Mahindra Ecole Centrale (MEC) College of Engineering, is an international technology school, that marks the foray of the USD 20.7 billion MahindraGroup into the higher education sector. In January 2019, Mahindra Ecole Centrale launched an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cell (EIC) at its campus Hyderabad. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cell will be the stepping stone for the future of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the campus itself. The EIC will host events, workshops, industrial visits and seminars, all aimed at providing a conducive environment for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Stoodnt.com got in touch with Dr. Yajulu Medury, Director, Mahindra Ecole Centrale, to know more about the unique offerings of the institution.
A selected excerpt –
What is unique about Mahindra Ecole Centrale(MEC) college?
I am firmly of the opinion that what sets Mahindra Ecole Centrale apart from other Engineering colleges is its bouquet of Academic Infrastructure, Quality of Students, Curriculum, Industry Connect, encouragement for entrepreneurship and emphasis on Research.
Our pillar of strength is our Academic focus in terms of Curriculum, Pedagogy, Faculty, Research initiatives, Infrastructure and quality Laboratories for teaching and research and top of the line computational and media labs. Our faculty is a combination of the young and experienced, of academic excellence and industry expertise. Our pedagogy is unique in that it is discussion oriented and not discourse oriented.
Our Curriculum is a mix of Core Engineering, Natural Sciences, Creative Sciences, liberal arts and Humanities. It is imperative that today’s engineering students be empowered to be innovative and entrepreneurial – therefore, it is important that they are equipped with tools that help them to become so, and I am happy to admit that our basket of courses indeed ensures this.
Mahindra Ecole Centrale is a unique example of joint collaboration of industry and academia. Regular interactions with experts in industry ensure that we refine the curriculum to adapt to the continuously changing needs of the industry.
Research, we believe, will make us a truly global academic institution. We ensure that we provide world class infrastructure for research initiatives and make available opportunities for interactions with peers. We are proud to have already secured significant research projects and grants from the Government and industry at MEC.
At MEC, we are committed to making the “New Engineer”. Our Vision is to train engineers, both men and women, to be entrepreneurial and innovative as well as technically trained, so that they are capable of meeting the greatest challenges of their era, globally.
What was the idea behind setting up of Mahindra Ecole Centrale?
Mahindra Ecole Centrale was set up with the idea of creating the New Engineer. Mahindra Group, the US $ 20.1 Billion conglomerate, has varied businesses that are primarily driven by Engineering and Technology.
The focus in setting up this institution was on creating an unparalleled global engineering school that focuses on imparting education that ensures that the graduates are equipped with globally demanded skill sets.
For creating a globally accepted Engineer, the search for a globally respected institution ended with Ecole Centrale (now CentraleSupelec), a French leader in Engineering education with close to 200 years of experience in engineering education. Ecole Centrale is alma mater to Gustave Eiffel, Architect of Eiffel Tower, and the founders of Peugeot, Dior, FerroConcrete and many more internationally recognized companies like Shlumberger, Michelin Tyres, etc.
The coming together of the industry leader Mahindra Group and Ecole Centrale led to the creation of Mahindra Ecole Centrale, an International Engineering School.
What courses do you offer?
We offer B. Tech courses in 4 disciplines – Computer Science Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.
What is the admission process at MEC?
Ours is a very transparent admissions process. Our admissions are made strictly through JEE / SAT Subject Test marks.
Those students who have a 10+2 or equivalent from any statutory board with 60% aggregate marks in all subjects or equivalent grade for the students from IB or other approved Boards are eligible to apply for admission. Our online admissions portal is http://www.mahindraecolecentrale.edu.in, through which online admission forms are accepted.
The admissions will be granted on the basis of either JEE Main 2019 (Qualify by securing a rank in JEE (MAIN) 2019 examination, which makes them eligible to write the JEE Advanced 2019) OR SAT Subject Test Scores (minimum 1800 in subjects which should include Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry).
Why should one choose Mahindra Ecole Centrale (MEC) college?
MEC offers interdisciplinary education that trains three dimensional engineers: high level scientific and technical generalists, experts in initiating and piloting innovative projects, and well-rounded experts with a strong international culture. The curriculum incorporates the latest in Engineering based on Global needs and has a strong soft-skills development focus. MEC’s ambition is to transform engineering graduates into leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators.
The USPs of MEC include global pedigree, industry focus, unique pedagogical model, world-class faculty and excellent infrastructure. This is what puts MEC in a class of its own.
The MEC curriculum has been designed in such a fashion that there is a unique blend of fundamental sciences, engineering and social sciences. The focus is also on developing creative and critical thinking skills and applying them to complex engineering challenges. At MEC, we also focus on case-based and problem-based learning through team projects. In addition, from the beginning, we focus on Research and corporate work programs. Mandatory International and inter-cultural exchange programs and internships are also in place as a part of the BTech engineering degree program.
Success stories of students passing out of Mahindra Ecole Centrale(MEC) college of engineering?
Mahindra Ecole Centrale is a very young institute and our first batch of Engineers graduated out in 2018 summer. Collaboration and peer learning is the name of the game today. Our students are participating in national and global events and activities and continuously winning laurels. The students are at their creative and innovative best when they are away from their natural environs and therefore we encourage them to participate or collaborate in national and global activities.
To give you two examples: Earlier this year our students not just won the 1st prize in India’s largest hackathon, but also created an all-terrain racing vehicle called Orangutan for competing in BAJA SAE competition, which is already winning accolades nationally. We are proud to have the mentored the most well-rounded and versatile Engineering students in the country today.
Our second batch has just completed its finals. The students have been well placed and several (almost 100) have chosen to pursue post graduate studies in top international universities in USA and Europe. Our students have been placed in very good roles with leading Indian and Global companies, some of whom have chosen to pick only students from MEC.
MEC offers a truly international program with an inclusive focus on the Engineering, Social and Creative sciences – Please explain.
MEC offers a truly global program and has partnered with Group Ecole Centrale (now Centrale Supelec), a French leader in Engineering education with near-200 years of experience. Ecole Centrale is alma mater to Gustave Eiffel, Architect of Eiffel Tower, and the founders of Peugeot, Dior, FerroConcrete and many more internationally recognized multi-nationals.
We work closely with global partners and collaborate with multiple Universities and leading businesses to ensure that we work on the most topical global trends so that our students can benefit from it.
Our focus and curriculum is all encompassing. Since an Engineer today isn’t just an engineer but also a manager, an innovator, a communicator and works with multicultural and multi-locational teams, soft-skills and interdisciplinary skills are something that needs to be focused on. Training in Natural Sciences, Humanities, Creative Sciences and Engineering Sciences are what go into making an engineer here.
We have mandatory courses that include Literature and Philosophy, Communication Skills & Personality Development, Cinema, Culture, documentary film making, etc. These are taught along with the core engineering subjects that are taught to develop not just subject expertise but also creative and life skills.
Your site says that you offer an environment of unique cultural immersion – of participants, faculty and staff. MEC offers international global internship and placement opportunities to its students – give details
It is scientifically accepted that learning new languages and imbibing different culture enhance creativity, ability to multi-task, and ensure better brain and memory development. Our students have to take courses in French Language and Culture that ensures that they are better equipped to deal with a sizeable population in the world.
International faculty, global internships and semester abroad programs lead to broadening the students’ horizons as well.
The B.Tech degree at MEC is a research-driven program with close links to industry – give details
Our Vision is to promote research at an institutional level so that we can focus on actual problem solving and contribute to the rise of a New India. The faculty members work mainly towards the development of Basic and Applied Research, especially catering to industrial needs, the training and involvement of students to perform Research and the setting up of collaboration with Industrial companies as well as International Academic and Research Institutions.
We have published over 100 papers over the last 4 years and have 20 active research teams working on Indian and Global research projects. We work closely with industry to create workable solutions for their pain points.
While most Research areas at MEC are predominantly Engineering focused, MEC has also teams working in the fields of media, economics and humanities.
Future plans of the institution?
Our plan is to continue to focus on cutting edge technology, global academic and research collaborations and deepen our industry connect to ensure that our students are privy to the latest happening not just in India but also globally.
We wish to enhance our focus on research and laboratory development to make engineering more interesting to the MEC student. We are in the process of setting up of advanced labs, including establishment of the NVIDIA supercomputing facility that will assist students and faculty in research projects.
We also wish to offer courses in AI, Computational Mathematics and related areas, subject to getting due approvals.