Program Overview
Dual BA Program students will earn two bachelor’s degrees - one from Sciences Po and one from Columbia University.
The first two years at Sciences Po follow an interdisciplinary social science curriculum (up to 60 eligible credits will be counted toward Columbia degree requirements). In years three and four at Columbia, students complete at least 64 credits toward their chosen major and Core requirements.
Years One and Two
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 studying the social sciences of a particular region of the world.
The Civic Learning Program
The Civic Learning Programme, a mandatory element of the Dual BA Program, allows students to establish links between the citizenship issues their course addresses through active involvement in them. This involvement can take the form of activities carried out at Sciences Po or externally, in the public, private and non-profit sectors in France and abroad.
The modules that make up the Civic Learning Program are designed for students to develop three essential skills: multidisciplinary perspective, methodological effectiveness, and civic engagement. Throughout the program, students practice synthesizing quantitative and humanities-oriented knowledge to respond to socioeconomic questions within their own communities. In addition, there is a great deal of flexibility and liberty built into the program, so that students have the opportunity to experience designing and implementing long-term projects, as well as dealing with unanticipated outcomes. The Civic Learning Program is ultimately designed to guide students out of the familiarity of the classroom, shaping them into proactive changemakers for the real world they inhabit.
More information on the Civic Learning Program is available by visiting the Sciences Po website.
Years Three and Four
After completing the Sciences Po curriculum, students will matriculate at the Columbia University School of General Studies (GS). While at GS, students further their study of the social sciences by completing the requirements for a major while also cultivating intellectual breadth by fulfilling Core distribution requirements in a variety of disciplines, including literature, art, music, science, and the humanities.
Additional Resources
From the very beginning of the Program, each student is assigned an advisor at both Sciences Po and Columbia who will guide them through academic and student life, providing support as they pursue their goals in two stimulating academic settings.
Dual BA Program students work with their Columbia advisors, as well as their Columbia academic departments, to determine how their coursework at Sciences Po will be credited toward their studies at Columbia.
The ARC is dedicated to helping students cultivate the skills necessary to manage competing demands, deal productively with setbacks, and enthusiastically approach challenging situations both in and beyond the classroom.
Academic Calendars
Students should consult the academic calendars of Sciences Po and Columbia University regarding important semester dates.