Eligibility criteria

Student background

To be admitted to the SMACCs Master’s Programme in Smart Cities & Communities, candidates need to have at minimum a Bachelor degree in engineering (mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, environmental, architectural, computer, energy, etc.) or in sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, operation). Degrees with an insufficient background in engineering and science (such as Arts, Social Science, Psychology, Philosophy, Business, Law, etc.) will be considered as non-eligible. A case-by-case study will be employed for other degrees (i.e., architecture, economics but with an engineering background, etc.), with an equivalent academic degree of minimum three years of undergraduate study corresponding to 180 ECTS.

Students in their final year of their Bachelor degree may be admitted in the Master programme on the condition that their Bachelor degree is awarded before they enrol to the programme.

Preferably, the candidates should be:

• Engineers with a Bachelor degree (3 years) in engineering (mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, environmental, architectural, etc.) or in sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, operation) or in economics BUT with an engineering background while a case by case study will be employed for other degrees (i.e., architecture, law, business, social, etc.),
• Engineers with a Master degree (MSc, BSc + 1 or 2 years) in engineering (mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, environmental, architectural, etc.) or in sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, operation) or in economics BUT with an engineering background while a case by case study will be employed for other degrees (i.e., architecture, law, business, social, etc.),
• Engineers/Scientists, etc. looking to start a career in Smart Cities and Communities, R&D units or in field-related companies;
• Candidates looking for an ideal preparation for a PhD (or R&D position) in the fields of energy, transport, ICT, buildings, smart cities, etc.

Only students having at least a Bachelor or Master (degree awarded before September 15 of the academic year the SMACCs programme starts, meaning that candidates can apply with the condition that they will have their Bachelor degree before September 15 of that year) and who satisfy the relevant prerequisites will be eligible.

Language Skills

Language of instruction for the SMACCs Master is English.

• If a candidate has completed his/her previous studies with English as the language of instruction, the SMACCs programme can usually accept this as evidence of the English level (an official letter from the student’s university is required for confirmation). Candidates who completed their Bachelor and/or Master degree taught exclusively in English from Australia, United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand, South Africa or Canada, automatically meet the English language requirements.
• All other candidates have to provide proof of an appropriate level of competence in the English language. Applicants must demonstrate an appropriate level of their competences in the English language through a standardized test. The attainment of a B2 level (Effective Operational Proficiency) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is acceptable.

Minimum test scores required for the candidates to prove their competences in English are:

The candidate must upload a copy of his/her certificate with the application form, otherwise the application will be incomplete.

In the case of the TOEFL test, the SMACCs programme has to receive an applicant’s language certificate directly from the testing institutions. Therefore, applicants should contact the TOEFL test center and have them send a copy to the SMACCs coordinating institution, the Universite de Mons (applicants have to mention to the testing institution the specific code for UMONS, which is: C194). If an applicant chooses to take the IELTS test, the SMACCs programme can accept a certified copy of the test results. The IELTS test result copy should clearly indicate the “Test Report Form Number”, which will then enable the SMACCs programme to contact the testing institution and verify the results.

Admission of students

Eligible students may be admitted to the programme, provided that their application form is complete (see instructions here), that they succeed in the evaluation procedure (see below), and that the maximum number of students per cohort is not reached.

In order to finalize enrolment, ALL admitted students MUST:

• present the originals of the documents constituting the application file at registration.
• receive the authorization from the University of the Basque Country (i.e. the institution awarding the SMACCs Master degree) for accessing a Master’s degree with a foreign qualification, issued into or outside the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The procedure and the requested documents are available on the UPV/EHU’s website: https://www.ehu.eus/en/web/masterrak-eta-graduondokoak/admission-of-foreign-students . WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND APPLICANTS TO START THAT PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Admitted students who do not fulfill these criteria at the start of the first semester will NOT be allowed to start their SMACCs studies.

The maximum number of students per Edition (or cohort) will be 40. The SMACCs consortium reserves the right to modify that number for every cohort.

EVALUATIOn PROCEDURE

Evaluation of application files is based on the following criteria: Academic records, Motivation letter, Work experience, R&D experience, and Reference Letters (from two referees, at least one from academia). Applicants are ranked according to a global merit score, and those who reach a minimum threshold are admissible to the SMACCs Master, as self-funded students (at least).

In addition, several scholarship opportunities are available (see here for more information):

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarships. Scholarship holders benefit from a tuition fee waiver
• SMACCs Consortium scholarships (for students who do not benefit from an EMJM scholarship only)
• Associated Partner scholarships (for students who do not benefit from an EMJM scholarship only)
• Erasmus+ scholarhsips for inter-semester mobility (for students who do not benefit from an EMJM scholarship only).

The best admissible applicants who have applied for scholarships at the application stage are invited for a remote Teams interview with the SMACCs Application Evaluation Panel, usually in early April (please check the agenda here), scheduled by the SMACCS consortium. Please ensure your availability at these dates, should you be selected for an interview: no extra interview opportunity will normally be given to applicants who miss their assigned interview slot.

The EMJM scholarships, SMACCs consortium scholarships and Associated Partner scholarships are awarded to applicants who succeed in the interview process. Students who pass the interview but are not awarded a scholarship can still enroll as self-funded in the SMACCs. Self-funded may benefit from Erasmus+ support for inter-semester mobility.

STUDENt AGREEMENT

Candidates must agree to complete the academic curriculum in two consecutive academic years and according to the terms of the student agreement as specified by the SMACCs consortium, should they be admitted to the programme(see here for a template of the student agreement).