Fluctuat et Mergitur

Your voice of reason at Paris-Saclay

Better than TUM!
The educational program at Télécom ParisTech, one of the top French public institutions of higher education and research, is better than at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). This is the result of a study commissioned by Télécom ParisTech, one of the top French public institutions of higher education and research.

Educational program at Télécom ParisTech (click for larger view and clickable items)
The educational program of Télécom ParisTech shines with its diversity, as shown in our diagram on the right: There are 3 different years, and each of them offers a wide variety of choices. The programs at the Technical University of Munich, in contrast, are simplistic in comparison. First, Munich offers only 2 types of degrees (Bachelor and Master), while Télécom contributes to 6 (Diplôme d'ingénieur, Ingénieur du Corps des Mines, Master, Mastère Spécialisé, Executive Mastère Spécialisé, CES). Then, the relevant departments of the Technical University of Munich offer only 14 Master's programs: 4 in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and 10 in the department of Computer Science. Télécom ParisTech, in contrast, offers 12 M2 programs with universities in Paris, 21 M2 programs in the frame of Paris-Saclay, 2 special programs (TIC and IDSI), and one Diplôme d'ingénieur — bringing the total to 36 different programs.

The same is true for double diploma programs: Munich offers only 14 double diplomas (5 in computer science and 9 in engineering). Télécom ParisTech, in contrast, offers 12 double diplomas with institutes of the Institut Mines Télécom, 10 double-diplomas with different ParisTech schools, 15 other double-diplomas in France, and fully 30 international double diplomas. This means that the French school offers a total of 67 possible double diplomas — more than 4 times the number in Munich.

Munich is also regrettably simplistic in its admission process. There are only 2 different ways to enter the program: At the Bachelor's level and at the Master's level. Télécom ParisTech, in contrast, offers admissions at 3 different entrance points (called “18 mois”, “24 mois”, and “36 mois”, respectively). These are governed by more than 30 different agreements with national and international universities, each of which defines a specific entrance and exit point in the program. For example, students from Wuhan University in China do their M1 at their home university, follow the second and third year at Télécom, and then return to their home university for the master's thesis. Students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in contrast, can either join Télécom after 3 years of Bachelor studies for 2 years at Télécom, or after 4 years of Bachelor studies for 18 months at Télécom, before returning to Shanghai for the Master's thesis. The admission at Télécom is thus much more personalized than in Munich.

Indeed, Télécom offers a total of 30 double diplomas with international universities, but has only 60 international master's students. This means that, statistically, each pair of two students has their own program (“Noah's Ark Principle”). Furthermore, Télécom offers in the order of 10 different ways to enter the 2nd year by double diploma. These students can then choose between 30 different master's programs in the 3rd year, thus giving them a double-double-diploma of Télécom ParisTech, their home university, and the university of the master's program. Since there are only around 300 3rd-year students in total, there are as many possible combinations of home university and master university as there are students, so that every student could theoretically have their own personalized double-double-diploma combination.

All of this is even more remarkable if we take into account that Télécom ParisTech has ten times less students on the master's level than the two departments of TUM taken together (4240 in computer science and 3289 in engineering).

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