Unitech is an International Mobility programme aimed at Engineering students interested in deepening their technical-scientific knowledge and in developing managerial skills in an international context, integrating a period of studies abroad with an internship in a multinational firm.
The programme is coordinated by the Unitech International Society, comprising a number of technical universities and companies.
The programme in detail
The overall duration of UNITECH is approximately one academic year and it includes a period of study at a partner university and the internship at a UNITECH company. The credits obtained during the period of study abroad are fully recognised by Politecnico di Milano.
The UNITECH programme starts at the end of August every year with a Start-up week, organised in one of the partner universities for all UNITECH students. All UNITECH students meet again at the start of January at another partner university for the Mid-Term week and again at the end of August in a third location for the End-of-the-Year week.
In addition to a series of common activities, during these weeks targeted individual activities will be devised for each student, consisting in a programme that integrates specific technical-scientific skills with economics and management studies and personal development activities.
Programme structure overview:
- obtain at least 20 ECTS during the study period abroad;
- internship of at least 12 weeks;
- participation in the 3 joint modules.
Students, in collaboration with their mobility tutor, must also prepare a Study Plan. The acceptance criteria are determined by the individual Degree Programme Council: acceptance will depend on the compatibility of the foreign Study Plan presented with the Study Plan of the Degree Programme for which the students are registered.
Upon successfully completing the programme and graduating from their university, students will receive a special international UNITECH diploma and will be entitled to use the designation “UNITECH Fellow”.
The Unitech Joint Modules are unique to the programme.
The contents are provided through academic and corporate seminars, workshops and practical activities. They aim at developing leadership. The students are followed by professional coaches.
All joint module activities are conducted in English.
Another unique element of UNITECH is the internship at a partner company, most of which are multinationals offering apprenticeship opportunities in their world branches.
The internship must last at least 12 weeks.
ABB - Accelleron - Airbus - Buhler - Danfoss - Evonik - Geberit - GF - Grundfos - Hilti - Infineon - IWC Schaffhausen - Nouryon - Sanofi - Wella
One of the distinctive characteristics of UNITECH is the active collaboration with companies, involved in expanding on the academic objectives and guaranteeing a stimulating internship, offering students a fully-rounded experience of international management within the context of a multinational. The UNITECH industrial partners are:
There are two selection phases:
Pre-selection
Pre-selection is based on the student's academic achievements, motivations, CV and language skills.
Assessment centre
Students who pass the pre-selection phase are admitted to an Assessment Centre, organised by UNITECH in collaboration with the partner companies. The assessment concerns the students’ soft skills and consists in a group discussion, a presentation and an individual interview. All the Assessment Centre activities are conducted in English. At the end of the activities, each student will be assessed individually based on the results achieved.
The Assessment Centre for the final selection of candidates takes place at Politecnico di Milano every year in February. In addition to being good experience, it is above all a crucial stage of selection for the UNITECH programme and cannot be skipped. Only students who pass the Assessment Centre can take part in the UNITECH programme.
The number of places available and the admission criteria of each location may vary, therefore passing the Assessment Centre is not an automatic guarantee of spending the academic period in one of the locations requested.
All the detailed information regarding the selection procedure is available on the call for applications.
Students must have good knowledge of English (written and spoken). Particular host universities may require a specific TOEFL score, in order to verify your knowledge of English.
In addition to English, host universities may also require students to know the local language.
The level of knowledge of the local language may vary from university to university: for example, in Aachen, in Barcelona or in Paris, a sufficient knowledge of German, Spanish or French is required in order to follow lessons and to conduct projects. Meanwhile in Gothenburg and Trondheim, students can follow courses in English.
For the internship, the company may require students to know the local language.
Students admitted to the UNITECH programme pay tuition fees at Politecnico di Milano and not at the host university. Each year, UNITECH bestows a financial contribution to students admitted to the programme. During the UNITECH internship, students may be waged by the company. The wage will be enough to cover accommodation expenses at least.
Upon completing the UNITECH programme, you can register in the UNITECH Alumni Association (UAA), a network of young professional engineers who have taken part in the UNITECH programme.
The aim of the association is to protect the spirit of UNITECH and to keep its members, the UNITECH International Society and the academic and industrial partners in touch. Every year, the UAA organises a full schedule of cultural, training and social activities for its members.
Furthermore, being a member provides a number of benefits: contacts in the professional world, being part of a network, company visits and other.