The programmes in question are the master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and the master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Energy

The master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and the master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Energy of the URV’s School of Chemical Engineering were assessed by a visiting external committee comprising members of the Catalan quality agency, AQU Catalunya, and the German quality agency, ASIIN (Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics). The visit led to two positive outcomes: one was that the master’s degree accreditations would be renewed, and the other was that the committee would award the EUR-ACE international quality in engineering label.

EUR-ACE is a quality label awarded by the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) to programmes that meet with excellence the professional demands of engineering. It guarantees that course guides, teaching staff, laboratories, training and professional opportunities in engineering comply with European quality standards and align with the needs of professional sectors. The label recognises the value and prestige of programmes through its European distinction, which among other things, facilitates the academic and professional mobility of students.

For the master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, it was a case of having its existing label renewed, whereas for the master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Energy the label was awarded for the first time. For both master’s courses, the international experts from the ASIIN highlighted the fact that graduates are qualified to enter the job market, where they obtain positions that match their training in sectors as diverse as the chemical, pharmaceutical and food sectors.

According to the evaluation committee, these results are due to solid training in technical and social competencies in which contact with the professional world plays an important role. The training model means that external internships and the final master’s thesis are carried out entirely in a company over the course of one semester and this aspect was particularly praised for its impact on the students’ education and as a means of getting them into work.

Montse Ferrando, director of the School of Chemical Engineering, said that “being awarded this label constitutes international recognition of the School’s commitment to our educational model for engineering”. Ferrando added that “the objective is to obtain the EUR-ACE seal for all bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering of the School of Chemical Engineering as a way to give visibility and prestige to our qualifications, promote internationalisation and highlight, at national and international level, the quality of our graduates to employers”.