Corporate News

When I decided to go to Graduate School, I was looking for a program which had both a very high academic reputation as well as one which offered international experience; I was also looking for something that would allow me to stand out from all the other potential candidates applying for future jobs. Thus, I felt like the GTL Double Degree program was a perfect fit for me. It also goes without saying that this program offered great opportunities to experience rich culture both within and externally to school. Who wouldn't choose this program!?

Through the classes in the French Engineering school, ENSAM, and through all the numerous cultural experiences with the people of France and the surrounding countries I gained a much more open and adaptive spirit. I realized that business can be very different in France and that the American approach might not always be the best one. Furthermore, I gained a much better appreciation for the simple things in life such as wine and friendship as well as what it means to nurture a home away from home.

Simply put, it allowed me to secure the job of my dreams in Germany. Now I get paid to learn a new language, travel around Europe and discover a whole other way of life. Without the double degrees that GTL had offered me, this would not have been possible.

Growing up in a small town in the smallest state of the US makes you want to dream big and discover the world. Unfortunately, the demands of an engineering education rarely allow the opportunity to study abroad. So, when I stumbled upon the GTL program, I was immediately interested.

The program was a very positive experience for me, personally and professionally. I knew that my MS degree would be recognized by companies, but I didn’t anticipate the value of the ‘soft skills’ I would learn as well. I believe that it was my improved adaptability, newfound fearlessness, and improved language skills that helped me secure my job with Schlumberger. Since signing on with Schlumberger seven years ago my career has already taken several paths. I started in a traditional design engineer role before being selected to participate in the foundling Lean Six Sigma (continuous improvement) initiative where I worked with manufacturing and engineering groups improve the efficiency of their operations. The work that we did in this initiative caught the eye of senior management so that I’ve been asked to continue this work within the Personnel function.

My work with Schlumberger has taken me to 9 countries on 4 continents and has me currently based back where it all began…in France! I believe that my GTL experience helped me learn to break barriers for myself, get the ‘bug’ for discovering new countries and cultures, and to maintain a sense of curiosity. So, even if I’m now pretty far from my GTL mechanical engineering courses in terms of my day-to-day activities, the skills I’ve learned there continue to help advance my career. As a nice side-effect of my participation in GTL, I made permanent friends from different countries, had wonderful cultural adventures, and even found lifelong happiness: my husband Laurent was also a GTL participant. Our son Adrien is just another example of positive Franco-American collaboration!

I chose to participate in the GTL program having already spent a year in France as part of an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree. The opportunity to spend another year in France as part of my graduate studies was too appealing to pass up, and, in fact, played a part in my decision to attend Georgia Tech for graduate school. The time spent studying in Metz made for a unique and almost intimate environment, since there were relatively few students in each class- this promoted relationships both among the students and with the faculty.

Some of my classmates from GTL are still among my best friends today (of both French and American nationalities), and we have an annual mini-reunion every year. The time I spent at GTL and ENSAM in Paris have also contributed to my career- living and working with students and faculty of other nationalities have uniquely prepared me for a career in which maintaining international working relationships is a major requirement.

Since graduating from Georgia Tech in 2000 I have worked for Schlumberger, an international oilfield services company. Schlumberger is an extremely diverse company, and I find that I utilize the skills developed working and living abroad frequently in the professional environment.

My experience at GTL was a great one. As a fresh graduate from Romania I had a once in a lifetime chance to study towards a very valuable degree that it's recognized and accepted throughout the world.
I had great professors and great coursework that have provided me with advanced knowledge and expertise in the field of Digital Signal Processing and Digital Communications.

The level of knowledge and expertise that I achieved as a result of pursuing the GTL degree have provided me with the opportunity of being hired in various High Tech companies where I could directly apply that.
That level of expertise coupled with my follow up work experience have allowed me to progress in my career and be able to participate in the creation and delivery of various successful products to the marketplace that are part of major TV & Display manufacturer's brand names.

The rationale was actually twofold: 1. I wanted to differentiate myself from the rest of my intake. 2. I wanted to have the opportunity to study abroad and to interact with foreign faculty and students.On a more practical plan, GTL and SUPELEC did a superb job to make it manageable to study in both institutions.
It brought me the differentiation factor that I was looking for (which subsequently helped me to get in a Top 10 MBA). During my time at Tech, I also had the opportunity to appreciate the difference in teaching between French Grandes Ecoles where great emphasis is put on theory and American universities where hands-on work and team projects play a central role in the learning.

The approach of the professional impact is a bit tricky as the impact is difficult to appreciate. I realized that a Master of Science from a renowned American university is an asset during job interviews. This holds in France but it is especially obvious abroad where French Grandes Ecoles are totally unknown. I also think that the more pragmatic approach that I developed at Tech helped me many times in work situations where I had to solve “unconventional” problems.

I first met the previous director of GTL while on a Summer internship at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. At the time I was still doing my undergrad in Electrical Engineering with EPF, an engineering school near Paris. The summer internship was a way for me to get to know Tech (and Tech to know me!) before I apply. When he explained to me what GTL was, I immediately loved the idea of splitting my studies between Atlanta and Metz. This was going to help me stay close to my family for another semester, while getting the education that only Georgia Tech can offer. I remember the Americans had a blast travelling around Europe whenever we had free time. The "human size" of the program makes GTL a close-knit, multi-cultural and fun group.

I have found that employers in Europe and the US consistently love the international nature of the program. Ever since I graduated 4 years ago, I have been moving. First England, and now Chicago where I work with McKinsey as an operations consultant. My job makes me work with people from different cultures and takes me many different places; I truly feel that my experience at GTL prepared me to work not only with diverse teams, but also in very different cultural settings.

Je cherchais à orienter ma carrière vers l'international. Georgia Tech était la solution idéale car le Master of Science de Georgia Tech, une des 5 meilleures universités américaines d'ingénieurs, est reconnu partout.

Grâce à Georgia Tech, j'ai pu commencer ma carrière chez Philips au siège aux Pays-Bas, dans une division corporate me donnant une ouverture sur l'ensemble des métiers du groupe. Après quelques années, Georgia Tech a également servi de facilitateur par la suite pour intégrer le MBA de l'INSEAD.

I was in my second year at ENSAM (Aix-en-Provence) when I was notified of the opportunity of completing a Master’s degree at Georgia Tech. Getting some experience abroad in a prestigious University was my first motivation to enroll in the program.

My personal experience at GT-L was very positive. It reinforced my speaking capabilities in English, made me socialize with American students, and showed me how different the American and French education systems were. Because I decided to stay in Atlanta after the end of my Masters to pursue a PhD, I had the opportunity to learn more about and appreciate the American culture.

My choice to follow the GT-L curriculum greatly impacted my professional life. After completing the course and thesis requirements at GT-L and then on the main GT campus in Atlanta, I graduated with a Master’s degree in May 2000 and decided to pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. During the course of this degree, I felt more attracted by academia. I obtained my degree in May 2005 and prepared my applications to faculty positions while working on my postdoctoral training in the department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech.
I am currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame in the department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. The knowledge and research experience that I got during my curriculum at Georgia Tech Lorraine and Georgia Tech were critical in the attainment of my goal: filling a tenure-track faculty position in a major research University.

Before going to GTL, I had been thinking about the US for a very long time. The GTL/ENSAM partnership enabled me to make this project a reality and to complete my curriculum with a Master from GT.
As I expected, time I spent on Metz and Atlanta campuses enabled me to improve my knowledge in Mechanical Engineering, thanks to the high quality of the staff and facilities. I have also been able to study totally different subjects, such as Finance, Marketing, Management...

But the most rewarding thing was probably the cultural aspect. Discovering the American way of life and way of thinking, being in touch with people from all around the world was for me a tremendous experience.
As a part of the curriculum, I also spend a 6 months internship on a gas production site for Total oil company.Today, I believe that both those technical and human aspects played a major role in getting my first job. Hired by Total as a Field Operations Engineer a few months before my graduation, I have now the opportunity to start with a good position on an offshore project in Scotland.

Je souhaitais donner une dimension internationale à ma formation. La possibilité de terminer ma formation Supélec tout en commençant à suivre les premiers cours du Master Electrical and Computer Engineering de Georgia Tech sur le campus de Metz était au final une solution simple et efficace.

La formation Geogia Tech m'a permis d'approfondir certains sujets technologiques (Digital Communications en l'occurence) avec la possibilité de sélectionner exactement les cours qui m'intéressait. Par ailleurs, c'est une opportunité unique de rencontrer sur le campus d'Atlanta des personnes de cultures très diverses au sein de l'une des meilleures universités américaines. Enfin, les quelques mois passés à Atlanta m'ont permis de suivre plusieurs cours dispensés à des étudiants MBA essentiels quant à la compréhension des enjeux économiques associés aux innovations technologiques.
Par ailleurs, à formation française identique, un jeune diplômé pouvant faire valoir cette double formation part avec un avantage réel quant à son embauche.

Même au sein d'un groupe industriel (TF1) dont le marché est avant tout national, ce type de formation internationale permet de devenir légitime sur des sujets d'étude internationaux: j'ai ainsi pu passer plusieurs semaines aux Etats-Unis à mener une analyse marketing des plateformes WEB de video sharing pour le compte de TF1. Enfin ce diplôme Georgia Tech reste la traduction internationale de mon diplôme Supélec: il est ainsi beaucoup plus simple de postuler pour un poste chez une entreprise non française à l'étranger, avec un diplôme Georgia Tech en poche, reconnu internationalement.

Finir mes etudes dans une universite americaine a ete un objectif tres tot dans ma scolarite, avant meme les classes preparatoires, avec l'idee initiale d'acrroitre ma mobilite professionelle. Quand j'ai choisi mon ecole, les partenariats avec les universites americaines a donc ete un facteur important.

L'engagement de Georgia Tech avec son campus europeen a tout de suite ete pour moi le gage d'un engagement solide avec les ecoles francaises (pour avoir connu des etudiants dont le projet avec une universite etrangere n'a pas abouti).
Le campus de Metz est aussi l'occasion d'un introduction progressive au systeme americain, qui permet, je pense, de vivre l'experience au mieux. Au dela de l'experience de vie, cela m'a permis d'acquerir un anglais technique, ce qui est pratiquement impossible si l'on reste dans le systeme francais, et d'avoir une introduction a la societe americaine. Georgia Tech a directement influence ma vie professionnelle puisque qu'apres mon diplome j'ai rejoint Coventor (ou je suis toujours), une entreprise d'origine americaine.

Meme si je travaille a Paris, les contacts avec les bureaux de Cambridge (MA) sont quotidiens et le travail exclusivement en anglais, ce qui eut ete difficile sans Georgia Tech.

I found my internship at Michelin to be a very valuable experience. It gave me the opportunity to further my skills as an engineer, but also to learn the cultural differences in an international work environment. I quickly discovered that the engineering translates quite easily, but it was interesting to learn the differences in the engineering education system experienced by my French colleagues.

The most important aspect of my internship was the integration into French culture and learning the language, as it was difficult to find English-speaking persons outside of work. I hope that my experience in France will allow me to further pursue a career as an internationally-capable engineer.

I joined the double degree program ENSAM / Georgia Tech in 2007. My first internship was in Paris with TOTAL Exploration & Production. I worked on the design of a platform in Nigeria (cost of the project: $3 billion). I was assisting the engineering manager on the design of the production deck. One of the characteristics of working on this kind of project is that engineers have a global view of the subject they are working on. Engineers have to understand and manage all the disciplines which are needed to build a platform (process, mechanical, structural, electrical, etc.).

The multidisciplinary knowledge that Georgia Tech students get is a key to the understanding of the global nature of the problems. For people who seek a fast career track within renowned companies such as Total, Georgia Tech is the perfect option.

The Double Degree program offered by Georgia Tech & Supelec had undoubtably been a a key
For my graduation internship, I decided to do a 6-month internship as an analyst in marketing and technological strategy at FTNA (France Telecom North America) in New York.

FTNA is a part of the Orange - France Telecom Group and is specialized in both strategic market analysis of the U.S. market and business development, which consist in increasing the footprint of the group in the American market (especially in North America).
This internship was a perfect opportunity for me to use the knowledge and the skills I learnt during my training in both the Ecole des Mines de Nantes and Georgia Institute of Technology. This internship also enhanced the international side of my training and my professional profile.

During these 6 months, I worked most of the time with the wireless team. Knowing few things about the wireless market, with enthusiasm and with the help of my two supervisors, I managed to develop an expertise on the American wireless market.

My work at FTNA was divided in two tasks:
- Understanding and strategic analysis of the American wireless market.
- Developing the activities of the group in the U.S.: creation of a Showroom in the New York office and development of the New York Developer Centre for mobile application developers.

This internship was very enriching experience where I was not working for my superiors but with them, providing me with great responsibilities.

L’aluminium, dont les besoins mondiaux doivent doubler d’ici 2020, est une des applications principales de ce stage. L’Inde, de par une bonne disponibilité d’énergie électrique, est un lieu où une part importante des nouvelles usines va être construite. Dans ce contexte AREVA T&D va installer une plateforme d’assemblage et d’essais de grands redresseurs en Inde, à proximité des futurs clients potentiels. Mon PJE s’inscrit dans le cadre de ce transfert de technologie.

Le stage commence par la recherche d'un terrain et d'un constructeur pour l'implantation de cette plateforme: mise en place d'une liste d'agents immobiliers et de constructeurs, cahier des charges, visites des différents terrains... Ensuite ma fonction a été de définir la mise en place du matériel d’assemblage et de test dans la plateforme, de mettre à jour le dispositif électrique de la plateforme de Massy pour l'adapter aux conditions électriques indiennes et enfin de trouver des fournisseurs de matériel électrique en Inde. Le but final du stage étant de remettre un dossier complet à la fin de mon stage n’attendant qu’un feu vert hiérarchique pour démarrer l’implantation.

Rolls Royce Civil Nuclear is a sub company of the group Rolls Royce which works on the control system and instrumentation of nuclear power plants.
The subject of my internship is about applying modern signal processing technology to the neutron detector’s signal in order to have information like the reactor power and period. The algorithm in use right now is about 30 years old so it is believed that we can improve it with all the powerful electronics we have today.
Of course, my work is limited to the computer simulation, because everything about the nuclear reactor is so difficult to change due to security reasons. But still it is very interesting thing to make innovations.

"The opportunity to study abroad while getting my Masters was a huge draw for me at GTL. I can now relate to others who come from other cultures, and the difficulties that come with expressing yourself in another language. My experience at GTL made me more attractive for employers who do work internationally.

I spent several years traveling to perform quality audits at electronics suppliers in the US and abroad.My experience at GTL enabled me to adapt to the culture of each company I visited, whether in England or China. I am currently teaching Electrical Engineering classes at my alma mater, Calvin College. I encourage all of my students to pursue overseas opportunities--it can only help students in their personal and professional lives!"

I wanted to have an international experience which could give me at the same time the highest level of education, and I wanted this experience to be gradual so that I could get the most out of it without wasting my time catching up with a totally new system. GTL gave me all the support I needed.

I can now understand why people see things in a different way: living studying and working with people sharing different cultures broaden your mind and you understand how things can have different meanings according to what your life experiences had been. I learnt to bend my habits and prejudices to get the best out of every life experience.

An international profile is something that companies look for eagerly. This, together with the high level of education that GTL provides, landed me a dream job only two weeks after I started applying for jobs: I in fact recently joined Symantec in their graduate programme . The Job orientations at GTL will also give all what it takes to face in the best way the post-graduation job-hunting days.

Actually I was not looking for Georgia Tech’s European Campus in detail but I was looking for an American university with an excellent reputation that offers a master’s degree within an exchange program. Fortunately Georgia Tech has such an agreement with my former Alma Matter “Technische Universität München”. It has been part of the program to spent one semester at GTL. Although I did not originally consider another European country I did have a great time in France: Refreshing my French language knowledge, joining a local bicycle racing club or just hanging out and discover the area.

Being of German origin GTL, especially the French location, did not introduce a new culture to me. However it provided me with the great opportunity to cooperate with groups of American as well as French colleagues and learn about their way of thinking and problem solving. It has been a valuable experience to slight differences in their behavior and will definitely sharpen my sense in interaction with other nationalities and maybe in leading or organization.

Today I am working towards my PHD in electrical engineering at TUM. The study program at GTL broadened my horizon and encouraged me to focus into medical devices and biotechnology. Because I do not plan to stay in academia, the very close contact to the professors at GTL and the entrepreneurial thinking of the American teaching staff took my fears away and showed me how technology can be brought to the market.

Studying at Georgia Tech was a great opportunity to get a recognized American degree and to complement/enhance my French engineering degree while strengthening my English, discovering a new culture and meeting people from various horizons.

Following Georgia Tech, I spent close to 5 years in the US out of which 4 based in Atlanta that I chose for the network of people I had met while at GT.

The GT degree helped me greatly to first find a one year contract for a French company in the US, and to then get hired in the US by Celerant Consulting where I still am after 10 years.

"Thanks to its partnerships with universities all over the world, Georgia Tech makes accessing to the US school system easy and advantageous. Georgia Tech Lorraine is a great opportunity for European students interested in studying and possibly working in the US."

"prestige, quality of education, international mix, and so forth.
Enormous impact on my personnal life: cultural exchange, lots of friends, changed my view of the world, etc.
The professional impact is also considerable. Worked several years in the USA, Denmark. accessed high level positions at a very early stage. Quality of education opened many doors for me and will continue to have impact until the end of my career."

"When time came to enrich my engineer curriculum with international exposure, Tech stood out as a natural choice . Basically I thought Georgia Tech could give me the “bang for the buck” I was looking for. The quality of the faculty, the richness of diversity among students (different nationalities, different schools, ...), the uniqueness of the program with its dual platform in France and in the US, the learning environment: all these factors made GT a firsthand choice. Not to forget the fact the institution constantly ranks as a TOP university...

Our thoughts are limited by our knowledge and by our experience. Some sociologists would argue the world is a place we are looking through glasses, each person having its own paires. Meet different people, try to understand various cultures or learn from new experiences, and you will change your vision of the world. Georgia Tech enlarged my vision both from a scientific and a personal standpoint, and has allowed me so far to design a career that satisfies my natural curiosity.

I guess my experience at Tech played a great role in facilitating my job : as an engineer on complex problem-solving of system integration for the scientific part; as a representative at NATO for the communication part e.g.

I also consider Tech as a decisive and essential milestone on my way to obtain a MBA for a more business-oriented career."

I choosed Georgia Tech for 3 main reasons: the reputation of GT (top 5 in engineering schools in the USA), then, to improve my english skills and finally for the multi-cultural and international aspect. Up to now, I do not regret my choice at all, GTL being now my second family !

Being from Tunisia, and having done my engineering degree in Toulouse, I needed another experience abroad. doing a master at Georgia Tech was a perfect opportunity. I had the chance to meet different people from different countries/nationalities and you can't imagine how much we learn from them !
Moreover, the education system is so much differnt: as opposed to French schools which are more focusing in theory, the american system is away more practical and thus more efficient !

During my study at Georgia Tech Lorraine, I had several opportunities to meet with recruters from different companies (French and international). I can mention the weekly seminars in which professional come present their business and share their experience with us. I loved both air shows in which I participated: the Bourget (in Paris) and Ela (in Berlin) which were completely free of charge (hotel included) for GTL students and really awesome. We felt so important for the different companies which organized workshops to talk to us !
Last, but not least, we had some workshops at GTL during which companies talk to us and help us looking for jobs/internships.

"I chose GTL because I could get a Georgia Tech education while having the opportunity to live and study abroad.
It helped me get out of my box by becoming immersed in another culture. I became more outgoing, developed international friendships, and learned a lot about myself.

Employers are always interested in my international experience. People like to see a well-rounded person. It has also enhanced my interest in being abroad, and I am looking for professional opportunities which will allow me to live in different countries."

"The GTL experience was a great opportunity for me. Everything was organized sharply so that you can meet with all the foreigner student, learn each other culture and travel around. Moreover, to find the approriate internship or job was made easier with the GTL team helping you. For example, GTL brought us to the "Salon du Bourget" ,right before it opens to everybody, to meet the EADS HR and watch the air show. What an opportunity!"

"I choose GTL in order to have an American degree much more acknowledged worldwide than my French degree of Supélec, in order to envision more easily an international career. Studies in America are very expensive, but with GTL you can do 2 semesters in France and the 3rd in the US, thus the American degree is more affordable.

It helps to open to the American culture, and experience the American campus lifestyle (big, with lots of sport facilities, and quite a variety of courses in Atlanta). It also greatly impacted the job offers afterwards.

I appreciated the important link with the various industries, French or American. Without GTL, I wouldn't have been invited by EADS to the ILA Berlin Air show, neither by Schlumberger to an all-day long insight of the industry. And each time there are internships/job possibilities. For instance, I accepted an internship offer that was sent to GTL students, and now, I am going to work for Schlumberger!"

"Whether it was Georgia Tech's academic reputation or the score of the latest football game, growing up in the south I had always known Georgia Tech. I knew at a young age that if I could be accepted, I would go there. Being located in the center of Atlanta also made Georgia Tech irresistible to me. I wanted to stay close to home, but live away at the same time. This made for the perfect choice.

Campus life was very dynamic and exciting. I met so many wonderful friends during my Tech years. We studied together, we went out together, and we basically grew into adults together. So even though we are dispersed throughout the world today, we are still close and hoping our children will one day be able to sing the Ramblin' Wreck fight song together just like we did!

Georgia Tech taught me to start a project and see it to completion from the smallest classroom assignment all the way to the defense of my thesis. Learning to work with both my peers and my mentors in different settings enhanced my problem-solving and time-management skills, as well as my learning flexibility. Where I am now, I have had to learn a new language and adjust to a new country away from family and friends. Georgia Tech gave me the confidence to know that this could be accomplished. Now as a full-time wife, mother, and active community leader, I see why we say, “we don’t fit the mold, we make it!” "

"Having completed an advanced degree in Applied Physics before studying at GTL, my primary goal was to specialize further on the practical side of optical engineering. My goal was to live, study, and work in France while achieving language fluency. The GTL program interested me because it enabled me to attend Supelec, and to do a 6-month internship, and to completely immerse myself in the French language except for a short period of the initial GTL classes.

The benefits were:
- Learning French language and culture was outstanding.
- In a school setting, the French students were very welcoming and excited to share about their culture (more than American counterparts do with foreign students in the USA, I believe).
- Studying, living and working abroad opened the door later in my life to other similar opportunities to travel, live and work abroad. It is amazing how one's knowledge and experience can be the deciding factor in opening the door to other experiences.
- Learning about a culture is not complete until one learns the language and hopefully lives in the country. GTL enabled this experience and it was immensely rewarding.

Major traceable impacts:
- I was selected for my first job at Intel Corp back in 1997 based not only on my educational background, but also the interest and competence in dealing with diverse cultures.
- I was offered the chance to live and work in Italy again later in my life based on my demonstrated interest and competence in this area.
- My ability to negotiate and interact with individuals and organizations across all cultures has been greatly enhanced by the understanding and experiences I acquired through the GTL experience.
There are undoubtedly many less directly traceable positive impacts."

I am Shahin Shadfar, founder and Chief Executive Officer of omNovia Technologies, a global provider of high quality web and video conferencing software based in Houston, TX (more info at www.omnovia.com).

While at Supelec in France, I selected the Metz campus so I can also attend Georgia Tech. I later moved to Atlanta to finish a Masters in EE I started in Metz. Upon my graduation, I was hired in an R&D center at Schlumberger in the USA where I had the opportunity to work in the team that invented and marketed a new generation of Smart Cards. A few years later, I founded omNovia Technologies which has been a successful venture.

Attending GTL evidently changed the course of my life in a very positive way. Beyond the important linguistic, academic and cultural impacts, GTL allowed me to acquire a solid and confident position in the US.