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| Vol. 17, No. 39 | Aug. 20, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 39 | Aug. 20, 1998 |
This month, for the first time in the United States, a doctoral degree will be awarded simultaneously by both an American and a French university-the University of Delaware and the Université Lumière (Lyon 2).
Last month, Emmanuel Llinares successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic of ski-lift ticket pricing and the diffusion of ski-lift technology before a committee composed primarily of members of both UD and Lyon 2. Both universities will award the degree in economics.
"Working in two different universities and using two different languages has been an outstanding experience," Llinares said. "The interaction between the schools and the members of the committee worked perfectly together, and I hope and believe that many other students will follow."
Llinares has accepted a one-year visiting assistant professorship at the University and will teach three economics classes during the fall semester.
Llinares came to UD from his hometown, St. Christol, France, for the first time as an undergraduate economics exchange student in the 1992-93 academic year. Returning to UD in the fall of 1994, Llinares entered the master's degree program in economics, and he earned his degree in 1996. Llinares' research focus is on the economic analysis of industrial organizations.
The joint doctoral degree program, called the co-tutelle in French, is the latest development in a general cooperative agreement that was formed between the two universities in 1991. The original agreement provided for the exchange of faculty members and students between the two institutions.
"To date, 11 Université Lumière students have spent their junior years studying economics at UD, and three have received the bachelor's degree in economics from UD," James Mulligan, director of the exchange program, said. "At the graduate level, 20 students have studied for the their degree. Of these students, 18 received master's degrees in economics and the other two received master's degrees in political science and in history.
"Three economics graduate students have continued on to study for the joint doctoral degree. The co-tutelle agreement stipulates that there are two advisers for each doctoral student from both universities," Mulligan said. Llinares' advisers were Mulligan and Christian Le Bas, vice president for budgeting and finance at Lyon 2.
"The students in the co-tutelle program have the advantage of both an American and a French graduate education, and they are able to pursue academic career opportunities in France and the U.S.," he added.
According to Mulligan, five UD professors have taught for the Université Lumière and four of that French institution's professors have taught for the University of Delaware. Most recently, Rene Sandretto, the Lyon 2 director of the exchange program, and Pierre Garrouste, the director of the Lyon 2 economics doctoral program, taught economics classes at UD in the 1998 summer session. Future plans include additional exchanges between the two universities.
"The French government's and the Université Lumière's awarding of the French doctorate in addition to the University's Ph.D. is very important for the Lyon 2 students coming to the U.S.," James Butkiewicz, economics, said. "This is because the French doctorate is essential for a French student to be able to teach in France. The dual degree is also important," he added, "because it enables the student to have greater access to both the American and European private sector job markets.
"This program provides an opportunity for the faculty from each university to be exposed to a different economic system and to have an increased understanding of the global economy," he added. "It helps to broaden our faculty's international experience, and this gives our students here in Delaware a perspective from outside of our country. These co-tutelle agreements occur between European universities, but this is the first agreement with a U.S. university.
"Our faculty are pleased with the success of the exchange program," Butkiewicz added. "The Lyon 2 students are strong academically and support our teaching and research efforts. Our faculty in economics value the diversity of perspective the French students bring to our program in the U.S."
-Gail E. Walford
