The Degree Programme in Electrical Engineering of Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) has passed the international engineering accreditation and was awarded the EUR-ACE (European Accredited Engineering Programmes) quality label. ASIIN accreditation label was awarded to Degree Programme in Industrial management.
The degree programmes in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Management were the first in their fields in Finland and the Nordic Countries to receive the quality labels. The accreditation is based on extensive self-assessment within the degree programmes, and an audit visit by international audit teams in February and March, 2011. The audit was performed by the German Accreditation Agency ASIIN.
- The quality label is a significant recognition of the development work conducted in our degree programmes, and it encourages us to develop our high-quality education even further. We were also benchmarked in terms of European standards in the field, which is very important, say Heads of the Degree Programmes Pertti Silventoinen and Timo Pirttilä.
Silventoinen and Pirttilä expect that the quality label promotes student recruitment and improves the job opportunities of LUT graduates in European countries. They also point out that the accreditation process generated valuable new contacts and collaboration between different units of the university. Thus, the accreditation work benefits the whole scientific community in multiple ways.
- In the Degree Programme in Electrical Engineering, the accreditation process essentially supported the curriculum work and challenged us to pay even more attention to generic, transferable skills such as communication, management and information gathering skills, says Professor Silventoinen.
- The Degree Programme in Industrial Management has been selected as a Centre of Excellence in University Education in Finland three times already. Based on the feedback we have now received, we will pay special attention to the study work loads and international activities of the staff, states Professor Pirttilä.
- By applying for accreditation, the university seeks to enhance the international comparability of degrees and facilitate student mobility. Moreover, we gather valuable ideas to develop our education; for instance the role of Bachelor’s degree and learning-outcome-based curriculum work have received plenty of attention in the process, say Vice-Rectors Minna Martikainen and Hannu Rantanen.
The Degree Programme in Chemical Engineering received the EUR-ACE quality label earlier this year, and the accreditation process is going on also in other degree programmes of LUT. In the School of Economics, the evaluation of the Master’s degree in International Marketing Management will take place in September 2011.
Further information:
Quality Manager Annikka Nurkka, annikka.nurkka(at)lut.fi, tel. +358 400 555 784
Vice-rector for International Affairs Minna Martikainen, minna.martikainen(at)lut.fi, tel. +358 40 569 2652
Vice-rector for Education Hannu Rantanen, hannu.rantanen(at)lut.fi, tel. +358 40 558 7237
Head of Degree Programme, Electrical Engineering, Pertti Silventoinen, pertti.silventoinen(at)lut.fi, tel. +358 40 774 9930
Head of Degree Programme, Industrial Management, Timo Pirttilä, timo.pirttila(at)lut.fi, tel. +358 400 908 426
Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) has ever since its establishment in 1969 combined two fields of science that complement each other: technology and business. LUT’s strategic areas of emphasis are energy efficiency and the energy market, the strategic management of business and technology, scientific computing and the modelling of industrial processes, and expertise in Russian business and industry in these fields. LUT has approximately 5500 undergraduate students and 1000 employees.