of two years.
Probationary Members:
After successful completion of the admission procedure and formal acceptance of the new entrant
by the PEGASUS Council, the new entrant is granted the status of Probationary Member for two
years.
The status of Probationary Member is equivalent to that of the Founding (Full) Members with
two limitations:
Probationary Members cannot deliver the PEGASUS Certificate and PEGASUS

Award to their students
Probationary Members cannot vote on the admission or exclusion of Members at
Council meetings
14 / 87

After two years from admission and following an assessment of positive involvement in
PEGASUS, Probationary Members can be confirmed and assume the same status as the Founding
(Full) Members. Confirmed Probationary Members and Founding Members are then identified by
the same name of PEGASUS Members.
The Chairman and another member appointed by the Council will assess the involvement in
PEGASUS of the Probationary Member at the end of the two years. The Council then decides on
the passage to the status of Full Memberr on the basis of their report. In case of negative
assessment, the Probationary Member will still retain its status for two further years but in case of
a second negative assessment, the probationary membership will be terminated.
Current Probationary Members (2008 - 2010):
Universidad de Sevilla (admitted October 2008)
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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN EUROPE
One characteristics of Europe is its cultural diversity across the nations. Consequently, mainly
for historical and cultural reasons, there is a pretty large variety of higher education SYSTEMS
and various engineering PROGRAMMES structures in each national system. Moreover, different
education systems and engineering programmes combine together to produce a great diversity of
engineering DEGREES across the European nations. This makes a good understanding of the
available offer quite difficult for non specialists, and even more outside the educational world.
Moreover, recent trends in the organisation of the educational programmes make for a greater
diversity, particularly through the development of student exchange programmes across European
countries (Life Long Learning / ERASMUS programme of the European Union) and recent
European decisions (Bologna Declaration 3-5-8) or programmes (Erasmus Mundus).
European Union level:

European
decisions /
programmes
Country level :
National higher
education
systems
Increasing
University level :
Student level :
Engineering
programmes /
degrees
Individual
engineer
profiles
diversity
Students today have many opportunities at hand to shape their own individual PROFILES
through a choice of elective courses at home and / or participation to exchanges for extended
periods in a foreign partner university. This increased diversity of student profiles makes it more
and more difficult, if not impossible, to provide a simple, monolithic overview of higher
education institutions outputs which cannot be characterised with just a few key words relating to
their scientific / technical fields. The ambition of this document is to try to provide a relatively
simple and, at the same time, accurate description of the current national higher education
systems and PEGASUS aerospace engineering programmes and degrees.
But before addressing these educational issues, the prospective situation of employment
for aerospace graduates in the European aerospace industry must be examined. This is the subject
of the next chapter.
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1. THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

1.1 THE NEEDS OF THE EUROPEAN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
1.1.1 AEROSPACE, A HIGH-TECH SECTOR IN NEED OF SKILLED ENGINEERS
From its early days at the beginning of the 20th century till today the aerospace sector has
required a highly educated and innovative work force. The degree of scientific knowledge of the
aerospace engineers has at all times been the driving factor for technological developments and
new aerospace concepts. Today, this is even more true. The challenges of global market
competition and the ever growing complexity of systems and structures that is needed to meet
customer requirements, demand a permanently increasing degree of system integration.
Environmental implications and sustainable development further feed this process.
Over the past decades, aerospace has been characterised as the most research-intensive
industrial sector in developed countries, with research investments as high as 30% of the overall
revenue in some companies - a much higher percentage than in other high-tech sectors.
Consequently, the need of the aerospace industry for talented young engineers and scientists is
still relentless today. The competition for the best brains has now gone on a global scale, with
aerospace companies trying to lure the best, high-potential employees not only from their home
universities but from everywhere. This competition has become even more acute at a time when
the motivation for long, hard scientific studies is decreasing among the young people in
developed countries.
Additionally, the aerospace industry is also engaged in a strong competition with other
industrial sectors such as the information technology or automotive industry for the best young
engineers. Even those having chosen the aerospace engineering speciality for their diploma
studies do not necessarily work in the aerospace industry afterwards: the scientific and technical
skills that they acquired in their aerospace engineering studies can also be very useful in other
industrial sectors!
1.1.2 QUANTITATIVE NEEDS FOR AEROSPACE ENGINEERS IN EUROPE
At the end of 2007 the total direct employment in the European aerospace industry was
about 473.770 employees taking in account the expansion towards the East1, it represents 39.4 %
of the world aerospace market with a turnover of roughly 81.6 billions Euros. Almost 95 % of the
employees work in countries where PEGASUS is present with at least one member.
The consolidation in the aerospace industry propelled an enormous growth in the
productivity per employee, also driving up the total turnover. Over the past years an average of
12.3 % of this turnover was spent on research and development (R&D). This is a relatively large
percentage pointing out the high-technology leadership of this industry. With 19 % of all
employees working in the field of R&D (57 % in production) and a cumulated 28 % having a
1
Reference : ASD, Facts & Figures 2007- In 2003, figures were: 414.500 employees for a turnover of 74 billions
17 / 87

university degree or equivalent, this industry absorbs a large number of university graduates
every year.
in Thousands
E
S
NL
B
IRL
GR
P
A
DK
FL
L
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Sum
22.7
17.3of Employees
Number
12.2
14.3
10.1
7.6
124.4
7.9
105.9
4.1
3.9
74.6
3.8
3.738.1
1.3
22.7
12.2 10.1 7.9
1.1
4.1 3.9 3.8 3.7 1.3 1.1 0.5
0.5
GB
D
I
414.3
S NL
401.3
B IRL GR P
0.97
DK FL
Besides the key players in the aerospace industry, there is a large number of suppliers
(about 80000 and many of them with less than 250 employees) cumulating about twice the total
number of employees mentioned above. And then there is the scientific community and the
national as well as international research institutions in Europe, which also contribute to the
overall work force. And which strongly depend on highly qualified aerospace engineers.
Considering an average employment period of about 30 years, only simple math is
necessary to calculate an annual replacement need of more than 2600 experts in R&D at the
key aerospace companies, of whom most will be engineers.
Aerospace companies do not solely recruit aerospace engineers. And when surveying the
employment situation, we should also keep in mind that aerospace engineers are welcome in
other industries as well. Thus, the number of 2600 experts per year can only serve as a very rough
indication. Nonetheless, it puts us in perspective and allows some judgement on the quantitative
needs in the European aerospace industry.
1.1.3 QUALITATIVE NEEDS FOR AEROSPACE ENGINEERS IN EUROPE

There is no question that the European aerospace industry, like the non-European remains
in fundamental need of scientific and technical talents, skilled engineers and scientists with a
strong knowledge and aerospace engineering background. In recent years a trend has emerged
among human resources departments of aerospace companies towards hiring general engineers,
which can transfer to other sectors more easily. This requires some broad concept for the
academic education of the later employee. From discussions with industry in each PEGASUS
country we understand, that there is a good correlation between the aerospace programmes
offered at our member universities and the scientific / technical needs of aircraft / systems design
offices and various other technical divisions in the industry.
18 / 87
The growing integration of industry the aerospace industry is the most integrated
economic sector in Europe and the globalisation of markets and production means generate new
training needs in order to maintain the competitive advantage of the industry. The implications
for the preferred employee profiles are twofold. One aspect is the need for motivated workforce,
skilled in general and project management, with team work as well as multicultural abilities.
Todays most wanted profile is a good engineer with a profound knowledge of soft skills, which
he can confidently apply.
Another aspect is the requirement to prepare the engineers for life-long education. The
universities are asked to include this preparatory work in their programmes and to offer
respective courses for specialists in the future.
1.1.4 HOW DOES PEGASUS MEET THOSE
NEEDS?
The output of the PEGASUS network appears relatively adequate to the needs of industry
as described above, both in terms of quantity and quality. When the quantitative needs of the
European industry can be estimated at around 2600 engineers per year (see 1.1.2), the output of
+5 level aerospace engineers from the PEGASUS network amounts to over 2700 each year (see
table below). On top of that, PEGASUS institutions also produce almost 300 Doctorates (or
PhD, +8 level) per year, who are of big value to R&D divisions in the aerospace industry.
Of course, not all PEGASUS aerospace engineers enter directly into the aerospace
industry after completion of their studies. About 50% of the PEGASUS engineering graduates go
into other sectors such as automotive and mechanical industries, information technology
companies, consulting firms, etc. Surely, the percentage varies considerably according to regional
employment opportunities.
On the other hand, the aerospace industry does not limit its recruitment of engineers to the
sole source of PEGASUS. Other universities and engineering schools also provide the industry
with talented people, but in much less numbers than PEGASUS. Overall, under todays
conditions the graduates output of the PEGASUS partners appears to be adequate to the needs of
the aerospace industry.
The concept of international studies and industry collaboration on the educative side of
the study programmes are essential to the ambitions of PEGASUS. All members promote the idea
of cultural mobility of their students and academic staff. In order to make this process
sustainable, the members set up high quality standards to ensure excellence.
Thanks to the permanent communication of interests with the European aerospace
industry, the PEGASUS group is on top of the evolving needs of the aerospace industry. And,
thus, is able to consider these needs in the adaptation of the study programmes. One such need is
the support of life-long education. This has been implanted as a major nucleus in the PEGASUS
activities. Today, the partner universities already offer a variety of respective courses.
19 / 87
YEARLY AVERAGE NUMBER (2006-2008) OF THE AWARDED +5 AND HIGHER LEVEL DEGREES
UNIVERSITY / SCHOOL
ENAC Toulouse
ISAE Toulouse
ENSMA Poitiers
CTU Prague
RWTH Aachen (2004)
TU Berlin
(2004)
TU Braunschweig
TU Dresden
(2004)
U. Stuttgart
(2004)
TU Munich
Politecnico di Milano
U. Pisa
U.Napoli
U.Roma
Politecnico di Torino
TU Delft
ETSIA Madrid
IST Lisboa
KTH Stockholm
U. Bristol
Cranfield U. (2004)
U. Glasgow
( 2004)
+5 level
+8 level
(Masters included) (Doctorate, PhD)
(F)
(F)
(F)
(CZ)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(I)
(I)
(I)
(I)
(I)
(NL)
(E)
(P)
(S)
(UK)
(UK)
TOTAL
2252
396
152
59
42
58
194
36
125
320
153
76
120
140
142
5
35
27
6
13
14
36
5
22
20
9
6
10
5
5
173
40
55
38
n.a.
153
60
17
6
3
3
10
38
3
2758
298
including 40 to 50 Chinese Masters taught on-site in China. Since ENAC and ISAE have several Master
programmes in common, whose students should not be counted twice, the total number of +5 level students from the
3 schools is only 725
20 / 87
1.2
NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS FOR ENGINEERING IN EUROPE

1.2.1 ENGINEERING DIPLOMAS VS. ENGINEERING PROFESSION
The word "Engineer" does not mean exactly the same thing across the various European
countries and around the world. Therefore, engineering education may also vary considerably
according to differing national specificalties.
In France, for example, to be an engineer first means to exert a profession that requires a
good level of technical expertise, directly or indirectly bound to producing goods or services for
the community. An engineer designs new products, has a manufacturing responsibility or is a
project manager. He/she should be able to discuss technologies and methods being used and
argue about them if needed. This is how "engineers" differ from "technicians" who only conform
to guidelines for implementation of processes. To be an engineer also has a second meaning : to
be the holder of an engineering degree, after a rather long training period (usually 5 years)
including a balance of scientific, technical and even economic studies. These two definitions do
not always overlap within companies in France :
Some people can get an engineering job without holding an engineering degree ;
The career of graduate engineers often leads them to managerial positions where technical
aspects may be strongly reduced.
In France, only the title of "graduate engineer" ("ingnieur diplm") - which refers directly
to the kind of studies and degree obtained - is controlled and protected by law. Only the
institutions that have been accredited by a national accreditation body (CTI: Commission des
Titres dIngnieur) to this purpose are allowed to propose a course programme that delivers a
diploma entitling to use the above title.
The situation is different in other European countries where professional titles may exist like
in the UK ("chartered Engineer"). A special procedure exists to acquire that title but it is not
absolutely necessary to be chartered to exert the profession of engineer, only those willing to
do business with the public sector really need it. Actually, less and less engineers engage into it.
"In Italy to be engineer (ingegnere) first of all means to be holder of an engineering degree
awarded by a recognised University or a Politecnico (there is no substantial difference between
both, a Politecnico being focussed on engineering studies i.e. it is a technical university whereas a University encompasses all human and scientific Faculties). As a matter of fact, all
universities delivering engineering degrees in Italy are public institutions and their degrees are
protected by law. Nevertheless, to exert a profession, the degree alone is not sufficient because
his holder must be listed in the roll of engineers (Ordine degli Ingegneri), which requires
passing a special examination (Esame di Stato)."
21 / 87
In the Netherlands there have always been two paths to study engineering. The HTS or
Institute for Higher Professional Technical Education awarded a practically orientated degree and
the title ing. after four years of study. The technical university's offered an academically oriented
degree and the title Ir. after five years of study. This changed in 2002 when the Netherlands
switched to the Bachelor-Master system. This is a consequence of the Bologna process. In this
accord 29 European countries agreed to harmonize their higher education system and create a
European higher education area. In this system the Institutes for Higher Professional Technical
Education award a bachelor degree and the title Bachelor of Engineering (B Eng) after four years
of study. The technical universities with engineering programs award a bachelors degree and the
title Bachelor of Science (BSc) after the third year. A university bachelor is expected to continue
his education in engineering science for two more years to earn his masters degree and the title
Master of Science (MSc), which is the international standard of the Dutch ingenieur (Ir.). A
BEng from the Higher Professional Technical Education may be admitted to a university master
degree program although they are required to take additional courses.
In Spain the diploma of Ingeniero Aeronutico has an official recognition both academically
and professionally. The national education authority defines the major subjects of the curricula,
which constitutes a compulsory core of any university programme on the subject. In addition, a
university needs the approval of the national university council for the whole programme that it
proposes. The possession of the diploma empowers the exercise of the profession. A professional
college of aeronautical engineers controls that the management and main responsibility of any
aerospace project is carried out by a holder of a recognised diploma.
In Portugal traditionally to be an engenheiro meant to be a graduate from a University
offering a 5 year course oficially recognized by the state; this was sufficient to be admitted to the
professional society (Ordem dos Engenheiros), which entitles to carry out public contract work.
The graduates of 3 or 4-year courses at institutions of higher education other than universities
were called engenheiros tcnicos and were not admitted to the Ordem dos Engenheiros.
After 3-year courses were created (Bacharel de Engenharia) these were not recognized by
Ordem dos Engenheiros which only admits graduates with five-year degrees (Licenciados em
Engenharia). After the 70s the number of universities offering engineering degrees increased
rapidly beyond the original two (Lisbon and Oporto). The Ordem dos Engenheiros initiated a
process of Accreditation for periods of 5 years, to which Universities can aplly. Only the holders
of five year degrees, with a currently valid accreditation, are admitted by Ordem dos
Engenheiros,
The Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities also has an Accreditation Process, which
is completely separate from that of Ordem dos Engenheiros.
In the Czech Republic the engineering education has fully adopted Bologna Declaration,
that is structured higher education system consisting of the Bachelor stage with the length of 3, in
some cases 4, years finished by the title Bakal (Bc.), then Master stage with the length of 2
years finished by the title Inenr (Ing.) and the last doctoral stage with 3 or 4 years in length. A
thesis defence can be done in up to 7 years and completed with the title Doktor (Ph.D.). All titles
are protected by the law. The title Ing. is awarded to the technical university graduates who
accomplished a Master engineering stage (at least 2 years and 120 ECTS) by a successfully
22 / 87

passed a state exam from at least three fundamental engineering subjects and by a successfully
defended diploma thesis in front of the State Examination Commission. Title Ing. is fully
equivalent to the title Master, (in Czech Magistr, abbreviation Mgr.) which is granted to Master
studies graduates from other non-technical universities.
In some countries, two different levels of "engineers" co-exist : an upper level (after 5 to 7
years of higher studies) and a lower level (3 to 4 years). This is the case for instance in
Germany: Diplom-Ingenieur TU (Technische Universitt) vs. Diplom-Ingenieur FH
(Fachhochschule), and in Italy (Ingegnere Laureato Magistrale vs. Ingegnere Laureato).
The essential difference between these shorter programmes and the +5 ones is that they are
more practice oriented: therefore they aim at providing the students with the skills needed for
their immediate employment. The +5 programmes, on the contrary, aim at the best trade-off
between fundamental and basic knowledge and technical capabilities. In the field of engineering,
this leads traditionally to professional figures able to adapt themselves to different situations,
even if the measure of this result is different in the various national systems, which at the end
turns out to be a peculiar richness of the European higher education as a whole.
1.2.2 CONVERGENCE
EUROPE
OF NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS FOR ENGINEERING IN
Higher education follows traditionally different schemes in the various nations, according
to its being structured or not on intermediate levels, each one terminated by the award of a
degree, to the number of years requested to the students to achieve each degree, to the stiffness
vs. the compliance of its curricula and to several other aspects.
However, the European continental countries display all some similarities which can be
traced back to the common origin and development of their systems and to their long tradition of
contacts, student exchanges and interactions. First, the central body of the European university
education is tuned on a duration of five study years. This is the case, in particular, for the most
qualified engineering studies. There are some important exceptions to this rule: for instance the
Faculties of Medicine generally request a longer time. Nevertheless, nearly all European Faculties
offer a five year curriculum, possibly associated to shorter and longer ones, either parallel to the
first one or in a sequence with it.
So, in Continental Europe, quoting one of the traditional degrees (e.g. Diplme in France,
Diplom in Germany, Laurea Magistrale in Italy .) has always been tantamount to specifying the
legal study duration necessary to be awarded with it. This is not only true for the five-year
degrees, but also for the possible intermediate or the longer (Doctorate) ones.
These similarities brought the European Ministries of Education to foster a large
European harmonisation scheme known as 3-5-8 or Bologna scheme (first mentioned in July
1999 at La Sorbonne, Paris and then finalized in the Bologna Declaration the following year).
According to that scheme, all European countries have been encouraged to adapt their national
23 / 87

systems to a three-tier structure of degrees (each level allowing graduates to be readily
employable on the job market):
- A first level (+3) after 3 years of post-secondary education, leading to a degree corresponding
to a traditional British Bachelor of Science (BSc);
- second level (+5), after 2 more years (5 years of higher education), leading to a degree
corresponding to a traditional British Master of Science (MSc);
- third level (+8), after 3 more years (8 years of post-secondary education overall), leading to
the Doctorate or PhD grade.
In some countries the British denominations Bachelor and Master have been adopted in the
national regulations, whereas other countries have selected different names according to their
tradition.
Since 1999, many universities have started to adapt their programme structures according
to that 3-5-8 scheme. So far Engineering studies are concerned, at least on the European
continent, the long dating 5-year structure of most Engineering programmes helped the
adaptation to the new scheme. However, the transition has not been without difficulties and today
it is still incomplete, even if today it is far more advanced with respect to the situation described
in the second edition of this document (2005). Some national systems, in fact, already displayed a
lower intermediate level before 1999, some others did not. In some cases (e.g. Italy, Germany,
Spain ...) the intermediate level was offered as a separate programme parallel to the longer one,
while in other cases (e.g. UK) it could be the first step of a sequence already similar to that
foreseen by the Bologna scheme. In other cases (as in the French Engineering schools) a 2+3
structure (instead of a 3+2 one) is in place, with the first cycle mostly performed in other
institutions, which makes adaptation even more difficult. As a consequence, in many cases the
adoption of the Bologna scheme does not reduce itself to a rearrangement of the programmes in
order to make the +3 graduates readily operational in companies (which means sometimes less
theoretical studies and more professional topics in the 3rd year of study) and therefore is not a
straightforward operation.
In spite of some differences between the European countries, the 3-5-8 evolution for the
Aerospace Engineering studies displays some common features which can be summarised as
follows (reference is done to the overall 3+2 or 5-year programmes):
- the first two years of post-secondary education are essentially devoted to Fundamental
Sciences and general Engineering Sciences. Only some Aerospace Engineering topics may
also be addressed in some cases;
- the third year appears as a transition year, sometimes leading to an intermediate degree
(Bachelors or equivalent) allowing the holder to start working and / or pursue studying for a
higher level degree. Therefore the contents is more Engineering and Aerospace Engineering
oriented;
- the fourth and fifth years are the core of the advanced Aerospace Engineering topics, with
sometimes a first glance at research activities. These highly specialised years of study can be
complemented with general management courses, foreign languages and other soft skills, as
well as an industrial internship period allowing the students to have a first taste of company
life as an engineer. In some countries, however, (Germany, Italy) this internship may be
anticipated to the second or the third study year.
In the following the state of the implementation of the Bologna scheme in the different
PEGASUS Partner Institutions is illustrated.
24 / 87
In The Netherlands since 2002 TU Delft has completely replaced the old system through a strict
3+2 scheme based on the sequence of the Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc)
degrees, both recognized by the professional associations.
Also in Italy the replacement has been early (it started in 2000) in all five PEGASUS Partner
Universities, leading to a strict 3+2 scheme based of the sequence of the Laurea (L) and Laurea
Magistrale (LM) degrees. In general the third year of the Laurea course is offered in two different
versions to the students: a job-oriented one for those who take into account the possibility of an
immediate employment and a different one for those who aim to continue their studies inside the
Laurea Magistrale course. Graduates from the first path, however, can also be admitted to the
second level provided they pass a set of additional examinations.
In Germany the situation is slightly different in the six PEGASUS Partner Institutions, according
to the federal structure of the country. The transition to the 3+2 scheme has already started in
2006 at TU Berlin, in 2007 at RWTH Aachen and in 2008 at TU Mnchen, whereas it will start
in 2009 at Universitt Stuttgart and in 2010 at TU Dresden. All new programmes are based on the
sequence of the Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc) degrees. As to the
duration of the two cycles, only the scheme to be implemented at RWTH Aachen foresees a
3,5+1,5 scheme instead of the elsewhere adopted 3+2. In most cases the new system will
completely replace the old one after a period of transition in which the students already enrolled
are allowed to conclude their studies according with the initiated programme (a solution generally
adopted also outside Germany). In RWTH Aachen, however, the new BSc-MSc programme coexists with the old 5-year Diplom course, which has not been cancelled.
A somewhat similar situation exists in Sweden, where KTH Stockholm has started the Bachelor
of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc) sequence in 2006 by extending to 5 years the
duration of the former 4,5-year Civilingenir programme. A peculiarity is that local students are
not required to take the BSc degree after the first 3 years, but this degree is needed for applicants
to the MSc programme from universities other than KTH.
In Portugal the universities have implemented the Bologna scheme by establishing the sequence
Licenciatura (3 years) Mestrado (2 years). However, there exists also the possibility to offer a
Mestrado Integrado 5-year course with an intermediate Licenciatura not leading to a full
undergraduate engineering profile (but necessary to those who want to continue their studies
elsewhere). The PEGASUS Partner IST Lisboa decided to implement the second option by
establishing a 5-year Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Aeroespacial during which (after the
first 3 years) a Licenciatura en Cincias de Engenharia Aeroespacial diploma is also given. Only
the Mestrado degree is recognized by the professional association of engineers. The situation has
some resemblances with that of KTH.
In France the situation is different if a university is considered or a Grand Ecole, the latter having
a separate status. All French universities have adopted a strict Bologna scheme based on the
sequence Licence (3 years) Master (2 years). However, all French PEGASUS Partners are not
universities but Grandes Ecoles. As such, they are traditionally based on a 2+3 scheme with the
first two years spent by the students in different institutions (Classes Prparatoires, i.e.
preparatory classes whose educational offer is strongly based on fundamentals) and only the
upper 3-year segment is provided by the Grande Ecole itself. The final degree (Diplme
25 / 87

dIngnieur) is therefore at the 5-year level. The adaptation of such a scheme to the Bologna one
is difficult and it is mainly implemented through the gradual introduction, aside of the existing
programmes, of new 2-year Bologna Masters to integrate students provided with a Licence form
a French university or, more generally, with a 3-year Bologna degree. As far as the PEGASUS
Partners are concerned, at present ENAC offers one Bologna Master, ISAE two and ENSMA
none.
In Spain the Bologna scheme will be implemented starting with 2010/11 at UPM Madrid and in
all other universities. It will however take the slightly peculiar form of a 4+2 scheme instead of a
3+2 one. This may be motivated by the fact that the overall duration of primary and secondary
school cycles in Spain is one year shorter than in several other European countries.
In the Czech Republic implementing the Bologna scheme means moving from the existing 4+2
scheme to the 3+2 one. At CVUT three faculties contribute to the aerospace education, namely
those of Electrical Engineering, of Mechanical Engineering and of Transportation Sciences. The
first one has already adopted the 3+2 scheme, the second one will adopt it in 2009/10 and the
third one in 2010/11.
Finally, no modifications have been introduced in the United Kingdom where the traditional BSc
and MSc programmes have been offered well before the start of the Bologna process. However,
these do not always fit into the Bologna scheme. For instance, 4-year and 5-years MSc
programmes co-exist in UK, together with 3-year BSc programmes and still others at the postand undergraduate level (BEng, BA, MEng ...). The PEGASUS Partner Cranfield University
offers 1-year MSc programmes to applicants already provided with a BSc or another degree at
undergraduate level from other universities.
As a general consideration, in all countries of the continental Europe where the Bologna scheme
has been introduced by splitting a former 5-year programme, the students are reluctant to
abandon the traditional idea that a complete engineering profile requires 5 or 6 study years and
only a minority of them decides to stop studying after the first degree. Furthermore, in the same
countries many employers (and in some cases also the professional associations) are not yet
familiar with the new possibility to hire younger engineers. It will probably take a time before
this situation will change.
26 / 87
1.2.2 EXISTING ACCREDITATION SYSTEMS

The following paragraph is drawn from an extensive report about: Accreditation and
Recognition in Engineering Education, that was used to document the EU-ACARE study
commandited to Prof. Jan van Ingen and his working group in 2006.
This document describes the accreditation and recognition procedures of engineering degrees in
23 European countries3.
Recognition is identified in this document with Academic Recognition (i.e. the mutual
recognition of degrees within the Higher Education system), while Accreditation is the
acceptance of a specific degree or educational programme as giving the graduate sufficient
preparation to start on a career as a professional engineer: one or the other is usually a
prerequisite for Professional Recognition of the holder of a recognized or accredited
degree. In practice, it is often difficult to distinguish between recognition and accreditation: in
principle, recognition should refer to each individual, and accreditation to an educational
programme, and therefore should always be connected with a process of quality assurance, which
however may sometimes be in actuality merely formal.
Recognition and accreditation procedures of Engineering degrees in each European country
depend very much, on one side on the educational system, on the other side on how the
engineering profession is organized. While a few years ago accreditation procedures were
established in few European countries, in these last few years, the need of accrediting degrees
(in particular, newly established degrees and degrees of new-born Universities) has rapidly
spread throughout Europe.
As well known, the European Union has established a legal framework for the mutual recognition
of professional qualifications. In particular, Directive 89/48/EEC established a general system for
the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education
and training of at least three years duration, for all regulated professions that are not subject to a
specific directive, including engineering, while specific procedures have been defined for certain
professions, for example, the medical professions, architects, and lawyers. A new unified
Directive, aimed at collecting, harmonising and, hopefully, simplifying all existing regulations in
order to introduce a more uniform, transparent and flexible regime for the recognition of
qualifications in the regulated professions, has been proposed in 2002 to the European
Parliament but its approval is apparently facing serious obstacles, while an effort is being made
again to obtain specific rules for engineers.
Thus, the situation remains fluid, while a true trans-national accreditation system on the European
scale does not exist yet, although some bi- and multi-country agreements have recently been
established (e.g. among the Nordic countries) and schemes for this purposes have been set up
by the two main European Associations of Professional Engineers, FEANI and CLAIU, namely:
It was not possible to include the following EU and EFTA countries: Estonia, Iceland, Latvia,
Malta, Norway, Romania and Slovakia.
27 / 87
FEANI4 gives the title of EurIng to individual applicants who fulfil a certain formula which
takes into account Academic education in an accredited Institution, training and professional
experience; as long as an applicant fulfils the quoted formula, no distinction is made between
long-cycle and short-cycle graduates; exceptional cases are also possible, but must be
approved by a specific process. The list of Accredited Institutions is published and kept up-todate by FEANI: new Degrees can be included only after a visit by an ad hoc Committee.
The CLAIU5 approach is based directly on mutual trust between its Member Associations. In
fact, each member of a CLAIU-Member Professional Association has the right to be
considered as a member of all other Associations. Also CLAIU publishes a list of accredited
Educational Institutions, and this is the list of the Institution accredited by the single Member
Associations.
In order to understand the variety of the present national systems of recognition/accreditation of
Engineering Degrees, one should recall first that in most European countries the right to award
Engineering Degrees is limited to specific Education Institutions, and recognition is practically
automatic, at least within each country: difficulties can arise more from the dual educational
system of most European countries.
In some countries (AT, DK, DE, FI, IT, GR, SE) a National Authority (or a semi-official
representative body like a Rectors Conference) fixes compulsory or voluntary rules to which
each degree course conforms. In this case, some form of (de jure or de facto) accreditation is
practically automatic; this automatism is being relaxed in DE, where accreditation is spreading,
and it is to be expected that will soon become compulsory.
In other countries (FR, UK, BE, NL, IE, PT), degrees are accredited (and/or accreditation is
confirmed at periodic intervals) through an a posteriori evaluation process. In some countries
(UK, IE, PT) the accreditation process is run by the professional association, sometimes in a
indirect way (GR), in others (FR, NL, BE) by a Government-appointed body.
Engineering Profession is regulated by law in four European countries: IT, GR, ES, PT. Among
these, IT and GR require not only an accredited degree, but also a formal examination before
admittance to the Professional Association; PT requires such exam only from graduates holding a
non-accredited degree.
Fdration Europenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingnieurs / European Federation of

National Engineering Associations / Fderation Europischer Nationaler Ingenieurverbnde
(http://www.feani.org)
Council of Association of Long Cycle Engineers of a University or higher School of

Engineering of the European Union // Conseil des Associations d'ingnieurs de cycle long,
d'Universit ou d'Ecole d'Ingnieurs de l'Union Europenne (
28 / 87
In UK and IE, the engineering profession is formally free, but only membership of a Professional
Institute gives the right to the title of Chartered or Incorporated Engineer, thence it is in practice
compulsory and regulated.It is to be noted that the validity of both the 1989
Directive and the proposed is limited to the regulated professions: for the engineering
profession, they therefore apply only in a minority of states (although UK and IE are explicitly
included in the draft Directive).
(The detailed processes for some European countries can be read in the annex.)
1.2.3 COMPARISON WITH THE NORTH AMERICAN (U.S.) SYSTEM

In the U.S. system the Bachelors degree always corresponds to four years (+4 level) of
higher education (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior) unlike the UK system where the
Bachelors degree is usually at the +3 level (and therefore already complies with the Bologna
scheme). In the USA, only the Bachelors degrees benefit from an accreditation system managed
by an independent association, ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) or
regional groupings of colleges.
For the Masters degrees, different situations may occur :
-
the Master of Engineering (ME) with a duration of one year ;
the Master of Sciences (MS) with a duration between one and one and a half year, depending
on the duration of the final thesis (Research work).
For a student with an assistantship (Teaching assistantship, Research assistantship,

Fellowship) the total duration can be two years. After the MS, Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy)
studies are generally longer than three years (four or five years).
Currently, due to the job market situation, a large majority (around 80% to 90%) of U.S.
students stop their higher education studies at the Bachelors level to enter directly into the
industry. The Master of Sciences or Master of Engineering can also be undertaken after a work
period in industry (one or several years).
As a matter of fact, the overall duration of studies for the Bachelors or Masters degrees is
not rigidly specified by the universities. Degrees are granted based on completion of certain
amounts of credits and, sometimes, conditions on achievements (grades) but there is no real time
limitation to complete the requirements. The usual number of credits required for a standard
Bachelors degree amounts to 120 on average (that is, more or less 30 U.S. credits per year in the
first four years). For a Masters degree, 30 to 40 more credits are usually required.
29 / 87
This can be compared to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), where each year of
study represents 60 credits. For a 5-year engineering programme (+5 level), this corresponds to
300 ECTS credits in Europe and 150 160 U.S. credits in the USA. The correspondence between
these two scales is roughly 2:1 .
1.3
THE INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

EDUCATION
The previous sections have shown that Aerospace Engineering Education is becoming more and
more an international matter, not only within the European Union or in North America, but
everywhere, with an increasing number of partnerships tied in all directions across oceans. In this
section, we will describe in more depth this relatively new paradigm, starting from the European
programs that have proved their value for over 20 years (ERASMUS) to more recent
developments.
1.3.1 EUROPEAN EXCHANGES, ECTS, ERASMUS MUNDUS
In the last 20 years, student exchanges have developed considerably within Europe as well
as between Europe and the rest of the world, particularly North America. This evolution of higher
education was triggered within Europe by the EU programme ERASMUS, which put some
funding (student grants) and mutual recognition tools (ECTS) at the disposal of universities for
developing student and professors mobility, one of the main goals of the EU (workforce mobility)
to promote a better integration of the single European market.
Student mobility has increased at different rates, from modest single-figure percentages
up to 100% in some institutions where a minimum international mobility (usually 3 months) has
become mandatory to receive the degree. In quantitative terms, for aerospace engineering studies
within PEGASUS, the average mobility rate is currently around 15% with some partners reaching
over 50% of their student population studying abroad.
Inside the PEGASUS network, mobility of students has steadily increased since the
network was launched in 1998, as shown in the following table. This table shows that student
exchanges have more than quadrupled in 10 years, which is quite an impressive result, well
above the average European growth of student exchanges. Therefore, this effect is clearly in
relation with the existence of the PEGASUS network. More precisely, the main driver of this
growth is less the exchanges of final laboratory projects but rather the substitution semesters /
years which have increased by 6 times in 10 years. This means that PEGASUS students feel more
and more confident to study abroad, that is to take courses and exams in a foreign language.
30 / 87
Perhaps even more importantly, in qualitative terms, the cooperative interaction

between PEGASUS institutions has increased dramatically since the creation of the
PEGASUS network. The table on page 30 shows that there are currently 140 bilateral
partnerships within the PEGASUS network. Every PEGASUS partner has, on average, over 12
active bilateral partners within the PEGASUS network, some partners having up to 18 bilateral
counterparts, and even 20 (out of 22 maximum) including exchange partners of the same country,
like in France where GEA schools have started to exchange final year students between them
since 2002 (they are not counted above).
Quantitative student exchanges within the PEGASUS network since its creation
(number of students per year)
Year
1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
Substitution years or
semesters, including
double degrees
31
40
69
58
99
112
136
144
172
193
Only lab
projects
Overall
inside PEGASUS
44
53
77
97
97
83
93
104
90
114
75
93
146
155
196
195
229
248
262
304
[It should nevertheless be remarked that an evolution towards the 3+2 scheme is underway in
many countries (e.g. in Germany, where the traditional curricula are flanked and gradually
replaced by the new BSc-MSc ones, see section 1.2.2)]
This stimulated cooperation is building up more and more, from simple lab projects or
semester exchanges to professors exchanges, research cooperation up to double degrees
programmes or even integrated educational programmes involving more than two partners
(ECATA, Erasmus Mundus Masters programmes) forming together smaller networks (intranetworks) of 3 to 8 partners inside PEGASUS. The number of double degrees programmes has
also quickly increased in the last few years and currently 18 double degree agreements have been
signed within the PEGASUS network. Certainly, the better reciprocal understanding and the
better knowledge of each others educational and research activities, fostered by the PEGASUS
network own activities, have contributed to that development of the internal cooperation in
aerospace education, one of the main goals of PEGASUS since its creation.
This growth of the internal cooperation within PEGASUS was facilitated by the general
implementation of ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which established a common
measurement tool for the workload of higher education studies. Along with extensive information
about courses through ECTS catalogs and, later, web pages, European students have been enabled
31 / 87

to compose for themselves individual study paths over several European institutions, validated
both quantitatively and qualitatively by their home and host universities.
ECTS credits are numerical values allocated to course units to describe the student
workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course unit requires
in relation to the total quantity of work necessary to complete a full year of academic study at the
institution, that is, lectures, practical work, seminars, tutorials, fieldwork, private study - in the
library or at home - and examinations or other assessment activities. ECTS is thus based on a full
student workload and not limited to contact hours only. In ECTS, 60 credits represent the
workload of a standard academic year of study (30 credits for one semester and 20 credits for one
term). Once fully implemented, one ECTS credit corresponds roughly to 30 hours of student
workload (classroom and self-study included). In some countries still in a transition phase, this
estimation can range from 20-30 hours.
ECTS also enables further studies away from the students home institution since ECTS
gives a standard measurement of academic achievments, theoretically recognised all over Europe.
This facilitates one or several semester periods of studying abroad but also an improved mobility
within the national university system, for example when transferring from an initial 3-year
curriculum to a 2-year Master course at another university. The institutions themselves decide
whether or not this is acceptable and what conditions the student must fulfil to obtain a diploma
or transfer registration. The transcript of records is particularly useful in this context as it
provides a history of the students academic achievements, which will help institutions to make
these decisions.
All this process is leading to a better mutual understanding, the creation of new
cooperative ties, integrated programmes or double diplomas agreements. In that respect also, the
ERASMUS programme has proved to be a great success which was limited only by its
insufficient funding to cope with the explosive student demand.
32 / 87
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
IST Lisboa
TU Delft
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
ESI-US Sevilla
x
x
x
ETSIA Madrid
x
x
x
x
x
x
CVUT Prague
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
KTH Stockholm
Universit di Napoli I
x
University of Glasgow
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
University of Bristol
x
x
x
x
Cranfield University
x
x
x
x
x
Universit di Roma I
Universit di Pisa
x
x
x
TU Dresden
TU Mnchen
Universitt Stuttgart
TU Braunschweig
x
x
TU Berlin
RWTH Aachen
ISAE Toulouse
ENSMA Poitiers
ENAC Toulouse
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
ENAC Toulouse
ENSMA Poitiers
ISAE Toulouse
RWTH Aachen
TU Berlin
TU Braunschweig
TU Mnchen
Universitt Stuttgart
TU Dresden
Universit di Pisa
Universit di Roma I
Universit di Napoli I
Cranfield University
University of Bristol
University of Glasgow
KTH Stockholm
TU Delft
CVUT Prague
ETSIA Madrid
ESI US Sevilla
IST Lisboa
Overview of active bilateral exchange agreements within the PEGASUS network

33 / 87
(all types: ERASMUS, double-degrees, students and professors mobility.)
1.3.2 Bilateral & multilateral programmes

Recognising the situation, the European Commission went one step further and decided
to launch a new phase of European higher education integration with the creation of the
ERASMUS MUNDUS programme. Launched in 2002, ERASMUS MUNDUS aims at fostering
integrated high level programmes (Masters) for which it delivers a label (European Master),
administrative funding as well as generous grants for non-European students. The idea behind
this scheme is to create multinational poles of excellence able to compete with the best U.S.
university programmes. A first, limited set of ERASMUS MUNDUS projects was approved in
2004, none in aerospace engineering. For the 2005 campaign, one aerospace engineering
programme, endorsed by PEGASUS (comprised of 5 PEGASUS partners) was selected by the
EU.
As described above, the ERASMUS MUNDUS programme aims particularly at attracting
foreign students from target regions (Asia) into European programs and develop new
cooperations with their home universities. Other initiatives with already existing partner
universities have also been developed, with various objectives:
- exchanging students and / or double diploma programmes (bilateral actions);
- creating new diploma programs on-site with partner universities abroad;
- developing multilateral programs leading to one or multiple diplomas;
- adding a professor mobility component and research cooperation.
The first type of actions is quite similar to what PEGASUS members are used to practice together
and with their other European partners, often with the financial support of EU programs. These
activities are also well developed with North American universities (generally with no EU
support) and some Asian universities (Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan,). See the list of the major
North American partners of PEGASUS members below.
The second type of activity is less frequent. The necessary background is a strong political
willingness from the host country to attract foreign academic partners for developing new
approaches and methodologies into their own higher education system. It is now very much the
case of China, but also other countries like Vietnam, Morocco, perhaps India in the near future. In
the field of Aerospace Engineering, a strong programme has been run for years by the ENSMA
(Poitiers, France) in Hanoi and Ho-Chi-Minh City (Vietnam). Another one, lead by GEA6, is
being implemented since 2007 at the Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC) in Tianjin.
These programmes are backed by both Governments and industrial partners from both sides, and
they attract relatively large numbers of students (100 per year).
The third type of activity is well represented by a new cooperative programme between some
PEGASUS members (University of Glasgow, CVUT Prague, TU Munich.) and a pool of
Canadian universities.
GEA : (French) Groupe des Ecoles Aronautiques
34 / 87
The fourth one (professor mobility and research cooperation) is much more diffuse and
widespread, more often on a personal basis. But this type of activity can nevertheless be in
convergence with the development of more strategic, institutional partnerships. These can then
lead to any kind of cooperative action of the three previous categories.
2. THE PEGASUS EDUCATIONAL OFFER IN AEROSPACE PROGRAMMES

2.1 PEGASUS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES
2.1.1 General structure of PEGASUS engineering degrees
The PEGASUS member institutions are no exceptions to the general European rules when
it is about their own programme structures. The PEGASUS aerospace engineering programmes
considered here (+5 level) still reflect their national structure particularities. One first big
difference appears between Continental Europe on one hand, Great Britain and Ireland on the
other hand, where the programmes have an overall shorter duration (see 2.1.2). This paragraph
will consequently only discuss the aerospace programmes structure encountered on the Continent.
As it was said before, the PEGASUS engineering programmes (leading to the
corresponding degrees) are, on the European continent, structured over a period of 5 YEARS of
post-secondary studies. In terms of the European norm ECTS, such 5-year programmes represent
a total of 300 credits (60 credits per year). The students who successfully complete the whole
programmes quantitatively (number of credits) and qualitatively (sufficient grades), including
core (mandatory) courses and optional (elective) courses prescribed by the engineering
programmes syllabi, are awarded the corresponding degree, at the +5 level, entitling to assume all
the fonctions of an engineering job (in the highest sense) and, in some cases to enjoy the
privileges of a Master grade / title and / or a Graduate Engineer title.
Within the PEGASUS network, the degrees corresponding to that definition are the
following (exhaustive list):
France
ENAC Toulouse:
Diplme dIngnieur de lENAC
ISAE Toulouse:
Diplme dIngnieur de SUPAERO

Diplme dIngnieur de lENSICA7
ENSMA Poitiers:
Diplme dIngnieur de lENSMA
Before ISAE was created in October 2007, two pre-existing schools delivered their own engineering degree:
SUPAERO and ENSICA. These degrees still exist within ISAE.
35 / 87

Germany
RWTH Aachen:
Diplom-Ingenieur Maschinenwesen8
TU Munich:
Diplom-Ingenieur Maschinenwesen
U. Stuttgart:
Diplom-Ingenieur Luft- und Raumfahrt9
TU Braunschweig:
Diplom-Ingenieur Maschinenwesen
TU Berlin:
Diplom-Ingenieur Verkehrswesen10
TU Dresden:
Diplom-Ingenieur Maschinenbau
Italy
Politecnico di Milano:
Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria Aeronautica / Spaziale11
Politecnico di Torino:
Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria Aerospaziale
U. di Pisa:
U. di Napoli I :
U. di Roma I :
Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria Aeronautica / Spaziale12
The Netherlands
TU Delft:
M.Sc. Aerospace Engineering
Portugal
IST (Instituto Superior
Tcnico),
M.S. Aerospace Engineering

branches:
- Aircraft
- Avionics.
Ingenieur Machinenwesen (or Maschinenbau) = Mechanical Engineer
Ingenieur Luft- und Raumfahrt = Aerospace Engineer

Ingenieur Verkehrswesen = Transport System Engineer
11
Ingegneria Aerospaziale = Aerospace Engineering
12
Ingegneria Aerospaziale = Aerospace Engineering
10
36 / 87
Spain
ETSIA Madrid:
Diploma de Ingeniero Aeronutico
ESI Univ.of Sevilla:
Diploma de Ingeniero Aeronutico
Sweden
KTH Stockholm:
M.Sc. Engineering (Civilingenjr)
Czech Republic
CVUT v Praze,
(Czech Technical
University in
Prague
Ing. - diplom inenra v oborech Strojn inenrstv ,Trchnika a

technologie v doprav a spojch, Elektrotechnika a informatika
(Master of Engineering in the fields of: Mechanical Engineering,
Technology in Transportation and Telecommunications,
Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
A synopsis of the overall structure of these programmes is given here:
Comparative scheme of the Engineering programmes structure in continental Europe

Country
University
Year 1
Year2
Year3
Year 4
Year 5
FRANCE
ENAC Toulouse
SUPAERO Toulouse
ENSICA Toulouse
ENSMA Poitiers
Scientific
preparatory classes
+ national
entrance exam
Ingnieur diplm
Ingnieur diplm
Ingnieur diplm
Ingnieur diplm
GERMANY
RWTH AACHEN
TU BERLIN
TU BRAUNSCHWEIG
U. STUTTGART
TU MUNICH
TU DRESDEN
Vordiplom
Vordiplom
Vordiplom
Vordiplom
Vordiplom
Vordiplom
37 / 87
Diplom- Ingenieur
Diplom- Ingenieur
Diplom- Ingenieur
Diplom- Ingenieur
Diplom- Ingenieur
Diplom- Ingenieur
ITALY
Politecnico MILANO
Univ. di NAPOLI
Univ. di PISA
Univ. di ROMA
Politecnico TORINO
THE NETHERLANDS
TU DELFT
PORTUGAL
IST LISBOA
SPAIN
ETSIA MADRID
ESI SEVILLA
SWEDEN
KTH STOCKHOLM
CZECH REPUBLIC
Laurea
BSc. AE
MSc. AE
Licenciatura engenheria aeroespacial

Ingeniero aeronutico
Ingeniero aeronutico
MSc. Engineering (Civilingenjr)
VUT V PRAZE
Nominal Student Age:
Laurea magistrale
Laurea magistrale
Laurea magistrale
Laurea magistrale
Laurea magistrale
Bc. (Bakal)
18
19
20
Ing. (Inenr)
21
22
23
Among continental PEGASUS members, there is a good degree of homogeneity as far as

the length of the aerospace programmes is concerned. Although all engineering programmes are
full 5-year programmes, some are 2+3 (Germany, France), others 3+2 (Italy, the Netherlands),
some full 5-year courses of study with no intermediate step (Spain, Sweden, Norway). Some
include a preparatory period (2 years in France) putting a strong emphasis on Fundamental
Sciences (Maths, Physics,) and General Courses (foreign languages) put not on Engineering
itself, while others start Engineering courses as soon as in the 2nd year of a more integrated 5-year
programme.
However, the stiffness of the Continental European systems (probably an heritage of the
centralised characters of the old individual European nations) is moderated by the possibility
broadly offered to the students to freely choose a certain amount of subjects (electives), fixed by
their faculties. This possibility is reinforced by the international exchange agreements (see
paragraph 1.2.4) and strongly contributes to an increasing flexibility of the university syllabi,
leading to more customised, individual student profiles.
2.1.2 Aerospace Engineering programmes in the United Kingdom

Aerospace Engineering programmes in the UK substantially vary from what we see on the
European continent. The differences are less in the contents - although UK universities seem to
put a stronger emphasis on specialised, technical subjects than most universities elsewhere but
more in the duration of the studies and the structure of the programmes.
38 / 87
Generally speaking, the duration of the engineering studies is shorter than on the
continent: 3 to 4 years of post-secondary education would make for the initial training, the title of
Chartered Engineer being actually acquired later, after a few years of professional experience.
Another characteristic of the UK engineering programmes is that there is no unified
structure, nor unified duration of the programmes. Only in aerospace engineering within
PEGASUS coexist programmes in 3 years (Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Sciences in
Aerospace Engineering), 4 years (Master of Engineering, Scottish Bachelor of Engineering), and
5 years (Scottish Master of Engineering and Masters of Science, regarded as postgraduate degree
programmes that can also be undertaken after a period of work in industry). Nevertheless, the
current trend for mainstream aerospace enginering students seems to become more and more the
MEng. and less the BEng.
Within the PEGASUS network, the degrees corresponding to the definition of main,
initial training programmes in aerospace engineering are the following (exhaustive list):
United Kingdom
U. of Bristol:
MEng. in Aeronautical Engineering

MEng. in Avionic Systems
Cranfield Univ.:
Only (postgraduate) one-year MSc. Programmes13
U. of Glasgow:
MEng. in Aeronautical Engineering (5year-programme) *

MEng. in Avionics (5year-programme) *
A synopsis of the overall structure of these programmes is given here:

Country
University
Year -1
Year 1
Year2
Year3
Year 4
Year 5
UNITED KINGDOM
U. of BRISTOL
CRANFIELD U.
(High
School)
U. of GLASGOW *
Nominal Student Age :
B.Eng.
M.Eng.
(High
School)
17
(BA
MSc.
/ BEng / BSc / MEng )-
B.Eng.
M.Eng.
18
19
20
MSc.
MSc.
21
22
23
(* : nominal starting age of undergraduate students in Scotland is 17, one year earlier than the
rest of the UK)
13
see chapter 2.2

39 / 87
Within PEGASUS UK members, the aerospace engineering programmes vary

considerably as shown in the table above. Whereas the standard curriculum may appear as in
Bristol to be a Bachelor of Engineering in 3 years and a Master of Engineering in 4 years,
Cranfield University offers only one-year specialisation programmes (Master of Science, MSc.).
It is not even easy to characterise the overall profiles of a Cranfield graduate since the entrance
level for the Cranfield MSc. may be as diverse as the existing degrees in the UK: Bachelors of
Arts or Science, Bachelor or Master in Engineering
Scotland shows also some differences. Unlike the rest of the UK, the programmes in
Glasgow include Bachelors of Engineering in 4 years and Masters of Engineering in 5 years. But
the duration of high school studies in Scotland is on average one year less than in the rest of UK,
which makes Scotland students enter the higher education system one year earlier. As a
consequence, the duration of higher education studies is longer than in the rest of UK but does
not lead to longer studies overall.
In any case, it was discussed and admitted, within PEGASUS, that the UK engineering
programmes are shorter than the standard +5 level encountered on the continent. This is the main
reason why UK graduates would get the PEGASUS certificate and award (see Chapter 6) only
after one year of professional experience.
2.1.3 Engineering programmes: definition of course categories

As shown in chapter 3, the various national structures of higher education for engineering
in Europe are a source of diversity across PEGASUS members. Beyond the structure of
engineering programmes, the programme contents themselves may vary considerably from one
institution to another. But in the end, all PEGASUS member programmes produce aeronautics or
space engineers who can be recruited as such and are quickly operational in their aerospace
companies. This is no real wonder, it just shows that, beyond the rich variety of the PEGASUS
engineering programmes, there is also a large amount of commonality, that gives a sense to the
phrase European aeronautics / space engineer .
In order to simplify and summarise these commonalties in our PEGASUS engineering
programmes, our approach has been to classify their contents into the following categories:
FS : FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCES
They are the background scientific knowledge required to understand and utilise
techniques and methods used in aerospace engineering. FS include courses such as
mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science basics, etc
ES : ENGINEERING SCIENCES
They are sciences applied to general engineering purposes, such as mechanics, fluid
mechanics, gas dynamics, electronics, telecoms, software engineering, simulation
tools and techniques, etc
40 / 87
AE : AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SCIENCES

Among engineering sciences, those having a strong orientation towards aerospace
have been identified separately. They include: aerodynamics, propulsion techniques,
aeronautical structures & materials, aircraft design, flight dynamics, air traffic
control, aircraft operations, aviation safety, avionics, space engineering, others
GC : GENERAL COURSES
Today, engineers can no longer limit themselves to purely technological projects, and
they are in need of knowledge and skills in various soft sciences domains. These
general courses include a large variety of topics (often proposed as optional courses)
such as economics, finance, management, project management, history of aviation &
industry, foreign languages, etc
IT/FYP : INDUSTRIAL TRAINING / FINAL YEAR PROJECT
Most PEGASUS engineering programmes include also one or several periods of
practical training, in laboratories or industrial structures. These may take place during
the training program (industrial training/internship) and/or right at the end of it (Final
Year Project). In this case, the practical training period is rather long (generally 4 to 6
months) and represents an opportunity to apply to real industrial problems the skills
acquired during the period of courses.
There is some logical sequence in the various categories above. The Fundamental
Sciences (FS) as their name indicates are mostly courses upon which the others are built up
(such as maths) and are therefore mostly taught in the first part of the curriculum (generally the
first two years). Engineering Sciences (ES) and Aerospace Engineering (AE) courses are taught
at a later stage and constitute the core of the engineering teaching in all the PEGASUS
institutions. On the other hand, General Courses (GC) have an extremely varying status, ranging
from almost nothing in certain programmes up to a substantial part in others (almost 20%), spread
all over the 5 years of training. Finally, the practical experience (IT/FYP) varies also considerably
from one country to another according to national or local guidelines.
2.1.4 Commonalties of PEGASUS aerospace engineering programmes

All PEGASUS aerospace engineering programmes are comprised of courses / practical
training in each of the above 5 categories. A closer look at the figures show that, based on a
complete 5-year aerospace engineer programme (+ 5 level), all programmes include :
- 15 % or more of fundamental sciences
- 40 % to 60 % of engineering sciences (including aerospace engineering sciences)
- up to 15 % of general courses
- a practical experience from 5 % up to 25 % of the whole programme.
According to what was said in the previous chapters about the duration differences
between the UK and the continent, it is easier to compare first the continental PEGASUS
aerospace engineering programmes (see chart above). There is a striking similarity in most of the
programmes, in that they are balanced in more or less the same way across national boundaries.
41 / 87
Obviously, countries with a strong centralised administration of education (France, Italy)

show little dispersion in their programmes profiles, but their programmes are also quite similarly
balanced as those of Spain, Portugal and Sweden. For instance, in all those countries, the
proportion of basic science and technology (the sum of the first two categories: FS and ES) is
roughly the same, 40% to 50% of the overall curriculum (although the respective weights of FS
and ES may vary more importantly according to some national inclinations towards more or less
theoretical studies). Conversely, in countries with a long tradition of decentralised education
(Germany, UK), the dispersion between categories is greater from one university to another.
Nevertheless, some German universities (Stuttgart, Munich, Dresden and Aachen) show a similar
proportion of basic science and technology (50%) as French, Italian, Spanish and Swedish
institutions.
PEGASUS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES (Continental Europe)
ENAC
ENSMA
ENSICA
SUPAERO
AACHEN
BERLIN
BRAUNSCHWEIG
MUNICH
STUTTGART
DRESDEN
MILANO
PISA
TORINO
NAPOLI
ROMA
MADRID
SEVILLA
LISBOA
DELFT
KTH STOCKHOLM
PRAGUE
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Fundamental Sciences Engineering Sciences Aerospace Eng. Incl. Industrial and Final Year Project General Courses
42 / 87
100%
Coming now to UK universities, there is a larger dispersion between universities, notably

Cranfield (which offers only one-year specialisation programmes). A better description of the full
profile of a Cranfield graduate would be obtained by mixing the Cranfield programme profile
with one standard Bachelors or Master of Engineering programme (say : Bristol or Glasgow,
for instance). The resulting corrected Cranfield profile, over 5 years, would give less abnormal
figures like: FS = 20% , ES = 16% , AE = 57% , and GC = 7% (roughly speaking).
Universities
PEGASUS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

(UK)
Univ. of Glasgow
Cranfield Univ.
Univ. of Bristol
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Percentage of the whole engineering programme in each

university
Fundamental Sciences
Aerospace Engineering
Engineering Sciences
General Courses
After taking into account the above correction to estimate a full curriculum profile, the
universities of UK show a better correlation in their programmes, with around 40% devoted to FS
and ES.
In any case, the main consideration about UK universities is their strong emphasis put on
specialisation courses in this case Aerospace Engineering courses which represent over 50%
of the overall engineering programme. If we add up the Engineering Courses category (ES), the
total amounts at over 70% (up to 82% for Bristol). Clearly, this strong emphasis on specialised
engineering courses leaves few space for fundamental sciences and general courses in UK
universities.
43 / 87
2.2 PEGASUS MASTER DEGREES

2.2.1 Aerospace Master degrees
The word Master has become quite confusing today in the world of higher education.
Coming from the anglo-saxon academic world (UK and USA), where it already has a different
meaning across the Atlantic, as we could see from the previous chapters, it has
spread all over the world, some countries sticking to the UK scheme, others to the US model, and
others still adapting the word to their local descriptions !!! This is the case in some European,
non culturally anglo-saxon countries (France, Italy, Spain,) where the word Master also has
some similarity with old Latin roots. The consequence of this richness of sources and adaptations
appears in what can be considered as a conceptual maze for people not directly involved in the
field of higher education!
If we try to summarise the different meanings the clearest way possible, lets say that:
-
a Masters degree is always an officially recognised diploma given at a higher level of

education, in most cases after a first degree (Bachelors) and / or after completing a sufficient
number of years of post-secondary studies (4 to 6 years);
Masters degrees entitle their holders to pursue doctoral studies / research work towards a
higher degree (Doctorate / PhD) and / or to work directly as an engineer in the industry ;
In the USA and countries having adopted a higher education system derived from the US
system (like Canada, Japan, China), the first degree (Bachelors) corresponds to 4 years of
study and the Masters to 18 months to 2 years on top of the first degree (5,5 to 6 years of
post-secondary studies);
In the UK and countries having adopted a higher education system derived from the UK
system (many Commonwealth countries, except Scotland, see chapter 2.1.2), the first degree
can be 3 or 4 years and the Masters corresponds to 1 to 2 years of studies on top of it (5 to 6
years of post-secondary studies);
In Europe, countries following the 1999 Bologna scheme also structure their higher
educational programmes in two stages: a first degree in 3 years (Bachelors, Licence or
Laurea) for 180 European credits, on top of which Masters degrees in 2 years (120 credits)
are offered. The whole 5-year (3+2) programme amounts then to 300 European credits, in
accordance with PEGASUS standards for Aerospace Engineering.
In deviation from these general considerations, other meanings of the word Master can be
encountered:
In France, a Mastre Spcialis (in short: MS, english translation: Specialised
Master) is a label given by the French Confrence des Grandes Ecoles (CGE) to a one year
diploma programme for higher education graduates holding a previous engineering diploma (or
equivalent, for example a Masters degree from another school or university) and in-company
44 / 87
engineers who wish to acquire a complementary or specialisation training (continuing education).

It is not a Masters degree.
It usually amounts to about 350-400 hours of classroom teaching and includes a 4 to 6
month- industrial placement or internship in a research laboratory, assessed by a professional
thesis.
Contrary to that, the French Diplme National de Master (DNM) is a nationally
accredited diploma, therefore automatically granting the degree of Master and allowing holders to
further continue towards doctoral studies (PhD).
In any case, all these French categories of Masters share the general characteristics of the
Masters depicted above (higher level, substantial duration of studies: 4,5 to 6 years, etc).
In Italy, there exist so-called Master Universitari (short: MU, English translation:
University Master courses). These may be open to holders of the Laurea degree (1st level MU) or
to holder of the Laurea Magistrale degree (2nd level MU). Both consist of one to one-anda half
year programmes. They are usually specialised and strongly job-oriented and include a significant
industrial internship period and a project. At the end of the course, students are awarded a
Diploma di Master (nationally recognised by the Ministry of Education)."
In the Netherlands, the Master courses are open to BSc graduates of the same or related
engineering degree program, and a selected number of B Eng graduates of Higher Professional
Technical Education that match with the master program. The master program at technical
universities lasts two years and often includes an (international) internship and a typ. 7-months
master thesis project.
Spain is introducing Master courses open to students holding a first university degree:
Diploma de grado (3 to 4 years of study). They include one to one-and-a-half year programme
plus a final project and entitle the student to get a Diploma de Master (nationally recognised by
the Ministry of Education).
In Germany, some universities have also introduced Master courses which are derived
from their Diplom-Ingenieur courses, but often taught in English in order to better attract foreign
students. Through an agreement reached between 9 German technical universities (TU Neun),
all 6 German PEGASUS partners are committed to recognise each others Masters degrees.
In the Czech Republic the Master courses are open only to Bc. graduates of the same or
related engineering degree program. The length of Master courses is two years including 1
semester diploma project. Graduates from Master programmes pass through rigorous state exam
from at least three basic engineering or scientific disciplines and defend the diploma thesis in
front of the official state commission. Graduates receive the title Ing. (Inenr, in English Master
of Engineering)
45 / 87
Full list of currently existing PEGASUS Aerospace Master degrees

France
ENAC Toulouse:
M.S. Aviation Safety / Aircraft Airworthiness14
M.S. in Satellite-based Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS)
M.S. in Airport Design and Management
M.S. in Air Transport Management (jointly with Toulouse Business School)
M.S. in Aeronautical Operations
M.S in Cooperative Avionics (since 2007)
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Airworthiness11
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Flight Operations11
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Maintenance11
Master (DNM) in International Air Transport Operations (since 2007)
ISAE Toulouse:
M.S. Techniques for aeronautics and space : option Aeronautics
M.S. Techniques for aeronautics and space : option Astronautics
M.S. Aeronautical telecommunications and electronic systems
M.S. Command and embarked systems
M.S. Light aeronautical structures
M.S. Aerospatial propulsion systems
M.S. System engineering
M.S. Integrated logistic support11
MSc. Aeronautical engineering
MSc. Aerospace communications systems (jointly with Tlcoms Paris)
M.S. Aeronautical Maintenance
M.S. in Helicopter Engineering
M.Sc. Aerospace Engineering (DNM) (in accreditation process)
M.S. Aviation Safety / Aircraft Airworthiness12
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Airworthiness12
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Flight Operations12
M.S. in Aviation Safety Management Maintenance12
M.S. Integrated Logistics Support
11
12
Jointly with ISAE

Jointly with ENAC
46 / 87
ENSMA, Poitiers
(partnership with University of Poitiers) :

M.S. Mechanics, Energetics and Engineering, options in:
- Engineering in Solid Mechanics
- Fluids, Acoustics, and Energetics
M.S. Physics and Materials Engineering, option :
- Physical Properties and Materials Mechanisms
Italy
Politecnico di Torino: Master in Space Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS), in
collaboration with ISAE-Suparo and the University of Bremen
Univ. di Roma :
Master in sistemi di trasporto spaziale

Master in satelliti e piattaforme orbitanti
The Netherlands
TU Delft
MSc. Space Systems Engineering
Spain
ETSIA
Master Sistemas Aeroportuarios
Czech Republic
VUT v Praze
Diplom inenra v oboru Letadlov technika ( Engineering Diploma in the

Branch of Aeronautical Engineering)
Diplom inenra v oboru Provoz a zen leteck dopravy ( Engineering
Diploma in the Branch of Air Traffic Control and Service
Diplom inenra v oboru Kybernetika a men zamen Leteck
informan a dic systmy (Engineering Diploma in the Field of
Cybernetics and Measurement Branch Aircraft Control and Information
Systems)
United Kingdom
U. of Bristol:
MSc. Aerospace Design, Manufacture and Management

MSc. Aerospace Engineering
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Cranfield U.:
MSc. Aerospace Dynamics with options in

- Aerodynamics,
- Flight Dynamics
- Computational Fluid Dynamics.
MSc. Thermal Power with an option in Aerospace Propulsion
MSc. Aerospace Vehicle Design with options in
- Structural Design
- Avionics
MSc. Air Transport Management
MSc. Astronautics and Space Engineering
MSc. Human Factors and Safety Assessment in Aeronautics
The following MSc programmes are available on a part time basis requiring a
total study period of 45 weeks over three years:
MSc. Aircraft Engineering
MSc. Airworthiness
MSc. Safety and Accident Investigation
U. of Glasgow:
2.2.2
MSc. Aerospace Engineering
Other Aerospace-related Master degrees
Cranfield U.:
MSc. Applied Psychology

MSc. Advanced Materials
MSc. Structures, Crashworthines and Impact
ENSMA, Poitiers (in partnership with the University of Poitiers) :

M.S. Automatics & Control
ENAC (in partenership with LUISS Business School, Roma):
Master in Aviation Business Administration (Aviation MBA) since 2008
TU Delft:
Master of Space Systems Engineering (by SpaceTech, an internationally

recognized program of the faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft
University of Technology educating mid-career professionals on space
systems and business engineering)
48 / 87
2.2.3
ERASMUS MUNDUS European Masters
ERASMUS MUNDUS is a programme launched by the European Union, as an extension

of the traditional ERASMUS programme which proved instrumental in developing student
mobility within Europe since 1987. Experimentally launched in 2003, ERASMUS MUNDUS
was closed in 2008 and labellised in-between 103 Master programmes throughout Europe. The
main criteria are that the consortia should be made of at least three academic partners from three
different European countries; the proposed programme should be taught in at least two different
countries and lead to at least a double diploma. Once labellised, strong subsidies from the EU are
then granted to the programme, mostly in the form of tuition grants and daily life aids to students
from outside Europe.
Diversity being a rule in Europe, the 103 labellised prorammes during the period reflects a
wide diversity of contents, partners and origins of the leading institutions, as depicted below:
ERASMUS MUNDUS MASTERS 2003-2008
9%
4%
3% 1%
10%
9%
26%
10%
22%
6%
Mathematics
Chemistry
Theoretical & Applied Physics
Information Technology
Engineering Sciences
Agriculture, Ecology, Sustainable Development
Health
Law & Social Sciences
Humanities
Management
49 / 87
ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
Some striking features appear from those statistics:

- soft sciences and humanities represent the bulk of the programmes (45%);
- green projects (Agriculture, Ecology& Sustainable Development) are also well overrepresented (22%);
- engineering sciences15, on the contrary, are much under-represented (10%);
- hard sciences, including computer science and IT, account for almost of the total.
This probably is a reflection of the European university landscape, in terms of domains and
student population. It is nevertheless a bit disappointing to consider how large amounts of public
European money do not benefit to engineering programs enough. Not to mention aerospace
engineering: only ONE Erasmus Mundus programme (EUMAS) in that category has been
approved16 and is supported by 5 academic institutions, all of them PEGASUS members. The
EUMAS consortium is actually made of the University of Pisa, TU Mnchen, ETSIA in Madrid,
Cranfield and SUPAERO (now: ISAE).
The second edition of the Erasmus Mundus programme was officially launched on
October 21, 2008, and the call for proposals sent in the first semester of 2009. Compared to the
Erasmus Mundus Phase I, the Phase II budget has been multiplied by 4 at 950 M over 5 years. It
will also extend the student grant system to make European students eligible to student grants (in
Phase I, only non-European students were eligible).
2.2.4
Specific modules offered by the PEGASUS members
Every institution of the PEGASUS network offers specific modules to students, in areas
usualy related to the activities developed in the its research laboratories.
Leaving apart individual lectures or dedicated seminars, dictated by the accademic staff of
the institution or by visiting professors, the specific modules considered here are well established,
permanent teaching activities, offered to students as complementary or additional to the curricula,
or as modules embedded in the main curriculum as specific specialization, always with a well
characterised development, including the evaluation criteria.
The format of the specific modules , by its nature, may vary appreciably, ranging from
one week duration to several months and are measured in ECTS.
It is not the intent of this paragraph to include a comprehensive list of all the modules
being offered by each institution; it suffices to say that they cover a great variety of fields and
techniques with a diversity of approaches. As illustrative examples, some may have a deep
scientific content (ex.: "dynamics of space tethers", 4 ECTS), while others permit the
familiarisation with specific technics (ex.:" Preparation and utilisation of aeronautical manuals
and other aeronautical documentation", 3 ECTS).
15
16
excluding Information technology

another one concerns Space Science & Technology, though
50 / 87
2.3 STRONG
AREAS OF THE VARIOUS

PROGRAMMES
PEGASUS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
Individual PEGASUS member institutions show various aerospace engineering

specialities. These specialities are reflected through a variety of courses or programmes, some of
which are mandatory for all students while others are optional (electives). Consequently, some
PEGASUS members display a large offer of courses but this does not mean that they are taken by
all of their students. In some cases, these courses are taken by a very small numbers of students
each year, whereas others are not even open each year because of a lack of students willing to
attend then.
If we focus more closely on the aerospace engineering sciences category, our approach
shows that some topics are widely taught across the PEGASUS engineering programmes, such as
aerodynamics, aeronautical structures & materials, aircraft design, propulsion & combustion
Others are more concentrated in some member institutions, which put on emphasis on certain
specialities like aircraft operations, air traffic control, space engineering & technology,
etcFurther analysis, including a fine description of research topics and publications, would also
differentiate PEGASUS members from one another and put forward areas of excellence/expertise
niches.
The overall offer of disciplines (mandatory and elective) of each PEGASUS member is
reported in relative terms (as percentages of ten selected comprehensive aerospace domains over
the total amount of aerospace ECTS offered in that university) in the figures of the Annex.
These ten categories are:
1. Aerodynamics, Gas Dynamics, Heat Transfer
2. Structures, Materials
3. Aircraft Design, Subsystems and Integration
4. Rotary Wing Systems and Non-conventional Aircraft
5. Performance, Stability and Control, Flight Dynamics
6. Propulsion & Combustion
7. Production & Maintenance
8. Aircraft Operations, Aviation Safety, Airlines / Airports Operations and
Management, Air Traffic Management
9. Aircraft Navigation, Avionics, Communications
10. Space Engineering & Technology
51 / 87
As a consequence of the possibility given to the students to freely choose a certain number
of disciplines, an occurrence profile for each PEGASUS members programme can only be
characterised in the very general sense of the gross percentages of the last section above.
However, it is also possible to list strong areas for each institution, around which students have
more or less opportunities to shape their own individual profile. This is possible in different
ways: either by choosing certain courses or ranges of courses within their own university, or in a
PEGASUS partner university, in the home country or abroad, for a short or a longer period. For
this latter case, PEGASUS coated a special recognition: the PEGASUS
A.W.A.R.D. (see chapter 3.4). The strong areas deduced from the data mentioned above are
listed below:
STRONG AREAS OF THE VARIOUS PEGASUS MEMBERS
(AEROSPACE ENGINEERING CATEGORIES)
FRANCE
ENAC (Toulouse)
Aircraft operations, aviation safety, airline/airport operations &

management, air traffic management; Aircraft navigation, avionics,
communications; Aircraft Design, Subsystems and Integration;
Performance, Stability and Control.
ENSICA (Toulouse)
Aircraft design, subsystems & integration; Aircraft navigation,

avionics, communications ; Structures, materials; Aerodynamics,
gas dynamics ; Space engineering & technology.
ENSMA (Poitiers)
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics, heat transfer; Structures, mate-rials;

Propulsion, combustion.
SUPAERO (Toulouse)
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Propulsion, combustion; Aircraft,

navigation, avionics, communications; Space engineering &
technology; Structures, materials.
GERMANY
RWTH AACHEN
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Structures, materials; Propulsion,

combustion; Aircraft design, subsystems & integration; Production
and maintenance.
TU BERLIN
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Propulsion, combustion; Aircraft

operations, aviation safety, airline/airport operations &
management, air traffic management
TU BRAUNSCHWEIG
Aircraft operations, aviation safety, airline/airport operations &

management, air traffic management; Aircraft navigation, avionics,
communications; Structures, materials.
52 / 87
TU MUNICH
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Space engineering &

technology; Propulsion, combustion; Structures, materials;
Aircraft navigation, avionics, communications.
UNIV. STUTTGART
Propulsion, combustion; Aircraft design, subsystems &

integration; Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas
dynamics.
TU DRESDEN
Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics,;

Propulsion, combustion ; Space Engineering & Technology ;
Aircraft Navigation, avionics & Communications.
ITALY
POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics;

Propulsion, combustion; Space engineering & technology;
Rotary Wing Systems and Non-conventional Aircraft.
UNIV. DI PISA

Performance, stability & control, flight dynamics; Space
engineering & technology;
POLITECNICO DI TORINO

Propulsion, combustion; Aircraft design, subsystems &
integration; Performance, stability & control, flight dynamics;
Space engineering & technology.
UNIV. DI NAPOLI
Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Aircraft

navigation, Avionics, Communications; Performance,
Stability and Control; Aircraft design, Subsystems and
Integration.
UNIV. DI ROMA
Space Engineering &Technology; Structures, materials;

Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Propulsion, combustion;
Performance, Stability and Control, Flight Dynamics.
THE NETHERLANDS
TU DELFT
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Space engineering &

technology; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Aircraft design,
subsystems & integration.
53 / 87
PORTUGAL
IST LISBOA
Aircraft navigation, Avionics, Communications; Performance,

Stability and Control, Flight Dynamics; Aerodynamics, gas
dynamics; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Propulsion,
combustion;
SPAIN
ETSIA MADRID
Propulsion, combustion; Aircraft operations, aviation safety,

airline/airport operations & management, air traffic
management; Aircraft navigation, avionics, communications;
Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics.
UT SEVILLA
Structures, Materials, Aircraft Operations, Aviation Safety,

Airlines / Airports Operations and Management, Air Traffic
Management, Production & Maintenance, Aerodynamics, Gas
Dynamics, Heat Transfer, Aircraft Navigation, Avionics,
Communications
SWEDEN
KTH STOCKHOLM

Performance, stability and control ; Aircraft design,
subsystems & integration; Propulsion, combustion.
UNITED KINGDOM
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Structures, materials; Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Aircraft

design, subsystems & integration; Performance, stability &
control.
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Aircraft operations, aviation safety, airlines/airports

operations & management, air traffic management;
Aerodynamics, gas dynamics; Structures, materials; Aircraft
design, subsystems & integration.
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Structures, materials; Aircraft design, subsystems &

integration; Performance, stability & control; Aircraft
operations, aviation safety, airlines/airports operations &
management, air traffic management; Aerodynamics, gas
dynamics.
54 / 87
CZECH REPUBLIC
CVUT PRAGUE
Aircraft Navigation, Avionics, Communications, Aircraft

Operations, Aviation Safety, Airlines / Airports Operations
and Management, Air Traffic Management, Aerodynamics,
Gas Dynamics, Heat Transfer, Aircraft Design, Subsystems
and Integration, Performance, Stability and Control, Flight
Dynamics
3. ENSURING ADEQUATE, HIGH QUALITY AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

PROFILES FOR THE EUROPEAN INDUSTRY.
3.1 QUALITY, A MUST FOR A HIGH-TECH SECTOR LIKE AEROSPACE
The statement that the European aerospace sector relies on the availability of highly
qualified engineers, and hence of high quality universities and schools that educate them, may
look somewhat obvious. As already emphasized in section 2.1 above, from its inception at the
beginning of the 20th century, aerospace concepts and technology never ceased to require the
highest degree of scientific knowledge and technological developments and to look for the most
talented young engineers and scientist.
However, speaking today of quality has a more complex significance than in the past.
While still retaining its traditional and generic meaning of merit or value, in fact, the word quality
is now used also to imply that a more or less large set of established criteria is satisfied and that
this is testified by a formal judgement following a neutral evaluation procedure. In the domain of
high education, this lexical evolution is related to the new demand of increased transparency and
comparability of the European curricula raised by the Sorbonne - Bologna process and ultimately
aims to promote European-wide and global recognition of the degrees. Only curricula of
comparable quality, then, can be recognized as leading to engineers of equivalent value, no
matter how different some aspects of their specific technical knowledge may be.
This request of comparability of the curricula and of transparency of the degrees are of
course general, but it is in the aerospace domain that their importance becomes vital. Here all
significant activities are transnational, at European or world-wide level, and engineers from
different countries work every day alongside. The possibility to employ graduated from
everywhere in Europe, then, is a formidable resource for aircraft manufacturers and space
agencies, provided these are duly informed on the quality of the high education institutions
graduating them. The simplest way to provide this information for an institution is to display a
quality label, which can also mean to be accredited by some independent body. The latter could
be an European Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, but at present its constitution is
still a middle term objective.
55 / 87
But, as remarked above, European aerospace does not only require comparability and
transparency. The documented quality has also to be high in order to allow this high-tech sector
to withstand the world-wide competition. High quality usually means efficient structures, internal
processes under standing control and good management, all aspects ruled by the ISO 9001
standards and similar. In the educational domain, however, high quality means also that the
contents and the methods of teaching have to be qualitatively and quantitatively fitted to the
purpose of meeting the societal needs. Stating the threshold requirements for such a quality
assessment needs a deep insight into the specific aspects of aerospace which can be accomplished
only through a joint analysis performed by the main European high education institutions
together with the European aerospace industries, space agencies and all other possible
stakeholders. In this activity PEGASUS can play the essential role outlined below in section 3.5.
3.2 INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGICAL METHODS, BEST PRACTICES

Most PEGASUS partners have already started to implement quality processes and some of
them have also obtained accreditation labels in their countries or outside. These may be of
different kind. To quote here only some instances:
-
The programmes of the UK universities are assessed by the Quality Assurance Agency
for Higher Education (QAA). Further, aerospace programmes are also assessed by the
Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS). Since RAeS and ABET reciprocally recognize each
other, UK programmes assessed by RAeS are fully recognized also in the US.
The Dutch BSc and MSc engineering programmes are accredited by the national agency
NVAO (Netherlands-Flemish Accreditation Organisation).
The aerospace programmes of the French GEA schools are audited every 6th year and
nationally accredited by the Commission des Titres dIngnieur (CTI), which releases the
permission to award the engineering degree (national diploma authorised by the Ministry
of Education).
In Italy a national accreditation agency for higher education is just moving its first steps
and no national labels could yet be awarded. The programmes of the Italian universities
are presently approved by the Ministry of Education subject to the fulfillment of a number
of general requisites (minimum amounts of credits in different cluster of disciplines, etc
). However, some universities have started internal quality assurance processes and
have submitted themselves to voluntary experiment of international accreditation. For
instance, the complete 3+2 Aerospace programme in Aerospace Engineering of
Politecnico di Torino has been evaluated by an international peer committee in the
framework of the European QUESTE accreditation experiment supported by EURACE.
In Sweden, only MSc-level programmes accredited by the National Agency for Higher
Education (Hgskoleverket, HSV) are allowed to award the civilingenir diploma. This
is the case of KTH Stockholm.
56 / 87
In Portugal, IST Lisboa programmes are certified by the professional association

(Ordem dos Engenheiros), which allows graduates to be immediately admitted in it after
the diploma. Additionally, the IST programmes are also certified by the Council of the
Rectors of the Portuguese Universities (CRUP).
In the Czech Republic all Bachelor level programmes (the title Bc.) and all Master level
programmes (the title Ing.) at VUT v Praze are fully accredited by the Czech
Accreditation Commission (Akreditan komise esk republiky) which is the official
state body according to the law. Beside this the Bachelor level programme Aircraft
Maintenance Licence Class C is accredited by EASA and Bachelor level programme
Professional Pilot is approved by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) according to European
regulation for pilot training JAR FCL1 for theoretical integrated training ATPL (frozen).
All these certifications and/or accreditations are obtained after rather demanding
evaluation processes conducted by independent experts. These include compilation of extensive
dossiers, audits, interviews, inspection of the administrative and organisational procedures, visits
to the lecture rooms and to the laboratories and so on. The evaluations are usually repeated every
3 to 6 years, but this deadline can be much shorter in the initial phase.
The produced dossiers document, among others, all the best practices adopted by the
high education institutions to identify possible weaknesses and to remove them in order to
improve the pedagogical and administrative efficiency of the overall structure. Focusing on
teaching in particular, some of the most recurrently quoted best practices are:
-
questionnaires on the teaching quality, to be anonymously filled by the students in each

course or before end of a cycle. The way these questionnaires are evaluated and the
feedback they originate is also evaluated;
documented existence of official and periodical occasions to discuss curricula and

teaching methods with the societal counterparts (employers, local authorities, ) and the
other stakeholders;
accurate monitoring of the student provenance and composition (also with reference to
the percent of females), of their progresses during the studies (including statistical
evaluations), of their employment rates after the degree;
availability of the detailed programmes of all offered courses and, in general, the
transparency of the practical information to the students.
It is worth noting that most (if not all) these practices have already been implemented not
only by the above quoted PEGASUS partners, but also by several others not yet provided with
accreditation labels of any kind. For instance, student questionnaires are applied in almost all
German and Italian PEGASUS universities. As to the regular contacts with the societal
counterparts, particularly with the industry, PEGASUS itself offer the best framework for it at the
European level, i.e. at the most significant level for the aerospace activities. Therefore, simple
belonging to PEGASUS strongly helps an aerospace institution to satisfy this request.
57 / 87
From this short outline it appears that, on average, the members of the PEGASUS
network are already well provided with the main requisites needed to be awarded with
accreditation labels, if not already possessed. Some requisites, however, are not always requested
by the current evaluation procedures in spite of their great importance for the aerospace
environment. For instance:
- the quantitative and qualitative level of the European and world-wide students and
teacher mobility;
- the offer of courses in English language to facilitate the student exchanges but also to
improve the attractiveness of the PEGASUS institutions in the world;
- the possibility offered to the students to work in European teams, for instance during the
preparation of their final projects.
It is no wonder that requests like these are not explicitly posed by most quality assurance
agencies, since these still work on national bases. The value of quoted requisites, on the contrary,
becomes immediately visible in a domain which surpasses the national one, as in Europe.
Undoubtedly they are equally best practices deserving consideration: additionally, they are
possessed at a high degree by the PEGASUS institutions. Hence the emphasis, placed by
PEGASUS, on the need for an European accreditation scheme for engineering studies and for the
aerospace studies in particular.
.
3.3 CONTRIBUTION OF PEGASUS TO TRANS-NATIONAL STUDENT PROFILES

The curricula offered by individual universities show a wide variety of courses and
programs. Thus, the students trained by any individual university have different profiles from
each other. The student exchange programmes inside PEGASUS increase this variety since the
diversities of the curricula of the host and the home universities can be added. All PEGASUS
students granted with the PEGASUS AWARD (see below) present such crossed engineering
profiles.
In an increasing number of cases, the exchange programmes between PEGASUS
members may also lead to double degrees. PEGASUS represents an ideal framework for such
developments, leading to new, mixed curricula using the best pedagogical and research resources
of its members to optimise these new programmes.
Furthermore, still aiming at improving quality, the PEGASUS network provides the right
environment to implement practices of transnational benchmarking in aerospace. In a recent
ENQA Workshop Report17 this is called creative benchmarking and the related activity is defined
as that of a department of a university performing comparative assessment with foreign
partners. Moreover: In an ideal situation it may lead to the development of study programmes
that adapt the best practices of both partners. Further: A balance between the similarities and
differences between the benchmarking partners is one of the crucial elements. It is apparent that
the PEGASUS partner institutions have already made some important steps forward on this way
and that a further intensification of this action, provided it is supported in the framework of the
17
Benchmarking in the Improvement of Higher Education, ENQA Workshop Report 2, Helsinki 2003
58 / 87
quality processes encouraged by the EU, will directly result in a lot of new crossed curricula and
other pedagogical activities commonly offered to the European aerospace students.
3.4
PEGASUS CERTIFICATE AND AWARD
Even before constituting themselves as an association the PEGASUS Partner universities

were related to one another through a tight net of scientific collaborations, student exchanges for
projects or courses, mutual recognition of parts of curricula and, in some cases, also double
degree agreements. On the basis of this long experience they built up in the course of the years a
framework of reciprocal trust, so that today each of them is able to testify the quality of the
aerospace studies performed in each other of all PEGASUS institution.
It is therefore almost natural that at the very moment of its foundation PEGASUS, aiming
to become the portal of the European higher aerospace education in front of the European
aerospace industry and research centres, appointed itself with the task of ensuring employers of
the common level of quality of the different degrees awarded by its partner institutions across
Europe. At the present stage this engagement refers only to the level +5 of the Sorbonne
Bologna scheme. Moreover, it should be intended that the testified common level of quality is an
equivalence of standard, not of contents. Indeed, the programmes of the PEGASUS universities
still differ remarkably from each other. PEGASUS shares nevertheless the view that these
differences have to be safeguarded, as it is just in this variety that the wealth of the European
higher education lies.
To officially make the academic achievements of its students internationally recognisable
throughout Europe, two labels are issued and awarded by PEGASUS to complement the national
degrees: the PEGASUS Certificate and the PEGASUS A.W.A.R.D. Both are signed by the
Chairman of PEGASUS and by the Dean (or Rector) of the delivering University and report on
the back side the complete list of the PEGASUS members. These certificates provide the possible
embryo for a future European quality label in aerospace engineering.
The PEGASUS Certificate

The PEGASUS Certificate is to be attributed to all graduates of the PEGASUS
institutions. It states their successful completion, within one or several partner institutions of the
PEGASUS network, of a prescribed programme of study providing the skills required to the
exercise of the engineering profession in aeronautics and aerospace. By attaching the PEGASUS
Certificate to his demands for employment in Europe, a young engineer is enabled to demonstrate
that the quality of his studies is comparable to that of the PEGASUS home universities of the
employing company. It is believed that the PEGASUS Certificate will encourage the European
mobility in the aerospace domain.
59 / 87
The PEGASUS A.W.A.R.D.

Differently as the Certificate, the PEGASUS AWARD (an acronym of special
Achievement through Working Abroad for academic Research or industrial Development
projects) is to be attributed only to the students who spend at least five months abroad in either
an international exchange programme in a partner institution or in an industrial or research
project conducted in a partner company or laboratory. The PEGASUS AWARD is therefore a
statement of recognition of the successful activity conducted by the student in an international
environment under PEGASUS responsibility. This is an important point, because through the
AWARD label PEGASUS certifies an international experience for which its own institutions
have provided the students with the necessary conditions. It is expected that a young graduate
engineer able to display the PEGASUS AWARD will already be in possession of a European
vision, which will make him particularly attractive for employment in the aerospace world.
All issued PEGASUS AWARDs are registered in a central database by the PEGASUS
Permanent Secratery in Toulouse, where their complete list is regularly updated. Up to now, more
than 1500 PEGASUS AWARDs have been distributed by the Partner universities since their first
introduction in 2001.
3.4 QUALITY
PEGASUS
ASSESSMENT AND ADVICE: A POSSIBLE
EUROPEAN
ROLE FOR
In conclusion of section 3.2 the need for an European accreditation scheme for general
engineering studies was raised. However, this is not an easy task and its accomplishment will
probably take some years. Conversely, Quality Assurance activities inside specific fields can be
envisaged in a shorter term and can provide the initial experience to be incorporated into more
general projects. In this sense aerospace is certainly the best candidate to start with.
As highlighted above, a fundamental element in all programme evaluation procedures is
provided by the societal requirements, among which the needs of the reference industry play a
very important role. The European aeronautical and space industry is characterized by a very high
level of integration (particularly if compared to other industrial branches) and already sets
common requirements to the higher education actors in aerospace engineering. Parallel European
integration processes are active also in the field of air transport (carriers, regulators ).
On the opposite side also the university world has set itself in motion: PEGASUS already
collects and compares the curricula of its member institutions and, through the requirements set
for the admission of new members, is able to provide a very fundamental and concise set of
quality standards. In a future Quality Assurance system, this set could be expanded and
improved. In addition to this, PEGASUS started a dialogue with the European aeronautical
industry. All these activities will ultimately lead to recommendations to the member universities
about the best way to modify their curricula in order to harmonize them and to meet the societal
needs by preserving at the same time their traditional cultural values. In the usual language of
Quality Assurance, this will be tantamount to a dissemination of best practices, first within the
PEGASUS network and ultimately outside it.
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Based on the above considerations, PEGASUS recommended in 2006 to ACARE (the

Advisory Council for Aeronautical Research in Europe) an action towards the EU Commission
aimed at studying a Quality Assurance system for the European higher education system in
aerospace engineering. This study could ultimately lead to a true European accreditation system.
Even if the whole process will probably take some years, the result would be of immense value.
Following these footsteps, PEGASUS decided in 2008 to take a new initiative in that
direction, by defining and applying to itself, on a voluntary basis, a quality assurance inspired
methodology to self-assess the programmes described in this document in terms of output
(graduates) competences. This idea is a first step derived from many major accreditation
methodologies, either nationally in Europe (see paragraph 1.2.3 and annex), in the United States
(ABET, AABI, AACSB,) or internationally (ENQA, EUR-ACE, EQUIS, AMBA). In a
second stage, PEGASUS ambitions to propose that same methodology externally, in order to
disseminate the best practices quoted above. First natural candidates to benefit from that
expertise would obviously be the new PEGASUS Associate Partners, status created by
PEGASUS in 2008 (see introduction of this document, last paragraph).
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ANNEX
to the 3rd edition of
PEGASUS
ENSURING THE HIGHEST QUALITY

IN EUROPEAN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING EDUCATION
- Accreditation procedures in some European countries:

o France
o Germany
o Greece
o Italy
o Lithuania
o Netherlands
o Poland
o Spain
o United Kingdom
- Aerospace Engineering Programmes detailed
o Aerospace Engineering course categories
o Profile of each PEGASUS member main engineering
programme (in %)
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ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES
IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
FRANCE (FR)
GERMANY (DE)
GREECE (GR)
ITALY (IT)
LITHUANIA (LT)
NETHERLANDS (NL)
POLAND (PL)
SPAIN (ES)
UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
FRANCE (FR)
In France, the title of Ingnieur diplm is protected by law, and only Schools accredited by a national Commission des Titres dIngnieur (CTI) are allowed to award
it.
CTI has been created by law as early as 1934, with a triple mission:
ii
Accredit all new engineering programs,
ii
Assess the quality of existing engineering curricula, and take the initiative of any
enquiry within accredited schools and universities,
iii
Take part to any study related to the strategy and/or development of engineering
education.
CTI is composed by 32 members appointed for 4 years (and renewable for a second 4year term),
half of them representing institutions of all kinds (public Grandes Ecoles, other public
or private schools of engineering, universities of technology, etc.) awarding an
engineering degree,
half of them representing industry managers, the associations and trade unions of
engineers.
This twofold composition is much appreciated, since it involves all people interested in
the training of engineers, and it has remained unchanged since the very creation of the
Commission.
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The secretariat and material support of the Commission is devoted to the Ministry of
Higher Education.
First accreditation or assessment visits are decided by the plenary Commission, who
appoints a team of at least 2 members or experts belonging to two different categories,
the size of the team being related to the size of the visited institution. Recently, the
Commission decided jointly with the ministry of higher education that, instead of non
systematic inspections, every curriculum would be assessed, and its accreditation
renewed on a six year basis. In addition, a small report on the implementations of the
requirements of CTI, and on the new events occurred inside the institution, is provided
on a 2 year basis. Thus CTI is in charge of reviewing periodically over 300 different
curricula, and the work load of the Commission has strongly increased, so that a
college of 32 experts has been appointed by the Commission to participate to
assessment visits.
The criteria used by evaluators are made public through a periodic publication of CTI
named Rfrences et Orientations so that any institution is aware of the requirements.
Briefly speaking, the evaluators should examine:
the global education environment of the school or department, with particular attention to its
links with the employment market,
the general philosophy of the curriculum, specialities chosen, originality and/or credibility of
the education project, etc.
detailed organisation of studies, scientific and technical programs, tutorials, lab. work,
industrial internships, language studies, economic and managerial formation, assessment
procedures of courses by students, etc.
student recruitment procedures, presence of foreign students according to exchange
agreements, possible access to adults in continuing education ...
number and quality of scientific staff,
research activity and production, links of research with undergraduate students education,
finance, premises, etc.
All reports are presented to a plenary session, and after discussion, either the institution
is a public one, and the report is transmitted to the appropriate minister, who usually
decides according to the suggestions of the commission, or the institution is private, and
the decisions of the commission are directly applicable.
An article of the founding law states that the Commission can assess curricula,
whenever requested, awarded by foreign institutions, and recognise to their degrees an
equivalence as regards French regulations. This disposition has been ineffective for a
long time, but is now used by some neighbouring institutions.
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GERMANY (DE)
1. Historical Development
In the traditional German engineering education no formal procedure of accreditation does exist,
neither in the academic nor in the professional world. The title engineer is protected by law.
Only the Technical Universities (TU), Gesamthochschulen (Comprehensive Universities GH))
and Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences UAS) are entitled to award the degree
Diplom-Ingenieur, in case of the Fachhochschulen in some States supplemented by (FH) in
parenthesis.
The recognition of private institutions of higher education by the respective State Minister of
Education and Cultural Affairs implicitly can be interpreted as a kind of accreditation in the
academic world; it includes the permission to award the degree Diplom-Ingenieur. In
engineering this applies only to very few private institutions, however. The permission will be
given only if the study programmes (and also the necessary facilities) satisfy the requirements
which the public Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences have to fulfil.
The general principles and foundations of the system of higher education are set by the
Hochschulrahmengesetz (Federal Higher Education Framework Act). The Federal Framework
Act is mirrored in the respective Higher Education Acts of the States (a total of 16 States
following unification). Some States parliaments passed a single common law for the system of
higher education, others passed up to four (slightly different) laws for Universities, Universities
of Applied Sciences, Academies of Art and Music and Colleges of Education, respectively.
In order to achieve the necessary harmonisation of academic studies within the Federal Republic
so-called Rahmenprfungsordnungen (Framework Regulations for Academic Studies and
Examinations) have been approved by the Association of Universities and other Higher
Education Institutions in Germany (formerly Hochschulrektorenkonferenz [HRK] Conference
of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions) and the Kultusministerkonferenz [KMK] (Standing
Conference of the State Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in the FRG). These
framework regulations are based mainly on the recommendations of the Fakulttentage (Federal Assemblies of Faculties). These are non-governmental assemblies of faculties and
departments from the same subject area (i.e. mechanical engineering and electrical
engineering). In addition the views of professional associations are considered, i.e. in
engineering the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure [VDI] (Association of German Engineers and the
Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V. [VDE] (Association for Electrical,
Electronic, & Information Technologies). Industrial organisations contribute and comment as
well, i.e. in engineering Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e.V. [VDMA] (German
Machinery & Plant Manufacturers), Zentralverband der Elektrotechnik- & Elektronikindustrie
[ZVEI] (The German Electrical & Electronic Manufacturers Association) and the
Deutsche Kommission fr Ingenieurausbildung (German Commission for Engineering
Education).
The German institutions of higher education are autonomous, self-governing bodies, which
means that they develop courses and study regulations (Studien- und Prfungsordnungen)
according to their own priorities and strategies. These regulations have to be upward compatible
to the respective State laws and regulations and have to be approved by the State Minister in
charge. The described Framework Regulations for study and examinations are only
recommendations and must not be implemented in every detail. However, they guaranteed in
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the past a specified common content and thus accepted standards and mutual recognition in
Germany, especially in the first two years of study, allowing students to change nationwide from
one institution of higher education to another one.
The academic degrees awarded by German institutions of higher education are protected by law
against abuse. Academic degrees open immediate access to the professions in Germany
according to the respective Higher Education Acts of the individual Federal States. The
mentioned associations of engineers like VDI or VDE are not entitled to deliver additional titles
or permissions as the British institutions do with the chartered engineer.
At present his traditional system is changing dramatically. As a result of the amended
Framework Act for Higher Education (HRG) of 20 August, 1998 German higher education
institutions were granted the right to introduce degree programmes leading to Bachelors and
Masters (BA/MA) degrees. Internationally these degrees are well established and accepted
According to the resolution of the Association of Universities and Other Higher Education
Institutions in Germany [HRK] of 6 July, 1998 it is aimed to enlarge the creative scope of the
higher education institutions, to improve the international compatibility of German university
degrees, to enhance the student mobility and to increase the quotas of foreign applicants for a
place at university.
This internationalisation of the education of engineers in general and the introduction of
Bachelor and Master degree courses requires new measures. In November 1998 a position
paper was passed by the Association of German Engineers [VDI] Recommendations of
Accreditation of Bachelors and Masters Study Courses in Engineering; it states the need for
accreditation procedures to ensure the comparability and quality of teaching, studies, and
degrees awarded via an accreditation transcending the borders of the federal states as a
consequence of the realisation of Bachelors and Masters study courses. In July 1998 the
German Rectors Conference [HRK] passed a resolution on the accreditation procedure which
was submitted to the Standing Conference of the State Ministers of Education and Cultural
Affairs [KMK]. Accreditation, however, is completely independent from the legal admission of
those new courses by the respective State ministry. In December 1998 the final outcome was a
decision of the KMK to found for a transition period of
three years a Federal Council of Accreditation administered by an office affiliated with the HRK.
This was financed mainly by the Stifterverband fr die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors
Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany). The Accreditation
Council is designed to be the umbrella organisation governing, co-ordinating, and organising
accreditation procedures which are conducted by independent and to be appointed agencies.
These are the already existing evaluation agencies (Federal or State level), expanding their
expertise to the field of accreditation, as well as in the meantime newly founded boards. The
described accreditation procedure is compulsory for all newly established Bachelor and Master
degree courses, the diploma degree courses are not affected yet. However, any newly designed
course of study yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, has to be accredited if no
framework regulations for academic studies and examinations exist or are no longer valid.
After the three-year starting period the accreditation system in Germany has become permanent
on the basis of two resolutions of the Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK Standing Conference of
the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Lnder in the Federal Republic of
Germany): Knftige Entwicklung der lnder- und hochschulbergreifenden Qualittssicherung in
Deutschland (Further development of the cross-Lnder quality assurance for all kinds of higher
66 / 87

education in Germany), adopted on 01 March, 2002 and Statut fr ein lnder- und
hochschulbergreifendes Akkreditierungsverfahren (Statute of a cross-Lnder accreditation
procedure for all kinds of higher education), adopted on 24 May, 2002.
The statute came into effect commencing 1 January, 2003. The Accreditation Council is affiliated
to the Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK). The Accreditation Council is now fully operational and old
and new accreditation agencies are in business.
2. Akkreditierungsrat (Accreditation Council)

Task and function
To ensure quality in higher education teaching and study and to provide reliable orientation and
enhance transparency for students, employers and higher education institutions alike, the
Accreditation Council has been set up in accordance with the resolution of the Standing
Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal
Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz KMK) adopted on 03 December, 1998 and on
24 May, 2002, respectively. Its power is to authorise agencies to accredit new
Bachelor/Bakkalaureus and Master/Magister degree programmes. Such agencies as well as
degree programmes accredited by them do bear the quality label of the Accreditation Council.
As an independent institution the Accreditation Council is made up of 16 members, who are
representatives of the Lnder (4), higher education institutions (4), professional practice (4) (on
behalf of both employer and employee organisations), students (2) and foreign experts (2).
International co-ordination
Internationally, the Accreditation Council co-ordinates its actions and policies with accreditation
institutions performing comparable functions and responsibilities in other countries. At present,
these are the sterreichischer Akkreditierungsrat (Austria) [Austrian Accreditation Council], the
Schweizerisches Organ fr Akkreditierung und Qualittssicherung (Switzerland) (OAQ) [Center of
Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the Swiss Universities], the Hungarian Accreditation
Council (HAC) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in the United States.
Accreditation Councils memberships include the International Network for Quality Assurance
Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and the European Network for Quality Assurance in
Higher Education (ENQA).
Authorisation of accreditation agencies
The Accreditation Council is responsible for authorising accreditation agencies to accredit degree
course programmes. Additionally, the Accreditation Council will act as a co-ordinator and critical
observer of the work carried out by the accreditation agencies and will also function as a central
documentation office to guarantee transparency with respect to compatibility and equivalency of
study courses.
For further details compare to the home page of the Accreditation Council
http://www.acrreditation-council.de
3. Akkreditierungsagenturen (Accreditation Agencies)
Accreditation of degree courses
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The Accreditation Agencies are responsible for the accreditation of degree courses. Accreditation
is based on the principles of assuring quality, verifying the feasibility of study courses,
facilitating diversity and enhancing transparency. The review process carried out on the basis of
specialist-content criteria aims to address the question of whether a degree course provides a
logical and coherent picture as far as the goals are concerned which have been set and are to
be achieved.
German Accreditation Agencies
At present the following Agencies are authorised by the Accreditation Council to provide
accreditation of study programmes:
ZEvA Zentrale Evaluations- und Akkreditierungsagentur Hannover.
(Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency of Hanover)
Established in 1995 by the State University Conference (Landes-Hochschul-Konferenz LHK) as
Central Evaluation Agency of the Lower Saxon Universities (ZEvA). Renamed in 2000 to Central
Evaluation and Accreditation Agency of Hanover (ZEvA) after establishing an organisational
independent division of accreditation. ZEvA is a common institution of all Lower Saxon
institutions of higher education.
Internet: http://www.zeva.uni-hannover.de
Founded: 1994
Authorised: 04 February, 2000
Re-authorised: 05 February, 2003
Expiring date: 04 February, 2006
Profile of agency:
Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in all fields of study. Accreditation of
newly designed courses of study yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, if no
framework regulations for academic studies and examinations do exist or are no longer valid.
FIBAA Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation.
Internet: http://www.fibaa.de
Founded: 1995
Authorised: 13 April, 2000
Re-authorised: 14 March, 2002 (one conditional requirement)
Expiring date: 14 March, 2007
Profile of agency:
Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in fields of study Business
Administration and related fields. Accreditation of newly designed courses of study
yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, if no framework regulations for
academic studies and examinations do exist or are no longer valid.
ASIIN
Akkreditierungsagentur fr Studiengnge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der

Informatik, der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik. (Accreditation
Agency for Courses of Study in Engineering, Information Technology,
Natural Sciences, and Mathematics).
ASIIN was founded on 19 September, 2002 by amalgamating two former accreditation agencies:
ASII (in the fields of Engineering and Information Technology) and A-CBC (in the fields of
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Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering) as well as expanding to all fields of study in
natural sciences and mathematics. This extension facilitates the accreditation of interdisciplinary
study programs merging two fields of studies in engineering and science (double degree courses
or hyphenated study programmes).
Internet: http;//asiin.de (for time being use http://asii.de)
Founded: 2002 (amalgamating ASII and A-ABC)Authorised: 12 December, 2002 (one
conditional requirement)Expiring date: 11 December, 2007
Profile of agency:
accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in fields of study of
engineering, information technology, natural sciences, and mathematics.
Accreditation of newly designed courses of study yielding a Diploma or Magister
degree, respectively, if no framework regulations for academic studies and
examinations do exist or are no longer valid.
The ASIIN is a member of ESOEPE (European Standing Observatory for the Engineering
Profession and Education) to enhance mutual international recognition.
The two agencies merged into ASIIN were
ASII Akkreditierungsagentur fr Studiengnge der Ingenieurwissenschaften und der
Informatik (Accreditation Agency for Courses of Study in Engineering and Information
Technology).
Founded: 1999
Authorised: 05 June, 2000
Expiring date: 05 June, 2003
Profile of agency: Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in fields of study of
chemistry engineering and information technology.
The ASII was a founding member of ESOEPE (European Standing Observatory for the
Engineering Profession and Education).
A-CBC Akkreditierungsagentur fr die Studiengnge Chemie, Biochemie und

Chemieingenieurwesen an Universitten und Fachhochschulen.(Accreditation Agency for
Courses of Study in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering at Universities and
Universities of Applied Sciences).
Internet: http://www.a-cbc.de
Founded: 2000
Authorised: 11 December, 2000
Expiring date: 11 December, 2002
Profile of agency: Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in fields of study of
chemistry, biochemistry and chemical engineering.
ACQUIN Akkreditierungs-, Certifizierungs- und Qualittssicherungs-Institut. (Accreditation,
Certification and Quality Assurance Institute).
Internet: http:/www.acquin.de
Founded: 2001
Authorised: 22 March, 2001
Profile of agency:
Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in all fields of study. Accreditation
of newly designed courses of study yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, if
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no framework regulations for academic studies and examinations do exist or are no
longer valid.
AHPGS Akkreditierungsagentur fr Studiengnge in Bereich Heilpdagogik, Pflege,
Gesundheit und Soziale Arbeit e.V.(Accreditation agency for study programs in
special needs education, care, health and social work Ltd).
Internet: http:/www.ahpgs.de
Founded: 2001
Authorised: 17 December, 2001
Expiring date: 17 September, 2004.
Profile of agency:
Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses study programs in special needs
education, care, health and social work. Accreditation of newly designed courses of study
yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, if no framework regulations for
academic studies and examinations do exist or are no longer valid.
AQAS Agentur fr Qualittssicherung durch Akkreditierung von Studiengngen (Agency for
Quality Assurance by Accreditation of Study Programs).
Internet: http:/www.aqas.de
Founded: 2002
Authorised: 14 March, 2002
Profile of agency:
Accreditation of Bachelor and Master degree courses in all fields of study. Accreditation of
newly designed courses of study yielding a Diploma or Magister degree, respectively, if no
framework regulations for academic studies and examinations do exist or are no longer
valid.
4. Useful links
Some useful links and short descriptions of institutions / agencies / bodies concerned with
Quality Assurance /Evaluation / Accreditation are given below.
Hochschulrektorenkonferenz HRK Association of Universities and other Higher Education
Institutions in Germany Internet: http://www.hrk.de
The HRK hosted the The Quality Assurance Project (cross-regional exchange of experiences of quality improvement in higher education) [1998-2000] Lnderbergreifender
Erfahrungsaustausch bei der Verbesserung der Qualitt der Lehre (supported by the BundLnder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion BLK). The coordination
project is continueing for another three years period (2001-2003).
A report on the first three-years period and a preview of the tasks of the upcoming three years
are published as Bilanz und Ausblick zur Arbeit des Referates Q (Review and future aspects of
the quality assurance project).
Internet:
http://evanet.his.de/evanet/PDF/Pdf_dok/ReferateQ_Bilanz_Ausblick.pdf
A list of publications of the Quality Assurance Project (mainly proceeding of meetings and
seminars) is available under:
http://evanet.his.de/evanet/knowhow/kh.grund/kh.literatur.html#Tagungsband
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Any ongoing activities are disseminated and commented in a newly established newsletter
EvaNet published in co-operation with the Hochschul-Informations-System HIS GmbH
(Higher Education Information System Ltd).
Internet: http://www.his.de
The EvaNet Newsletter is available via Internet: http://www.evanet.his.de
Centrum fr Hochschulentwicklung CHE Centre of Higher Education Development
(founded 1994 by the Bertelsmann Publishing Company Foundation and the HRK to initiate and
to support reform of Higher Education).
Internet: http://www.che.de
Verbund norddeutscher Hochschulen Nordverbund Association of Northern German
Universities (Bremen, Greifswald, Hamburg, Kiel, Oldenburg, and Rostock) established in 1994;
Internet: http://www.uni-nordverbund.de
Central Evaluation Agency North Rhine Westfalia: administration offices for Universities
and Universities of Applied Sciences, respectively.
Geschftsstelle Evaluation der Universitten NRW Administration Office Evaluation of
Universities in North Rhine Westfalia (c/o University of Dortmund).
Geschftsstelle Evaluation der Fachhochschulen NRW Administration Office of Universities
of Applied Sciences in North Rhine Westfalia (NRW) (c/o FH Gelsenkirchen).
Internet: http://www.fh-ge.de/evalutation-fh-geschaeftsstelle-nrw
Stiftung Evaluationsagentur Baden-Wrttemberg EVALAG Foundation Evaluation
Agency State of Baden-Wrttemberg; founded 01 August, 2000.
Internet: http://www.evalag.de
Lehrevaluation der Universittspartnerschaft LEU Agreement for a self-organised joint
evaluation initiative of the Universities of Halle-Wittenberg, Jena and Leipzig. Signed on 24 May,
2000 by the rectors of the three partner universities.
Interdisziplinres Zentrum fr Hochschuldidaktik IZHD Interdisciplinary Centre for
Research and Development in Higher Education, University of Bielefeld; (pilot project Quality of
Teaching at institutions of higher learning in the State of North Rhine Westfalia).
Internet: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)ZIF
IDEA League: a collaboration on strategic policy issues between Imperial College London,
Delft University of Technology, Eidgenssische Technische Hochschule Zrich (ETH), and
Rheinisch-Westflische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH). A memorandum of
understanding was signed on 6 October, 1999.
Main aims: (1) quality management; developing a system of quality procedures to be applied in
a similar way in each of the partner universities; (2) reviewing the degree system to permit
mutual recognition in the future.
(G. Kurz, G. Heitmann, K. Hernaut; Last Update: 06/04/2003)
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GREECE (GR)
In Greece the engineering academic title Graduated Engineer (Diplomatouchos Michanicos)
followed by the respective specialization is protected by the law no. 1477/1938; only an
Engineering Department belonging to one of the Technical Universities or Faculties of
Engineering in Universities (AEI) are allowed to award this title.
The equivalence of foreign academic titles with the previous title of Graduate Engineer is
granted by DIKATSA (Inter-university Centre for the Recognition of Foreign Titles of Studies)
being the competent authority for the recognition of diplomas of foreign Universities.
The accreditation and admission to the profession of engineer in Greece is responsibility of the
Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), established to advance the education and training of
engineers and to promote the science of and practice of engineering for the public benefit. TEE
has the right and the duty to evaluate the adequacy of the graduates preparation to start on a
professional career.
To this effect, it awards the Permission of Exercising the Profession of Engineer under the
fulfilment of two prerequisites:
a Graduated Engineer diploma, obtained (as previously explained) after a 5-year engineering
curriculum or an equivalent foreign title;
an examination organized and run by the TEE. During this exam, a panel composed usually of
three engineers (a University Professor, an engineer from a construction or industrial firm and
an engineer from a design office) checks the applicants Diploma Thesis and his ability to
confront several professional problems, and investigates his knowledge on three topics chosen
by himself. After passing successfully this exam, the applicant is enrolled to the TEE.
Once the Permission of Exercising the Profession of Engineer is granted to a graduate
engineer, this remains valid for his whole professional life.
It is to be noted that no similar examination procedure and acceptance exists till now for
graduates from the short-cycle (3 years) engineering curricula provided by the Technological
Institutes (TEI), a fact that leads to lack of established professional rights for these graduates.
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ITALY (IT)
In Italy, University degrees and curricula are fixed by national rules, to within limits that have
been much relaxed by recent laws but are still rather strict if compared to other European
countries. These rules applies to the public and private Universities, and all University degrees
have the same legal status: therefore, mutual recognition of degrees by Universities is
compulsory, and no need for accreditation was, until recently, felt.
A law of May 1997 applied very schematically in Italy the Bologna Declaration approach by
introducing a rigid structure of degrees in series (the so called 3+2 structure) throughout all
university education: it is compulsory since academic year 2001-2002, but it had been
introduced one or two years earlier by some engineering faculties. According to this law, all
university students should obtain first a Laurea after a three-year course of study; only
afterwards they may apply for two further years of study, leading to a Laurea Specialistica.
Only disciplines for which there exist special European Community Directives (i.e. Medicine and
Architecture and consequently Architectural Engineering) are not obliged to follow this pattern.
Lauree and lauree specialistiche are divided into classes (e.g. Civil Engineering, Industrial
Engineering, etc.): the general minimum requirements of each class is fixed by a Ministerial
decree.
No quality assurance or accreditation system has yet been established to guarantee that these
minimum requirements are actually satisfied. A pilot project, called Campus One is currently
run by the Italian University Rectors Conference (CRUI): it concerns a number of educational
programmes in all disciplines, including different engineering branches.
A formal compulsory accreditation has been introduced into Italian Higher Education by a
Legislative Decree of May 2003 with regard to degrees provided by distance teaching: if
accredited, such degrees will have the same legal status as any other University degree. The
practical application and consequences of this Decree are not yet known.
Engineering profession is regulated by law: engineers must be members of the Ordine degli
Ingegneri of the Province of residence (the compulsory membership is often already eluded by
engineers employed by Industry, who do not have to sign any professional document). Until
very recently, the Albo degli Ingegneri (i.e. the list of Professional Engineers kept by each
Ordine) was still unique, notwithstanding the strong curricular differences (and professional
tasks) between the engineering branches. After the general reform of the University degrees,
the Albo degli Ingegneri has been divided into two Sections: Section B for people holding a
three-year Laurea (who will be called Ingegneri Junior) and Section A for people holding a
Laurea specialistica (who will be called Ingegneri); with the occasion,
each Section has been also subdivided into three Sectors: Civil and Environmental Engineers,
Industrial Engineers, Information Engineers. The current members of the Albo will be included
into the Section A, in one or more Sectors of their choice.
The right to be admitted into either Section of the Ordine is gained by passing a State
Professional Examination, that can be sustained soon after the award of the respective
University degree.
73 / 87
LITHUANIA (LT)
The procedure for accreditation of higher education programmes in Lithuania has been
approved by the Minister of education and Science in 2001.
The procedure regulates adopting a resolution on how the higher education study programme
(further on referred to as Programme) complies with the requirements of legal acts and how the
programmes are accredited.
The Programmes are valuated in compliance with the valuation rules prescribed by the
institutions of Science and Studies.
The resolution in the form of an order is adopted by the Minister of Education and Science on
the proposal of the Study Department under the Ministry of Education and Science (further on
referred to as Department). The draft resolution is presented by the Department with reference
to the conclusions made by the experts of the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher
Education.
Adoption of resolution
1. On evaluation of the programme one of the following resolutions for the national
accreditation of the programme can be adopted:
to accredit a programme;
to accredit a programme provisionally, i.e. setting the term of provisional accreditation not
exceeding the period of 2 years;
not to accredit a programme.
2. The resolution to accredit a programme is adopted if the programme and its execution are in
compliance with the provisions of Consecutive Studies (further on Provisions) and requirements
of the regulations of the relevant branch of studies (further on Regulations). The accreditation is
valid until the next outside valuation on the programme.
3. The resolution for provisional accreditation is adopted if the programme or its execution are
not in compliance with a part of the requirements prescribed by Provisions and Regulations, but
the institution has been taking measures to improve the quality of the study programme. Six
months prior to the expiry of the provisional accreditation term the institution shall present the
updated programme for the repeated valuation to the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher
Education. If the programme is not presented for the repeated valuation within the period as
provided in this clause, the Programme is considered as not complying with the requirements
prescribed by Provisions and Regulations and the resolution con be adopted as provided in
clause 4.
4. The resolution not to accredit the programme is adopted:
If the programme or its execution do not comply with most of the requirements prescribed by
Provisions and Regulations, and the measures taken to improve the quality of study
programme have not been efficient.
If the provisionally accredited programme does not comply with the requirements of the
Provisions and Regulations and on the expiry of the term of provisional accreditation.5.
74 / 87
The resolution of non-accreditation should include the procedure of the study programme
termination.
The procedure should provide:
prohibition to admit new students following the resolution of non-accreditation;
further opportunities for the students of this programme to continue studies;
obligatory reference that the programme is not accredited in giving any information about the
programme;
the programme elimination date from the Register of Study and Educational Programmes.
Information on the resolution
On preparing a draft resolution on whether or not the accreditation of the programme is
granted, the Department shall present the draft and relevant argumentation to the educational
institution. The institution is entitled to declare remarks on the draft and present them to the
Minister of Education.
After the Minister issues an order subject to the accredited programme, the Department:
shall send out the copies of the order to all higher schools and the Centre for Quality
Assessment in Higher Education;
has the order published in the newspaper Valstybe. s inios.
On the basis of the order the Register Department of the Ministry of Education and Science shall
make an entry in the Register of Study and Educational Programmes that the relevant
programme is accredited or provisionally accredited until (the term as written in the order)
and the date and number of the order.
75 / 87

NETHERLANDS (NL)
In the Netherlands, University-level engineering programmes are offered at three Universities of
Technology, in Delft (the oldest, largest and broadest), in Eindhoven and in Twente (Enschede).
Some specializations are also possible at a few other universities, e.g. bioprocess technology
and food technology at the Agricultural University of Wageningen and Applied Chemistry,
Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Groningen.
Passing the final examination (doctoraal examen) leads to the title of ir. (ingenieur),
equivalent to a Master of Science in Engineering. This academic education is a prerequisite for
those wishing to take a course leading to a doctorate and for some postgraduate programmes.
Without further professional requirements, it entitles the holder to academic positions in
industry, institutions, government, etc. Also, Universities of Technology have a legal right to
grant doctorates.
The Professional Higher Education (in engineering), HBO, takes place at the Technische
Hogescholen. There are 26 such institutions in the Netherlands. After completion, the
successful candidate is entitled to the title ing.(also ingenieur), equivalent to the Bachelor of
Science in Engineering. Although this is not a formal university degree, under certain conditions
the ing. may continue his/her studies to obtain an MSc or doctorate at a University of
Technology. (HBO institutions do not have the right to grant Doctoral degrees). Professionally,
the HBO diploma is a highly appreciated qualification for medium to higher jobs, offering good
prospects as regards higher positions for the better students.
76 / 87

POLAND (PL)
Various schools according to broad areas of disciplines provide Higher Education in Poland at
university level. Engineering education is offered both by the state Universities of Technology
(Politechnika) and by the non-state schools.
Up to 10 years ago mostly long-cycle or monolithic programs were offered in engineering
education by UTs awarding in 5 years the academic degree of Master of Science in Engineering
(magister inz. ynier). The Higher Schools of Engineering (Wyz. sza Szkoa Inz. ynierska)
offered the short-cycle programs leading in 3-4 years to the degree of Engineer (inz. ynier).
Today, the majorities of Universities of Technology are offering the two-tier programs leading to
the degree of Bachelor in Engineering or BSc) in 3-4 years and Master degree (MSc) in 1.5-2
further years. In parallel, the uniform 5-year programs, leading directly to the Master degree are
also offered. Many of non-state educational institutions (almost 220 such institutions exists in
Poland now) offering the short-cycle programs typically of a vocational type, leading in 3-4
years to the degree of engineer (or licentiate). Some of them also offer an additional 2-year
program leading to the master degree or the uniform 5-year master programs.
The HEIs are controlled by the Ministry of National Education and Sport while the kind of
discipline that may be offered are determined by law. The curricula themselves are developed
by the autonomous Universities of Technology. For the non-state HEIs the curricula need to be
approved by the Central Council of Higher Education (RGSzW) and Accreditation Commission for
Higher Vocational Schools (KAWSZ) till 1.1.2002.
On June 22, 2001, the Polish Parliament passed an act that has changed some regulations in the
Act on Higher Education and some other acts concerning higher education. The most relevant
new regulation was the establishment of the State Accreditation Commission (before, the only
state-controlled accreditation body was the Accreditation Commission for Higher Vocational
Schools). According to the new law, the State Accreditation Commission advises the Minister and
present recommendations with regard to:
the establishment of a new institution of higher education or a branch of an existing HEI and
granting an institution the rights to offer a study program in a given field;
assessment of teaching quality, including verification of requirements for delivery of the study
programs.
Members of the State Accreditation Commission are nominated by the Minister from the
candidates recommended by various bodies representing the academic community.
As the issue of quality is of key importance, the latest legal regulations establishment of the
State Accreditation Commission have been complemented by an initiative of CRASP
(Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland), to set up the CRASP Accreditation
Commission. This Commission is thought of as a forum of cooperation for the already existing
accreditation bodies (established by the conferences of rectors of particular types of academic
schools i.e: universities /UKA/, technical universities /KAUT/, HEIs of economics, etc.). The
CRASP Accreditation Commission is not meant as a duplication of the State Accreditation
Commission it is a complementary body.
The subject of the accreditation is the organizational unit within the university, i.e. faculty (or
department) but not the university as the whole. The procedure itself is described in detail in
77 / 87
the appropriate documents and it comprises preparation of the self-evaluation report and site
visits with several meetings (with rector, faculty staff, students, etc.). Teaching and assessment
methods are the subject of investigation.
This accreditation process is voluntary and peer, and its positive outcome is a recognition of a
high level of a particular study program, whereas the main purpose of the accreditation process
by the State Accreditation Commission is to check whether or not a particular study program
offered by an HEI satisfies minimal requirements as stated by law.
The above described dual accreditation system was formed in Poland relatively late and this
created an opportunity to take into account the experiences of other more advanced countries in
developing a system that met precisely the specific needs of the Polish Higher Education.
78 / 87

SPAIN (ES)
There are two different types of educational institutions where engineering studies can be
followed: (i) Escuelas Tcnicas Superiores de Ingenieria (Higher Technical Schools: ETS), that
offer five- or six-years degree programmes addressed to the future professionals for R+D or in
fact industry management and direction, and (ii) Escuelas Universitarias (University Colleges)
that offer three-year programmes addressed to future industry middle staff and technicians. The
law (Ley 12/1986) regulates the professional competences of the respective graduates, who are
called Ingenieros and Ingenieros Tecnicos.
A University can teach an engineering programme (or any other higher education programme)
only if the Government approves the curriculum after its has been examined and recognized
by the Consejo de Universidades. According to the framework law 11/1983 Ley de Reforma
Universitaria, each University and Engineering College can define up to 70% of the curriculum.
The other 30% is defined by Government by suggestion of Consejo de Universidades.
To practice profession, engineers must be members of the appropriate Colegio de Ingenieros
or Colegio de Ingenieros Tecnicos in the Province of residence: the only requirement needed
for admission to the Colegio is to be a graduate of a recognised and approved programme. The
engineers who do not have to sign any professional document often elude membership of the
Colegio.
79 / 87

UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
The quality of all UK degrees, including engineering degrees, is assessed by the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). In the UK, Accreditation is seen as something
related to, but different from Quality Assurance: it is a judgement as to whether the graduate is
adequately prepared to undertake a period of professional development in order to obtain
engineering competence prior to registering as a professional engineer. The accreditation
standards and process are therefore the responsibility of the Engineering Council, a body
established by Royal Charter in 1981 to advance the education and training of engineers and
technologists and to promote the science and practice of engineering for the public benefit.
Individual engineering disciplines have their own professional bodies (Institution of Electrical
Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers etc.), many of which have a long history. In
practice the business of accrediting individual degrees is sub-contracted by the Engineering
Council to these individual institutions.
The qualification which denotes the professional engineer in the UK is not an engineering
degree, but the title of CEng (Chartered Engineer), which is awarded by the Engineering
Council. Another level of qualification as engineer exists, also awarded by the Engineering
Council, namely the IEng (Incorporated Engineer); while at a lower level there is the Technician
(Eng Tech).
Three elements are required in order to be admitted to the engineer levels of the register:
1. An accredited engineering degree;
2. A few years of approved engineering training and experience after obtaining the degree,
referred to as Initial Professional Development (IPD);
3. A Professional Review including an interview.
It is therefore very important to the engineering student that the degree which he/she obtains is
accredited. In order to obtain accreditation for a degree, it is first necessary to send a large
amount of information to the appropriate engineering institution. This information will include,
for instance:
entry requirements for students

the structure of the course
syllabuses
samples of examination papers
external examiners reports
teaching timetables
pass lists and failure rates
information on qualifications of teaching and technical staff in the department
information on the management structure of the department
a statement on the aims and objectives of the course being taught

information on the research in the department
The Institution then appoints a panel to study this documentation and to visit the department
for one or two days. During the visit, they interview staff to clarify issues which they have
identified from the documentation and inspect the facilities in the department, such as
80 / 87

laboratories and lecture rooms. They also meet technical staff and representatives of the
student body. Judgements are made by the panel of the academic standard and of the
relevance of what is being taught. At the end of the visit, there is a meeting with the staff of the
department, during which the Chair of the panel outlines those things which the panel liked and
those which it did not. Normally accreditation, if given, is for a period of between three and five
years, at the end of which a further visit will be required if the course is to retain its accredited
status.
Accredited engineering degrees in the UK are normally called BEng (three-year degree) and
MEng (four-year degree). An engineering degree which is not accredited is called BSc.
According to the Engineering Councils 3rd edition of the regulatory document SARTOR
(Standards and Routes to Registration), published in 1997, the MEng (four-year degree) is
normally accredited as meeting the educational base required of a Chartered engineer.
BEng(Hons) and BSc(Hons) (three-year degrees) are increasingly being accredited as meeting
the educational base required of an Incorporated Engineer. Graduates with a BEng will need a
further years education (perhaps, by completing a one-year MSc) to be eligible for CEng.
SARTOR at present is undergoing revision and the new version is expected to be published in
the Autumn of 2003.
81 / 87
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES (Paragraphe 2.1)
1. AEROSPACE ENGINEERING COURSES CATEGORY
The ten categories are:

1. Aerodynamics, Gas Dynamics, Heat Transfer
2. Structures, Materials
3. Aircraft Design, Subsystems and Integration
4. Rotary Wing Systems and Non-conventional Aircraft
5. Performance, Stability and Control, Flight Dynamics
6. Propulsion & Combustion
7. Production & Maintenance
8. Aircraft Operations, Aviation Safety, Airlines / Airports Operations and
Management, Air Traffic Management
9. Aircraft Navigation, Avionics, Communications
10. Space Engineering & Technology
82 / 87
2. PROFILE OF EACH PEGASUS MEMBER MAIN ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

(in % of the total Aerospace Engineering courses offered in each institution)
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES (in percentage of the total AE courses)
ENAC
50,0
45,0
40,0
35,0
30,0
25,0
20,0
15,0
10,0
5,0
0,0
% of total hours
Total hours/10
10
ENSMA
45,0
40,0
35,0
30,0
25,0
20,0
15,0
10,0
5,0
0,0
% of Total Hours
Total Hours (x100)
83 / 87
10
SUPAERO
30,0
25,0
20,0
% of total hours
15,0
Total Hours/100
10,0
5,0
0,0
1
10
AACHEN
30,0
25,0
20,0
% of total hours
15,0
Total Hours
10,0
5,0
0,0
1
10
BERLIN
20,0
18,0
16,0
14,0
12,0
10,0
8,0
6,0
4,0
2,0
0,0
% of total hours
Total hours
84 / 87
STUTTGART
25,0
20,0
15,0
% of total hours
10,0
Total hours/10
5,0
0,0
1
10
MUNICH
25,0
20,0
15,0
% of total hours
10,0
Total hours/10
5,0
0,0
1
10
DRESDEN
30,0
25,0
20,0
% of total hours
15,0
Total hours/10
10,0
5,0
0,0
1
85 / 87
10
MILAN
70,0
60,0
50,0
40,0
% of total hours
30,0
Total hours / 10
20,0
10,0
0,0
1
10
TORINO
70,0
60,0
50,0
40,0
% of total hours
30,0
Total hours / 10
20,0
10,0
0,0
1
10
ROME
120,0
100,0
80,0
% of total hours
60,0
Total hours / 10
40,0
20,0
0,0
1
86 / 87
10
DELFT
100,0
90,0
80,0
70,0
60,0
% of total hours
50,0
Total hours / 10
40,0
30,0
20,0
10,0
0,0
1
87 / 87
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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

PARTNERSHIP OF A EUROPEAN GROUP

ENSURING THE HIGHEST QUALITY

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

Toulouse, July 2009

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES