The University of Toronto has many international agreements with leading universities to enrich the educational experience of our students through exchanges and joint educational programs. The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies has developed two relationships that are particularly beneficial for students in Aerospace Science and Engineering. They are with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China, and with ISAE-Supaero in Toulouse, France. The Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics is one of the leading aerospace engineering schools in China, and ISAE-Supaero is the most important aerospace engineering school in Europe. The programs of our collaborator institutions provide valuable international experience for UTIAS graduate students.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is in Shanghai, which with over twenty-four million people is the largest city and commercial capital of China. SJTU was founded in 1896 by Imperial edict and has a long history of educating top students. Today SJTU is one of the nine universities in the elite Chinese C9 League, and is a Double First Class University in the current Chinese central government system. The School of Astronautics and Aeronautics (SAA) is located on the Minhang Campus, to the south of central Shanghai. UTIAS has three collaborative programs involving SJTU-SAA.
Dual Master Program
In the UTIAS-SJTU dual master program, MEng students from UTIAS spend time at SJTU-SAA and receive, in addition to the University of Toronto Master of Engineering degree, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Master of Science degree. The program is structured so that, once a UTIAS MEng student has completed seven half-courses (3.5 FCEs), they move to Shanghai for eighteen months, and complete additional course work and a research thesis. The most efficient method for doing this is for a student to start at UTIAS in September in the full-time MEng program. In November, the student would apply to the SJTU program with UTIAS support, and be accepted in March. By August, the student must have completed at least seven courses at UTIAS, including at least five courses that are either AER or ROB. In September the student would start in Shanghai, and complete at least thirty course work credits and a thesis over the following eighteen months. The total is thirty months for two degrees: an MEng from the University of Toronto and an MSc from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Exchange Master Program
UTIAS MEng students wishing to get international experience in China with a smaller commitment of time than the dual master program can participate in the UTIAS-SJTU exchange program. This program works most effectively for UTIAS MEng students in the extended full-time option. Students complete at least seven courses in the first sixteen months of the UTIAS MEng program, starting in September. In February of their second year, students go to Shanghai for five months and complete at least ten credits at SJTU-SAA. These credits are counted as the final three half courses (1.5 FCEs) of the UTIAS MEng program.
Doctoral Joint Education Placement
Doctoral students at UTIAS may, with permission of their supervisor, spend one year at SJTU-SAA during the course of their studies under the UTIAS-SJTU Joint Doctoral Placement Program. This program works most effectively when a strong research relationship already exists between professors at UTIAS and SJTU-SAA, and hence this option is not available to all PhD students. Please consult with your supervisor if you wish to explore this option.
ISAE-SUPAERO
The Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO) is the leading European aerospace engineering university, located in Toulouse, France, which is also the headquarters of Airbus and the location of its most important manufacturing centre. ISAE-SUPAERO was created in 2007 from several existing aerospace engineering schools, but has its origin in 1909, when l’École supérieure d’aéronautique et de constructions mécaniques was founded. Today ISAE-SUPAERO has 1700 students and close links to all major aerospace companies in France.
Exchange Master Program
UTIAS MEng students looking for international experience in a European setting may elect to participate in the UTIAS exchange program with ISAE-SUPAERO. MEng students in the extended full-time program would complete at least seven half courses (3.5 FCEs) by December of their second year, assuming a start in September. In February they would begin studies in Toulouse for six months, taking courses to complete the UTIAS MEng coursework requirement through transfer credits.