Program Structure (for Dual BA)

The following information applies to students on the Dual BA with Columbia University. For students on the three year Liberal Arts program, please click here for details.

​Dual BA students will spend two years at TAU, during which time they are required to accumulate 80 academic credits.

The TAU component of the Dual BA is composed of the following:

• General Studies module (core curriculum) (18-20 credits). A series of introductory courses intended to acquaint students with major academic fields and approaches. Taken during the first year, these courses introduce students to history, philosophy, the social sciences, literature, science and academic writing. (Note that students study either two or four credits of academic writing depending on prior experience.)
• Elective tracks. Students choose two of the following eight tracks:
  • Psychology
  • Middle Eastern Studies
  • Modern Jewish and Israel Studies
  • Digital Culture and Communications
  • Philosophy
  • Literature
  • Life Sciences
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation​
    • Major (24 credits). Students choose one subject area to pursue in the greatest depth. In this track the students will also participate in a senior seminar in their final year of studies at TAU. Students will complete a further 12 credits of study in this track at Columbia University. (Life Sciences and Entrepreneurhsip are only available as minors.)
    • Minor (24 credits). This track will also involve a senior seminar.
• Basic tracks
  • Students will additionally take two basic tracks, entitled Humanities and Arts and Global Core and Social Sciences. Students are required to take 6-8 credits in each of these tracks, leaving a further 10-12 credits to be completed at Columbia. Classes on these tracks are drawn from all of the program's eight tracks ensuring that Dual BA students have access to the full range of the TAU Liberal Arts curriculum.

Classes in Hebrew and Arabic can be taken as part of the Middle Eastern Studies, Jewish Studies, or Global Core and Social Sciences track. A maximum of eight credits can be awarded for foreign languages. Note that grades for Hebrew do not count towards the GPA.

Students are also permitted to take advantage of TAU’s Centre for Language Excellence which offers a wide variety of additional foreign language courses at no extra cost.

The program structure is summarized below:

Students who have studied at other institutions of Higher Education or who have been awarded International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement certificates may be granted exemptions from some TAU classes. It is also possible that these transfer credits will be counted among the 40 credits accredited from Columbia University. All Dual BA students must, however, complete two years of study at TAU.