Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel’s largest and most comprehensive higher education institution, today announced that it will launch the Dual Degree Program with Columbia University — a first-of-its-kind partnership at TAU that will provide undergraduate students from around the world with an opportunity to pursue an exceptional liberal arts education and earn two degrees.

Transcending traditional study abroad opportunities, the program will enable students to simultaneously earn two bachelor’s degrees — one from each institution — upon completion of the four-year program. The multidisciplinary educational experience will offer students the best of both universities while empowering them to succeed in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world.

“This is the first time that an Israeli university is collaborating with an elite American institution to offer a dual undergraduate program of this kind,” said Professor Raanan Rein, Vice President of Tel Aviv University.

“This program represents a milestone in Tel Aviv University’s globalization strategy and will provide students robust opportunities to experience cross cultural learning, receive hands-on mentorship from leading faculty, and gain a solid foundation in the liberal arts. We are proud to partner with Columbia University and look forward to seeing our students thrive on both campuses,” Professor Rein said.

Students will spend their first two years at Tel Aviv University, studying within one of eight academic tracks in the International Program in the Liberal Arts at Faculty of Humanities. For the final two years, they will study at Columbia University, fulfilling its core curriculum and completing their majors.

Dedicated Dual Degree Program advisors from both TAU and Columbia will be assigned to students as soon as they enroll, providing guidance and support on academics and student life.

“I am especially excited about our partnership with Tel Aviv University, which is consistently ranked among the best academic institutions worldwide,” said Professor Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean, Columbia University School of General Studies. “By giving students the opportunity to study full time at a top-tier university in the Middle East before bringing them to study in the Ivy League, they will not only benefit from being immersed in a wide range of cultures and experiences, but will also make an immense contribution to the Columbia undergraduate classroom.”

TAU’s B.A. in Liberal Arts provides a broad education in the humanities while allowing students to specialize in their areas of interest by choosing from six existing academic tracks, including Digital Culture and Communication, Jewish and Israel Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Psychology, Philosophy, and Literature, and two new tracks, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Life Sciences.

The Dual Degree Program will welcome its inaugural class in the fall of 2020. For more information, visit the website https://tau.gs.columbia.edu.

About Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University (TAU) — Israel’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning — is home to over 30,000 students studying in 32 schools across the spectrum of sciences, humanities, and the arts. Consistently ranked in the top 20 in the world in terms of scientific citations and among the top 100 universities internationally, Tel Aviv University is also Israel’s first choice for students, and its graduates are the most sought after by Israeli companies. Global in outlook and impact, TAU advances teaching and research that break down the walls between disciplines, striving to address the twenty-first century’s most pressing challenges through bold, interdisciplinary solutions. Through TAU International, Tel Aviv University offers over 60 academic programs in English, allowing it to attract talent from around the world.

About Columbia University

Among the world’s leading research universities, Columbia University in the City of New York continuously seeks to advance the frontiers of scholarship and foster a campus community deeply engaged in the complex issues of our time through teaching, research, patient care, and public service. The University comprises 16 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, four affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students, award-winning faculty, and professional staff define the University’s underlying values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.