As part of the international opportunities available to Management Engineering students, the Department offers a Double Degree programme with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); at UIC the academic path is associated with the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering.

A Description of the Programme

It is important to understand that this Double Degree Programme is not included in the Polimi International Mobility Call; therefore, it has its own deadlines and it does not benefit from an “Erasmus-style” scholarship; it also requires students to pay tuition & fees at UIC, even if with significant discounts.

This double degree is open to students admitted to the MSc in Management Engineering. Participants will need to have completed their Bachelor’s degree before the start of the programme (for example: students starting in February 2025 cannot graduate in March 2025; the deadline for them to graduate will be September 2024).

The program always starts in Spring; its first semester takes place in Milan, at Politecnico, but students are also enrolled at UIC; the second semester of the program (Fall Semester, i.e. from the end of August to December) must take place at UIC (Chicago). Then, according to the academic path the student chooses (Industrial or Business), there is the option of spending a further semester at UIC: for the Industrial Engineering path the student will not have to take any courses, but will only work on their final thesis; on the contrary, in the Business path, the student will take one last required course and will be able to work on their thesis. In both cases the student, staying a full year offers the possibility of applying for Optional Practical Training, a sort of work visa granted to international students who wish to gain experience in the US.

During the semester spent at Polimi, management students must complete a few exams, within the summer exam session and without being able to refuse their grades. The curricular part may vary and is chosen by the UIC faculty (that identifies a small selection of courses students may choose from), depending on the Polimi offer and on the development of the programme. Since the agreement is established with the Department of Industrial Engineering and the Business School at UIC, the most suitable Polimi Majors will be Industry 4.0 and Industrial Management for IE, and Finance and Supply Chain Management for the BS.

For their semester at UIC, students choose courses according to the programme requirements and to the educational offer of that year, supported by the professors of the Department in identifying useful correspondences with their Polimi study plan. They will also start the thesis work. The overall experience at UIC will transfer back as equivalent to a full semester load, i.e. 30 ECTS credits.

For the IE UIC programme, it has a strong research component that finds its expression in the final thesis work. Students who wish to apply will therefore be required to express their research interests from the beginning, possibly from the time of their application. They will be required to write two final theses, not identical, that will be defended in Chicago and in Milan.

The Programme Fees

Regarding the tuition payment: for the two semesters described above, Polimi students will be required to pay UIC tuition (approximately $9,500 and $11,500 respectively for the IE Program; and approximately $11.700 and $13.600 respectively for the BS Program); the costs of living will need to be added to this (accommodation and food, books, medical insurance, etc.). No fees are due to Politecnico during those two semesters; but, for administrative reasons, the exemption will apply to the second-year fees. Students staying a third semester at UIC, without attending any courses, will pay a much lower tuition (about $3000).

Additionally, for the best IE student in the programme there is the possibility to win a scholarship that consists in a tuition waiver for the Fall semester; activating the scholarship is at the sole discretion of UIC, who is also financially responsible for it.

Students who decide to stay an additional semester at UIC for their thesis work may also apply for a Teaching or Research Assistantship, that will provide a small stipend.

How to Apply

Students who wish to participate must submit their application via the UIC website, following the instructions received from the Polimi International Relations Office, once they pass the Polimi preselection process, which usually takes place in September. In this respect, there are two minimum requirements that students must meet: an average of 24/30 or more; and an adequate English level. Details of the English Proficiency requirements requested by UIC are available on the presentation here posted.

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Usually, students may express their interest in participating in the preselection process after the presentation of the programme, which typically takes place in late Spring.

Once they pass the preselection, following the instructions received, students will be able to apply to the UIC website, abiding by the deadlines (month of November).

To Know More

As of now a website dedicated to the programme is not yet available, but there is a Facebook group, where it is possible to find further information and suggestions, primarily coming from students who took part in the programme. Students may also always refer to the International Relations Office for questions and clarifications.