Diplôme d'Ingénieur

The Diplôme d'Ingénieur (French: [diplom dɛ̃ʒenjœʁ]) is an advanced postgraduate degree in France (see Engineer's Degrees in Europe) awarded by the French Grandes Écoles in engineering. It is generally obtained after five to seven years of studies after the French Baccalauréat (equivalent to the high school diploma or the A-level certificate for entrance to universities). The diploma holder is also conferred the academic title of Ingénieur Diplômé (qualified graduate engineer) which is protected by the French government, and is differentiated from the word "engineer" used in English-speaking countries.

Since the signing of the Bologna Process in 1999, the European Master's Degree is also conferred by the state to the holder of a Diplôme d'Ingénieur, but the reverse is not true. All titles of Ingénieur Diplômé are protected by the state, and any institution that issues the Diplôme d'Ingénieur must be accredited by the Minister of Higher Education. Anyone found misusing the title of Ingénieur Diplômé is liable for a €15,000 fine and one year in prison.

Since 2013, the diplôme d'ingénieur is recognized in the United States by the AACRAO as a Master of Science in Engineering.

France is particular in that, only Grandes écoles in engineering are certified to offer the diplôme d'ingénieur, which is differentiated from the undergraduate or masters degrees in engineering issued by universities (universités).

Universities in France are comprehensive higher educational institutions composed of several faculties covering various fields (natural sciences, engineering, law, economics, medicine, humanities, etc) with a large student body. By law, admission to a French university is non-competitive and open to anyone with a high school diploma. On the other hand, "grandes écoles d'ingénieurs" are much smaller in size and recruit their students with very selective processes, with the minimum qualification being 2 years of intensive post-baccalureate studies in classes préparatoires for French students, or otherwise an equivalent training for foreign students, in order to be admitted to the engineer program. Moreover, the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur exists as a unique body empowered with the authority to accretitate engineering degree (diplôme d'ingénieur) programs and to protect the title of ingénieur diplômé.

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