Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and Columbia University, New York have joined forces to offer a dual degree program that will provide students with an international educational experience at two globally renowned universities on both sides of the Atlantic.
It is the first international partnership of its kind for Trinity, where students will spend two-year periods in both universities and receive degrees from both institutions.
“Trinity is a world-class university with many international partnerships and a vibrant and talented student body”
Irish students would pay regular student contributions for the duration of study in Ireland (up to €3,000 per year), and US fees while at Columbia (circa $50,000 per year).
A Trinity spokesperson confirmed that financial support would be available for students studying in Columbia on a case-by-case basis.
Trinity’s provost and president, Patrick Prendergast and Columbia University’s executive vice president and dean of the faculty of arts and sciences David Madigan signed the partnership agreement at a special US-Irish event stateside in Columbia University.
The newly launched programs are unique in that students will graduate with two degrees over the course of four years.
The inaugural cohort will start later in autumn 2018, as students will spend their first two years at Trinity, studying one of four areas—English Studies, European Studies, History, or Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures.
They will then go on to study at Columbia for their second two years, completing a core curriculum and several majors.
The program has proved popular with prospective students, with a very high number of applications received from more than 20 countries worldwide, including Ireland, the US, UK, India, Brazil, Canada and China.
“The arts and humanities are pillars of Columbia University’s stellar reputation”
It builds on the success of two other dual degrees Columbia University already has with the prestigious Paris Institute of Political Sciences and City University of Hong Kong.
Commenting on the new programs, Prendergast said it was an “historic” day for Trinity.
“Trinity has produced some of the world’s great minds across the arts and humanities, including the Nobel Laureate, Samuel Beckett, and more recently the Booker Prize winner, Anne Enright.
“Similarly, the arts and humanities are pillars of Columbia University’s stellar reputation, bringing the world’s best art and ideas to our attention. These dual-BA programs offer a truly international educational experience for our students.”
He added that together, both institutions would draw on the traditional and innovative, encouraging students to challenge themselves and develop an understanding of an increasingly globalised world.
Madigan said that as a graduate of Trinity, he felt particularly proud to launch the new program.
“This dual-BA program gives our students the opportunity to be exposed to ideas, literature, language, and culture through immersion into two of the best undergraduate programs in the world,” he said.
“Trinity is a world-class university with many international partnerships and a vibrant and talented student body. We at Columbia University are thrilled to be its first partner in an undergraduate dual-BA program.
“The collaboration between our faculties has created a dual-BA experience that combines the best of our academic programs, at a scale and depth that will benefit our students with an education that is both Irish and American.”
