The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is launching Hong Kong’s first ever dual undergraduate degree programme with Columbia University.

 

The students who join the programme will spend two years at CityU and two years at the School of General Studies at Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in a selected major from both institutions.

 

“We are very excited about this new dual degree programme,” said Professor Tam Chi-ming, Associate Dean (Industrial and International Affairs) of CSE. “Columbia University is one of the world’s most respected higher education institutions, so the new programme is evidence of international recognition for the professional education and research that we pursue at CityU.”

 

Indeed, the programme had to undergo a concentrated validation process before gaining approval, by vetting and monitoring committees at both CityU and Columbia, which is ranked 10th in the QS World University Rankings for 2011. This has meant that courses not only from CSE but CityU’s Gateway Education courses, too, have been endorsed by Columbia University.

 

The pilot run for the programme will be implemented at the start of the 2012–2013 academic year with students from the Department of Mathematics. The aim is to eventually extend the quota to the departments of Physics and Materials Science, Computer Science, and Biology and Chemistry.

 

“Participants on the dual degree programme will be the crème de la crème of CityU students,” Professor Tam said. “When they go to Columbia, they will be ambassadors for CityU, embodying our academic strengths and reputation.” Applicants for the programme need a GPA of over 3.5 to qualify.

 

The collaboration aligns with the University’s strategic move towards globalisation, and could in turn bring students from Columbia University to CityU to study for the dual degree, too.

 

“We also hope that the collaboration will attract top-notch students from around the region who might be interested in trying to gain a dual degree qualification from such a high-standing university as Columbia,” Professor Tam added.