Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po
The Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po offers a global undergraduate educational experience—a program with an international character not only in its academic coursework but also in its practical application.
AN EDUCATION WHERE YOUR PASSIONS RESONATE
Drawing upon elements both traditional and innovative, the Dual BA Program combines the academic rigor of two world-renowned universities. Whether your ambitions lie in politics, business, law, international nonprofit organizations, or diplomacy, the Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po offers you the opportunity to engage your passions through the breadth of Sciences Po’s interdisciplinary and international social science curriculum and Columbia’s comprehensive Core Curriculum coupled with the intellectual depth realized from immersing yourself in one of many major fields of study.
As an undergraduate in the Dual BA Program, you will study alongside a uniquely diverse group of fellow students and be nurtured by two distinct learning environments. You will be presented with a variety of experiences that will challenge you to reach beyond familiar habits of mind and empower you to develop a richly textured understanding of an increasingly globalized world.
INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIAL SCIENCES CURRICULUM
As a Dual BA Program student, you will begin your college education at one of three Sciences Po campuses outside Paris, each of which numbers 250-1,000 students and is devoted to a particular region of the world. At your regional campus, you will be able to pursue numerous extracurricular activities and internship opportunities while completing Sciences Po’s interdisciplinary social sciences curriculum, using economics, history, humanities, law, political science, and sociology to analyze transformations in contemporary societies at multiple levels.
After two years in France, you will matriculate at Columbia University School of General Studies (GS), the undergraduate college at Columbia for students pursuing a rigorous education through a nontraditional path. At GS, you will pursue one discipline in depth by fulfilling the requirements for a major and cultivate intellectual breadth by completing core requirements in a variety of subjects. As a Columbia student, you will be part of a vibrant campus community of 30,000 students (9,000 undergraduates), with access to abundant extracurricular options on campus and beyond, as well as internship opportunities at the United Nations, on Wall Street, or in any of the many industries that call New York City home.
Upon completion of the program, you will graduate with two bachelor’s degrees, one each from Sciences Po and Columbia, and, like all Sciences Po alumni, you will be eligible for guaranteed admission to a Sciences Po graduate program in Paris. You will also be a member of the global alumni networks of two of the world’s leading universities, and be well prepared for your next challenging endeavor.
PHOTOS
1
As a Dual BA Program student, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in two distinct academic, social, and cultural environments: a close-knit small college in a French regional setting and a research university in New York City.
ACADEMICS AT SCIENCES PO – COLLÈGE UNIVERSITAIRE
All Dual BA students follow Sciences Po’s multidisciplinary undergraduate education, which encourages the development of factual knowledge, critical reflection, and methodological rigor. The first year is dedicated to formal instruction in the fundamental disciplines that have long marked the tradition and excellence associated with Sciences Po. In the second year, students pursue both a common curriculum and a choice among three multidisciplinary majeurs. Over the course of their first two years at Sciences Po, students develop their abilities in three main areas: academics, methodology, and community.
YEAR 1: ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES
• Economics
• History
• Humanities
• Law
• Political Science
• Sociology
YEAR 2: MAJEURS
• Economy & Society
• Political Humanities
• Politics & Government
A COLUMBIA EDUCATION
GS’s academic program, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, is composed of a major, the Core, and electives. The Core is a set of common courses required of all undergraduates and embodies the intellectual and institutional commitment to liberal arts education. Courses in the Core are meant to prompt students to grapple with fundamental questions of human existence and to think deeply about how the contemporary world has been shaped by the past. The University’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences offers over 80 majors and more than 1,500 courses to undergraduates.
YEARS 3 & 4: THE CORE SAMPLE COURSES
• University Writing
• Masterpieces of Western Music
• Contemporary Culture in the Modern Arab World
• Asian Humanities–Art in China, Japan and Korea
• Science for Sustainable Development
• Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the English novel
• Africa, Empire and the 20th Century World
YEARS 3 & 4: POPULAR MAJORS
• Economics
• Political Science
• Urban Studies
• Human Rights
• Sustainable Development
• Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies
ALONGSIDE
ACADEMIC TRACK
Located on the Normandy coast, Le Havre, France’s largest commercial port, was home to leading Impressionist painters.
250 Students/37 Nationalities
Focus on Europe’s relations with Asia and the dynamics of globalization Engage in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, and Indonesian language classes and related cultural studies and activities
EURO-AMERICA AND EURO-AFRICA PROGRAMS IN REIMS
In the city where French kings were crowned, the Sciences Po campus is housed in a restored 17th century Jesuit college.
1,000 Students/74 Nationalities
Choose between two different internationally-focused tracks to study relations between Europe and North America or Europe and Africa Engage in Arabic, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili language classes and related cultural studies and activities
Examine transatlantic history from a European perspective
MIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN PROGRAM IN MENTON
Menton is a resort town on the French Riviera, famed for its beautiful vistas, lush vegetation, and mild climate.
250 Students/42 Nationalities
Focus on the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Maghreb Examine geopolitical issues including energy, migration, and security
Follow an English-language academic track Engage in Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, Farsi, and Italian language classes and related cultural studies and activities
UNIVERSITY IN
Modeled after the Athenian agora and the open plazas of the Italian Renaissance, Columbia University’s historic Morningside Campus is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Live in close proximity to world-class museums, theaters, parks with restaurants and historical attractions
Build a solid foundation of knowledge while completing the Columbia Core Curriculum
Choose from more than 1,500 courses taught by Nobel Laureates, world-renowned scholars, and leaders in their fields
Elect from over 80 major fields of study offered by more than 40 departments
Participate in more than 500 student organizations and volunteer opportunities
Take advantage of New York City’s world of opportunities with internship opportunities offered in multiple professional sectors
COLUMBIA AT A GLANCE
The Core provides a foundation for a solid liberal arts education, assuring that you’ll develop critical skills in writing and quantitative reasoning, while exposing you to a range of perspectives on significant ideas and achievements in literature, philosophy, history, music, art, and science.
Students in the Dual BA Program are pioneers—innovators who seek to shape their futures through a dynamic combination of intensive study at world-class universities and cultural immersion on two continents. They come from all over the world with diverse educational backgrounds, academic interests, and goals for the future, sharing a desire to take part in a global educational experience and develop the necessary skills to become leaders in their fields.
Annie Whitney, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Sciences Po Campus: Menton
Majors: Human Rights
Sitara Herur-Halbert, Bangalore, India
Sciences Po Campus: Le Havre
Major: Human Rights and Gender Studies
Most Memorable Moment: Volunteering to be an orientation leader for the first time in my second semester at Columbia, because I got to meet and help so many incredible people!
After the Dual BA Program:
“I hope to work to develop American policies in women’s rights or global affairs, or for international organizations in human rights and development.”
Most Memorable Moment: I spent my first evening of our new student orientation eating pizza by the sea in total disbelief—there I was under the stars and in front of the Mediterranean, taking in the Alps behind me, the borders with Monaco and Italy on either side of me, and the beautiful town I was able to call my new home.
After the Dual BA Program:
“I hope to take a few years off after graduation to join AmeriCorps or pursue other fellowships and then apply to law school to one day work in immigration law. And of course, I hope my path leads me back to Menton sometime soon!”
Enrique Olivo, Toronto, Canada
Sciences Po Campus: Reims
Major: Political Science and Statistics
Most Memorable Moment: When I completed my thesis paper, “The Political Representation of Indigenous Communities in Canada and its Associations with their Conditions of Disadvantage.” My advisor nurtured my enthusiasm for justice, and pushed me to learn from applying scientific rigor to the impact I sought to create with my research.
After the Dual BA Program: “I would like to return to Toronto and apply my academic training to the realm of public service, and eventually fulfill my goal of attending law school.”
Admissions and Enrollment
• Approximately 290 students enrolled in the program
• 59% female; 41% male
• 50% international (non-U.S.) students from 45 different countries
Tuition and Fees
Please visit the Costs & Financing section of the Dual BA Program website to learn more about tuition and fee costs.
Academic Program
• Students will earn two bachelor’s degrees in four years.
• The first two years at Sciences Po will focus on social sciences and language instruction specific to the region of focus offered at your campus (Euro-America, Euro-African, Euro-Asian, or Euro-Middle Eastern).
• The second two years at GS will be spent fulfilling Columbia University’s Core Curriculum and major requirements as well as Sciences Po’s year abroad requirements.
Advising
A dedicated Dual BA Program advisor, who is assigned at the start of the program, will guide you through your academic and student life, providing counseling and support as you pursue your goals in two distinct academic settings. Your advisor is based at Columbia and meets with you regularly during your time in the program, visiting your Sciences Po campus in France twice per year. In the spring of your second year, prior to your transition to Columbia University, your advisor will review degree requirements and help you plan for years three and four of the Dual BA Program.
Upon graduation, students will have two bachelor’s degrees from leading educational institutions and will have access to a network of alumni that includes heads of government and state, Nobel Prize winners, and leading academics in their fields.
All Dual BA Program graduates also have guaranteed entry to an array of Sciences Po Master’s programs, all based in Paris.
Applicants to the Dual BA Program apply in January for fall enrollment. The admissions process includes a review of the applicant’s academic history, letters of recommendation, SAT/ACT scores, a personal essay, and an interview conducted in English. Applications will be reviewed by a joint committee featuring admissions representatives from both Columbia University and Sciences Po.
Students may not apply simultaneously to the Dual BA Program and other undergraduate schools or programs, including other international dual degree programs at Columbia University (Columbia-Trinity Dual BA Program, Columbia College [CC] or The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science [SEAS]). Nor are candidates eligible to apply to the School of General Studies, including Dual BA Programs, if in the last three years they applied to any of these divisions and were not accepted.
Students interested in applying to the Sciences Po Collège Universitaire must apply separately using the appropriate Sciences Po application procedure. Please refer to the Sciences Po website for more information.
Interviews are required for admission and are scheduled by the admissions committee. Selected students will be offered an invitation to interview during the admissions process. It is not possible for applicants to arrange an interview without the request of the committee.
A variety of financial aid options are available at both Sciences Po and Columbia. Students are charged the tuition and awarded financial aid by the institution in which they are enrolled. If eligible, students will receive financial aid directly from Sciences Po for the first two years of the program. And, if eligible, students will receive financial aid directly from Columbia for the second two years in the program.
Information sessions led by admissions representatives from Columbia University School of General Studies and Sciences Po are held around the world and at Columbia’s Morningside Campus in New York City.
Visit http://sciencespo.gs.columbia.edu/admissions for details and dates or to schedule an admissions advising appointment.
Contact Us
Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po
School of General Studies, Office of Admissions 408 Lewisohn Hall, MC 4101, 2970 Broadway New York, NY 10027
Tel: +1 (212) 854-2772
Toll-free/International: 1 (800) 895-1169
Fax: +1 (212) 854-6316
Email: spo-dualba@columbia.edu Website: sciencespo.gs.columbia.edu