Erasmus Mundus Master Degree in Textile Engineering (WE-TEAM)

For the past 20 years, both academia and the textile industry have become more global than ever. In this sense, creativity, user-centric product design and application, multicultural understanding, business behaviour and multi-thinking perspectives are key to being a leader in innovation. In addition, innovative products dedicated to unconventional niche markets offer enormous potential for setting up business activities that are embedded in the DNA of the textile sector, a typical sector for SMEs. This means that, in addition to acquiring cutting-edge knowledge, personal development and networking have also become much more relevant.

A relevant aspect of the design of the World Engineering Textile Advanced Master (WE-TEAM) is the joint participation of leading centres in the international textile sector in an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD). This programme has been operating under the name E-Team for 20 years and, in 2020, its redesign was suggested to adapt the contents and the teaching staff, adding the leading experts in the international field in different disciplines. The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) is currently included in the team.

The WE-TEAM programme meets an educational need which is unparalleled in any other programme around the world. Its objective is to train textile engineers to become leaders in innovation in a global context both in the academic and industrial fields. The WE-TEAM Master’s Degree has three pillars:

• Providing cutting-edge knowledge in multiple textile related disciplines and their implementation.

• Personal development: global vision, multi-perspective thinking, multicultural understanding, and scientific thinking.

• Building an international network of students, staff and industry.

The programme has been developed together and it addresses academic goals and industry needs. Several learning lines are implemented throughout the semesters, which are developed through collaboration between several AUTEX partners. Semesters are based on local academic and industry strengths.

The issuance of a multiple UGENT-UPV degree provides a formal link between host institutions and helps show the professional field the commitment of all institutions to position WE-TEAM as a global professional benchmark.

Students acquire in-depth knowledge in textiles and related fields and extensive knowledge from multiple perspectives related to the professional context. Additionally, working in an international environment includes effective, efficient, and directed communication, orally and in writing, discussing conclusions and the arguments behind them, scientific thinking, multi-perspective reasoning, and a global business behaviour.

Throughout the programme there is a progressive accumulation of knowledge, skills and competencies and an international network, whereby students are continually aware of critical self-reflection and scientific thinking. Starting from fundamental theoretical principles, design-based thinking and student problem solving, a curriculum is developed towards research, as well as towards relevant and realistic projects from a practical standpoint. As specific learning outcomes, it is worth highlighting:

• Having extensive fundamental knowledge and being able to apply the production, processing and properties of structural and functional textile materials in a generic context.

• Knowing the properties and structure of textile materials and being able to apply them to design and improve materials or production processes.

• Having extensive knowledge of the main techniques of characterization and modelling of materials relevant for the production, design and sustainable use of textile materials

• Understanding and being able to apply work processes in an international and intercultural context.

The Master’s Degree consists of 120 ECTS credits distributed in two academic years, each year it is divided into two semesters which makes a total of four semesters of 30 ECTS. Each semester is made up of two blocks of five teaching weeks plus two weeks of exams.

The first semester is taught in Ghent (Belgium) and focuses on the chapter of textile materials: textiles, fibers, structures based on fibrous materials and properties.

During the second semester, the aspects of the production or transformation of fibrous materials into textile structures are addressed: yarns and fabrics, bio-chemical treatments, clothing and control systems. This semester is developed across three universities, depending on the promotion of the Master’s Degree, so that it begins at UNIWA (Greece), the second year takes place at the UPV (Spain) and the third year students will study at UHA (France).

The third semester focuses on textile applications and students will study topics related to: technical textiles, clothing, smart textiles and management. This semester will take place in two places, UBoras (Sweden) for Asian students and KIT (Japan) for European students. Students from other parts of the world will be distributed so that the groups are balanced.

The fourth semester will be dedicated to the final master’s dissertation (FMD) and students will be able to choose between the different projects offered among the AUTEX partner universities. The mobility structure also ensures that all students spend a semester at at least three different universities.

Students carry out their studies in at least three universities and some carry out their thesis in a member country of the Consortium. Some students may also do an internship during the break between the first and second academic year. As such, student mobility plays a central role in the WE-TEAM programme.

Access requirements:

• A degree in engineering or science

• Minimum of 180 ECTS/three years or equivalent

• Minimum of 15 ECTS in mathematics, minimum 10 ECTS in chemistry and physics or equivalent (Japanese universities, minimum 10 credits in mathematics, minimum 5 credits in chemistry and minimum 5 credits in physics).

Students in their last year of degree can apply for admission, and it is the student’s responsibility to have completed the degree at the time of starting the Master’s Degree.

Language requirements
The WE-TEAM programme is taught in English, so proficiency in English is a basic requirement. One of the following certificates, not older than five years, from the start of the programme (September) must be presented:

• Cambridge B2 certificate

• IELTS certificate with a minimum overall score of 6.5 with at least 6 for writing

• TOEFL certificate with a minimum score of 570 (paper) or 86 (Internet)

• TOEIC certificate with a minimum score of 1560 calculated as (reading and listening comprehension score writing and speaking score multiplied by 2.5) )

WE-TEAM

Said participation is understood at two levels, as a full member or as an associated university. The full-member universities are:

• Universiteit Gent (Belgium)
• Kyoto Institute of Technology (Japan)
• University of Haute-Alsace (France)
• University of Borås (Sweden)
• University of West Attica (GreGreeceia)
• Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain)

Las universidades asociadas al Máster son:

• Lodz University of Technology (Poland)
• Shinshu University (Japan)
• Technical University Dresden (Germany)
• Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania)