Academics at Sciences Po

As a Dual BA Program student, you’ll begin your college education by spending two years at one of four Sciences Po campuses, each of which is devoted to a particular region of the world and offers a heavy linguistic and cultural focus:

• Le Havre — Located on the Normandy Coast with a minor focused on the Asia-Pacific region, the campus offers language instruction in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
   
• Menton — Located on the French Riviera with a minor focused on the Mediterranean countries and the Middle East, the campus offers language instruction in Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Persian, and Turkish.
   
• Poitiers — Located in France’s premiere university city, and rich with Gallo-Roman heritage, students in Poitiers follow a minor focused on Latin America and the Caribbean, with language instruction in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
   
• Reims — Located in the Champagne region and offering minors that focus on either North America or Africa, the Reims campus offers language instruction in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. Students in Reims follow minors focused on relations between Africa or North America during their first two years.

About half of each campus’ student body comes from the region of focus, with other international and French students comprising the other half, ensuring that you will be part of a diverse campus community.

Dual BA Program students will earn a Bachelor of Arts in the Social Sciences from Sciences Po, and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University.

Classes

With the exception of the Latin America and the Caribbean minor in Poitiers, the majority of Sciences Po courses offered in this program are taught in English, with additional instruction provided in French and the living languages spoken in the region of focus. In the Latin America and the Caribbean minor, courses are taught in a mixture of French and English, and all admitted students to this program must be fully fluent in both languages.

At Sciences Po, classes are small, with a high participation level. Students are required to do many in-class presentations, and learning via practical application is emphasized. Both second-year students and professors help to acculturate new students to this pedagogical method.   

Academic Program

Below is an overview of the academic program students will follow to obtain their degrees. View more course information on the Sciences Po website. 

Year 1

• Students arrive at Sciences Po’s campuses in Le Havre, Menton, Poitiers, and Reims to participate in the Welcome Program prior to the start of classes, including meetings with the academic and administrative leadership for orientation and other advising matters.
• Students begin classes following the curriculum and requirements established for the Collège Universitaire.
• In their second semester, students draft and submit their Civic Engagement Letter, the first component of the Civic Learning Programme. Drawing on their first year of social science studies, the letter introduces and describes the theme(s) that the student proposes to explore, the reasons for their interest, and the methods and actions proposed for the pursuit of their civic engagement activities.
  • Students complete their off-campus Civic Internship. The internship must involve direct participation in providing assistance to beneficiaries, whether social, educational, preventive, or sensitization, and there must be clear evidence of students’ involvement in actions towards the common good that promote equality and solidarity in an organization or department. At the end of the first year, with the help of their local advisors, students choose their Sciences Po majors by picking one option from each of the following two blocks:. 
  • Block 1

    • Economics

    • Law

    • Political Science - Comparative Politics

  • Block 2

    • History

    • Political Science - Political Theory

    • Sociology

• Students will decide which combination of disciplines is best suited to their academic interests and future career pursuits in consultation with their advisors, and will confirm these majors in the spring term of their first year at Sciences Po.
• Students meet with their Columbia University academic advisor to learn more concretely how the two degrees work in concert with one another. 

Year 2

• Students complete their Collège Universitaire Core, majors, and elective requirements at their campus.
• During the spring term, students meet with their Columbia advisors and learn which of the Columbia Core requirements have been fulfilled by their Sciences Po coursework. At this point they also discuss major options and third year course selections at Columbia.
• Students participate in the design and implementation of a social and solidarity-based project, within a single off-campus organization, as part of the Civic Learning Programme, which is completed by the end of their second year with the submission of their Grand Ecrit to Sciences Po.
• Beginning in the spring semester, students attend an Academic Planning Session as part of their transition planning, then, in consultation with their Columbia advisors, begin working with Columbia major departments. 

Year 3

• Students begin classes at Columbia, working toward meeting Core and major requirements not fulfilled by transfer credit.
• Students declare a major and integrate fully into their Columbia academic department. 

Year 4

• Students complete their Core and major requirements and participate in the Class Day and Commencement graduation ceremonies at Columbia.

   

Sample Traditional Program Sequence

There are many ways to design an academic program and schedule that best meets a student's needs. However, the following is a common example of a traditional first-year program sequence at Sciences Po.

In year two, students create their personal interdisciplinary major from the options noted above.

For further details on specific courses and credit requirements, please see the detailed descriptions of the Year One Academic Plan and Year Two Academic Plan on the Sciences Po website for each campus:

Le Havre Campus, Minor Asia-Pacific

• Year 1, Semester 1
• Year 1, Semester 2
• Year 2, Semester 1
• Year 2, Semester 2

Menton Campus, Minor Mediterranean and Middle East

• Year 1, Semester 1
• Year 1, Semester 2
• Year 2, Semester 1
• Year 2, Semester 2

Poitiers Campus - Minor Latin America and the Caribbean

• Year 1, Semester 1
• Year 1, Semester 2
• Year 2, Semester 1
• Year 2, Semester 2

Reims Campus - Minor Africa

• Year 1, Semester 1
• Year 1, Semester 2
• Year 2, Semester 1
• Year 2, Semester 2

Reims Campus - Minor North America

• Year 1, Semester 1
• Year 1, Semester 2
• Year 2, Semester 1
• Year 2, Semester 2

Summer Opportunities

Internships

In addition to the Civic Learning Programme, which includes a mandatory internship in the summer after their first year at Sciences Po, students may also access Sciences Po Careers Services which offers career education services, internship opportunities, and connections with the outside community both in France and around the world.

Summer School

Sciences Po invites students from around the world—including incoming Dual BA Program students—to Reims and Paris for an introduction to college life and academics at the university in June and July. Learn more about Summer School at Sciences Po.

Undergraduate Global Engagement

Columbia University’s Undergraduate Global Engagement Office offers several study abroad programs that students can apply to for academic enrichment or to complete Columbia core requirements. The most popular programs are the Art and Music Humanities Program available in either Berlin or Paris. Students should review the programs on the Undergraduate Global Engagement website and discuss their interest with their Columbia academic advisor. 

Graduate School

Graduates of the Dual BA Program, like all alumni of the Sciences Po Undergraduate College, are guaranteed a spot in certain Master’s programs at Sciences Po.