A proposal consisting of 6 places for each of the proposed joint programmes, the Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering and the Degree in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering has been approved by the School of Industrial Engineering on their Permanent Commission (Delegate commission of the School board). The main criteria used when designing the degrees for the joint programme was the focus on improving the knowledge acquisition and the employment possibilities for the students taking the courses. Therefore, the reason for combining these degrees was not to offer the students an attractive, easier way to obtain two degrees by sequencing them but to create a way for them to obtain the knowledge of both fields as it broadens their possibilities in the labour market since those with this profile are sought after by companies for their high specialization and, at the same time versatility.
In order to design the Degree in Biomedical Engineering, we took into account the professional profiles with more attractive to the students, the profiles most suited for the demands of labour market in the future. For this reason, depending of the affinity level between the studies fields for each JPOD degree the programmes can be assembled together in five or six years. The students are free to design their own program in their desired areas of expertise from the different options offered in the JPOD degrees. The final objective is for the students in these programs to obtain both degrees in a reasonable amount of time (almost in the half of time it would take to complete the two programs separately), thus improving their integration into the labour market thanks to their transversality. As the students in the programme join the market younger, they will be able develop longer professional careers after completing their studies.
The reason for creating a programme where students can obtain such unique formation is the demand of the labour market as those on this program will have the great advantages of Double degrees while searching for employment. Whereas they have two different fields of study to work with separately, they can also maintain a global perspective as well. Additionally, these students show great motivation toward their studies, they care greatly to acquire further knowledge to solve the most complex problems and to obtain enough resources to solve any problem that may arise. They will be able to cover a wider range of responsibilities on their companies. The areas in our programme are in high demand by the sector, thus boosting greatly the professional development of the students.
Thanks to the Joint programmes for official degrees offered, the students will have an additional degree that awards the legal status of professional engineer at bachelor level (either in Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering or Mechanical Engineering) giving them extra advantages in their professional development in the future. Two of the degrees in the joint programme, the Degree in Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering, and the Degree in Industrial electronics Engineering Mechanical Engineering have a long history in our School of Industrial Engineering in Vigo University and are well received on the labour market. In fact, the demand for the students with these profiles has been high in the recent years and for this reason we think that this new project fits the market needs. We, at the School of Industrial Engineering believe that due to the current high demand, this offer is suitable for the market needs.
We should also take into account the major breakthought in the health sector which would not have been possible without the newest and most advanced technologies. Such technologies allow the development of new solutions for medical and social problems derived from illness and disability while assessing their effectiveness, efficiency and security. Taking as well the management of resources and systems for communication and information on the public health sector. Our joint programmes, the Degree in Biomedical Engineering, the Degree in Industrial Electronics Engineering and Automation, and the Degree in in mechanical engineering have great complementation and a possibilities in order to provide with the high skilled personnel required to implement those new technologies on the health sector. Giving the students a suitable formation to allow them to overcome the professional challenges they will face in the future. The use of Electronic equipment and Electronic instrumentation is increasing for diagnosis and treatment and so is the use of sensors for parameters measurement in the diagnostic of diseases. The design and manufacture of mechanical devices to help increase the mobility of disabled patients is really important in the development of the health sector.
Therefore, the students who are interested in more than one field of study no longer need to restrict their studies to a single one. Thanks to these join programmes, they will be able to develop their abilities in a more diverse way. One great incentive of this programme is that the students are given the possibility of studding materials form two different degrees giving them a wider scope in their formation during the program. For example, students who study the Degree in Biomedical Engineering and specialize themselves in areas such as signals, electromedicine, or electronic instrumentation can strengthen their knowledge with the contents of another degree acquiring a boarder vision of their specialities.
While it is true that the recently created Degree in Biomedical Engineering is highly demanded by many people from different parts of the country, there is almost no data on future employment for the degree yet. For this reason, we have designed joint programmes at the School of Industrial Engineering on Vigo University that diversify the graduates’ skills in order to avoid a saturation in the market with an excess of graduates (taking into account admission numbers for the separate programme and the joint programmes).
If we take into account the upcoming students who are interested in more than one degree, these joint programmes are of great interest for them. The programmes may help them make the right decision as both of their degrees of interest might exist as double degree. In other words, the Joint programme gives the student the possibility of creating their own selection with the various specialities they are interested in so that they don’t need to choose just one of them.
