HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal to offer a BBA – B.Eng
A new partnership between the two schools
June 11, 2019
Federico Pasin, Director of HEC Montréal; Philippe A. Tanguy, Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnique Montréal; Michel Patry, former Director of HEC Montréal.
Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal have announced a new alliance calling for the creation of a dual degree combining a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) and a Bachelor’s in Engineering (B.Eng).
The agreement was signed in conjunction with the annual conference of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, taking place in Montréal from June 10 to 13.
This type of partnership between two university-level institutions is a first in Quebec and, indeed, in all of Canada. The goal is to come up with bold and promising educational, research, recruitment and alumni relations initiatives.
Upon completing the five-year program, which could welcome its first students as early as 2021, graduates will obtain both a Bachelor’s in Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration.
An interdisciplinary solution to new global challenges
Philippe A. Tanguy, CEO of Polytechnique Montréal, says he is convinced that, in future, the most successful engineers will be the most innovative ones. They will have not only new ideas, but also the ability to make them a reality in the collaborative, interdisciplinary and multicultural context of tomorrow’s project teams. “In this new era, advanced scientific and technical knowledge will still be required, but engineers will also need stronger management, entrepreneurial and communication skills.”
The fact that a growing number of engineers come to HEC Montréal to continue their education, particularly in the MBA program, is a clear trend, says HEC Montréal Director Federico Pasin. “At the same time, thanks to this agreement with Polytechnique, HEC Montréal students will be able to add valuable technological knowledge to their CVs. This will be a definite asset in today’s world, when society really needs people who can address challenges with human, managerial, scientific and technological dimensions.”
An expanding partnership
The agreement between Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal is in line with the decades-long collaboration between the two schools.
For instance, Polytechnique and HEC Montréal have been offering a popular short graduate program in technological innovation and commercialization for five years now, for students who already have an MBA or are in the MBA program at HEC Montréal.
This new agreement should also enhance the two schools’ co-operation in research, particularly on projects relating to the circular economy. In fact, the goal is to step up their collaborative efforts in all fields of management, economics and technology.
Polytechnique and HEC Montréal are already working together to recruit top students both in Canada and abroad. In this respect, joint initiatives in the Maghreb region of North Africa last winter proved very successful. The new agreement is aimed at expanding such promising collaborative efforts.
Another goal is to boost co-operation on student projects. At present, many Polytechnique and HEC Montréal students are pooling their skills through internships in the fields of aerospace, banking and humanitarian development, in particular, in co-operation with Mitacs.
Lastly, the new agreement calls for closer co-ordination of the entrepreneurial tracks at the two schools. Combining their alumni networks will leverage efforts to provide mentorship opportunities for Polytechnique and HEC Montréal students.