All applicants must be sponsored by the local authority in charge of waste and sanitation services
The OpT programme is specifically designed to prepare participants for an executive role with an urban drinking water and/or sanitation service of a city of up to one million inhabitants, or to manage a department (customer management, operation management, etc.) in the service of a larger urban area.
The programme specifically targets urban services in developing or emerging countries.
Trainee applications are presented by the general management and/or the Official Authorities of these services, which wish to prepare for their new responsibilities those of their executives whose professional qualities have been noticed and who are liable to take charge of the management of one of their services.
Individual applications are therefore not admitted.
Requisite applicant profile
OpT Master’s applicants are high-level managers at a water and/or sanitation service in a developing or emerging country, considered ready by their superiors and/or regulatory authority to take on the management of a municipal department.
Applicants are encouraged, coming from various companies which differ by :
- the types : administration, local authority, public company, private company, etc
- the relations with the local authorities : hierarchical supervision, delegated contracts, etc.
- the geographical scale of their competences : national, regional, municipal
Required academic level
Applicants must have a postgraduate diploma: Diploma of Master, MSc, engineering degree, etc.
However, applicants with 4-year degrees are accepted, and may be admitted by the selection committee if warranted by their professional experience and abilities.
Majors and areas of expertise of applicants
Applicants with different majors and/or areas of expertise are also welcomed (engineering, economy and financial management, etc.) so long as their superiors consider them capable of widening their sphere of activity and leading a municipal department.
Sufficient proficiency in the language in which the Executive Masters OpT is taught
In order to promote the international side of the programme, the language in which OpT courses are taught will change from year to year between French and English, to adapt as well as possible to the applicants selected.
The OpT program was taught in French in 2011/12. It will be taught in English and French in 2013.
Applicants must have a sufficient command of the working language of the OpT programme for the year in which they apply.
Accepted applicants may carry out a pre-arrival intensive language course (usually one month) to improve their French or English.
Size and composition of classes
The programme attracted 7 trainees for its first graduating class (2009-10), and 12 for the year 2010/11. The current Class (2011/12) gathers 22 trainees. The program will stabilise around 20 trainees for following classes.
A diverse group of professional backgrounds is sought, because diversity brings a wealth of ideas, promotes an open-minded approach and creates an environment conducive to teamwork.
Application and selection process
The preparation of an application requires close cooperation between the sponsoring authority, a potential financial backer providing support, AgroParisTech, and the applicant.
Within the company, this process involves increased responsibilities for the applicant, who is expected to lead a department after completion of the programme, and who is prepared during the curriculum to take on this new position through a training course and Master’s project.
Consequently, applications are accepted year-round, and the selection committee regularly meets to study them and take decisions for the next class or the one that follows.
To be considered for next Class, applications must be received as soon as possible: opt at agroparistech.fr Please contact us to receive the OpT application form
