Brown-RISD dual degree program accepts 18
Gaurie Tilak
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Campus News
Not many people are excited by the idea of getting an undergraduate degree in five years. Except, that is, the 18 students admitted last week to the first class of the pilot dual degree program started by Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design.
The program, which will allow them to study at both institutions and graduate in five years with a degree from each school, received about 400 applications in its inaugural year, said Lucy King, RISD's assistant director of admission. Of those, 30 to 50 applicants were admitted to both Brown and RISD, and from that pool, both schools chose the 18 who were admitted to the program, both admissions offices confirmed.
Ten students are expected to matriculate, admission officers from each school said.
Students will spend their first year at RISD taking necessary freshman foundation courses and their second year at Brown. "The idea is that they get an immersive experience at both institutions," said David Bogen, associate provost for academic affairs at RISD. For the remaining three years, students devise their own plan of study and can divide their time between the two institutions however they need.
"As an art student, it was always daunting for me to consider sacrificing in-depth study of social sciences and literature, which I am equally passionate about," student Stephanie Swart, who was admitted to the program, wrote in an e-mail about why she applied to it.
"I think it's a great option for students who are looking to combine an interest in art with a love for academics," said admitted student Elizabeth Soucy, who plans to enroll in the program next fall. Soucy was initially thinking of applying to Brown to study engineering. But after reading the brochure for the dual degree program over the summer, she changed her mind.
"I thought I could combine art with a major at Brown," she said. Soucy now plans to study business economics at Brown and industrial design at RISD. She even has an idea of how she will use her degree.
The program, which will allow them to study at both institutions and graduate in five years with a degree from each school, received about 400 applications in its inaugural year, said Lucy King, RISD's assistant director of admission. Of those, 30 to 50 applicants were admitted to both Brown and RISD, and from that pool, both schools chose the 18 who were admitted to the program, both admissions offices confirmed.
Ten students are expected to matriculate, admission officers from each school said.
Students will spend their first year at RISD taking necessary freshman foundation courses and their second year at Brown. "The idea is that they get an immersive experience at both institutions," said David Bogen, associate provost for academic affairs at RISD. For the remaining three years, students devise their own plan of study and can divide their time between the two institutions however they need.
"As an art student, it was always daunting for me to consider sacrificing in-depth study of social sciences and literature, which I am equally passionate about," student Stephanie Swart, who was admitted to the program, wrote in an e-mail about why she applied to it.
"I think it's a great option for students who are looking to combine an interest in art with a love for academics," said admitted student Elizabeth Soucy, who plans to enroll in the program next fall. Soucy was initially thinking of applying to Brown to study engineering. But after reading the brochure for the dual degree program over the summer, she changed her mind.
"I thought I could combine art with a major at Brown," she said. Soucy now plans to study business economics at Brown and industrial design at RISD. She even has an idea of how she will use her degree.