The university of the second chance.

PURPOSE

The Université Multiculturelle Internationale enables anyone to get a full university degree without leaving his job

• either by directly submitting a thesis or a dissertation (monography)
• or by having his experience assessed for conversion into a degree (accreditation of prior learning also known as APL).

The purpose of UMI is to reveal and authenticate the knowledges and competencies that are not yet certified. Turned towards the knowledge rather than towards the teaching it insists more on the result, what has been learnt, than on the mean, how was it learn.

While proceeding to accreditation of prior learning, UMI gives a particular importance to two factors usually not recognised by traditional academic institutions, namely experience (which now can, in France, be validated through "validation des acquis de l'expérience" or VAE system for accreditation of prior learning) and informal study (still largely ignored). It aims at those executives who cannot interrupt their professional activity to go back to long studies.

UMI inserts itself into the so-called "3-5-8" (bachelor-master-doctorate) European harmonisation of the Bologna process, was the first to abandon the mysterious French acronyms (DU, DEUG, DESS, DEA...) even before the decrees of April 8, 2002, but keeps nevertheless the well-known francophone specificities (maîtrise and ingénieur). Therefore its degrees have a much greater international lisibility than the ones of most "grandes écoles" (thanks to the university denomination of its titles) and several universities. This lisibility is further reinforced by the Diploma Supplement, which in France is still waiting for a full and fair application of the decree 2002-482.

The added advantages it provides to its alumni puts it rather in the category of business clubs or think-tank of the "grandes écoles" type than in the category of standard universities. On the other hand it helps its alumni to have their degree guessed without demonstratively showing off a parchment, and also encourages them to publish, if applicable, their dissertation or thesis.