Högskolan i Skövde

The paper describes a new engineering Master's program called MMII (manufacturing management and industrial informatics) that is co-located at universities in Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom. One reason for developing the program was that the changing manufacturing landscape due to globalisation, increasing complexity of manufacturing systems itself and an increased need to integrate manufacturing systems with corporate information systems forces educators to find solutions that provide industry with engineers who have the right skills. Apart from “hard” skills related to the above-mentioned issues, industry increasingly also requires engineers to have well-developed “soft” skills such as an ability to work in an international environment and willingness to work abroad. A program given at only one location would not provide a truly European dimension and besides, it would draw heavily upon the teaching resources; hence the decision to seek international partners with complementing competences and resources; these were found at universities in Skövde, Valencia and Loughborough. In Loughborough, students read capita selecta from CAE (computer aided engineering) during one semester. In Valencia, they spend a project-based semester on international industrial management. In Skövde, they read virtual manufacturing during one semester and carry out their degree project during the final semester.