The European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education Agency (ENAEE) awarded, through the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA) in 2017 the EUR-ACE international quality label to the Undergraduate's Degree in Aerospace Engineering (GIA) by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. This label certifies this degree does fully meet the engineering professional requirements according to a set of standards defined in terms of principles of quality, relevance, transparency, recognition and mobility.
The EUR-ACE label has a validity period of six years, which are reduced to two when areas for improvement are found. That was the case of the Undergraduate’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, which obtained the label up to 2019 in order to amend, during those two years, the required aspects to achieve the extension for four more years, after a new assessment carried out by the Label Committee.
Aspects required to act into to obtain the aforementioned extension are: reducing the number of students per classroom, which has been attained by progressively lowering the number of students enroled in the degree; implementing the quality system, for which the ETSIAE has developed and implemented all the processes of the Internal Quality Assurance System; a review of the degree evaluation system, which has led to change certain subjects evaluation system as well as to include some compulsory laboratory sessions (this particular aspect will be closely monitored before a potential label renewal), and finally, a submission of evidences revision to guarantee the learning outcomes are fulfiled, adding information relative to subjects in which cross-curricular competences are acquired and other tasks, visits and seminars allowing to complement their training.
Therefore, once the requirements specified in 2017 have been met and exceeded, as reflected in the Accreditation Committee report, the Undergraduate’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering maintains the validity of the EUR-ACE label until 2023. “This label appearing in our students' undergraduate certificate provide added value to our graduates both when undertaking their master's or PhD studies as in the case of joining the labour market because their potential employers will be aware of the quality that guarantee these international labels", said Gustavo Alonso, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs and Quality at ETSIAE.
MUIA, next degree to be assessed for the EUR-ACE label
Currently, the ETSIAE Quality Unit is involved in the process of obtaining the EUR-ACE Label for the Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering (MUIA), which is a postgraduate programme followed by those students who, having obtained the Undergraduate's Degree in Aerospace Engineering (GIA), want to be qualified to pursue the appropriate professional activities of Aeronautical Engineer. Over the coming months, the MUIA self-assessment report will be submitted and an experts’ panel will visit the ETSIAE to verify the required quality standards compliance.