The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of two world-class institutions and offers students the opportunity to develop and integrate diverse spheres of academic and artistic interests by pursuing degrees at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design over five years.
My daughter attends RISD and her summer roommate, Annie, is in the five-year Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program. She spent an hour explaining the Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program. She is one of fifteen students enrolled in this dual degree program in her year.
To earn the dual degree, students must apply to both schools, be accepted to both schools, and then complete the degree requirements for both schools. Once admitted to the program, students have full access to Brown’s excellent programs in the physical and biological sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, while also partaking of RISD’s world-class programs in fine arts, visual media, and design.
Because of the program’s strict requirements, only students applying as first-year students are eligible for the Brown/RISD program. Approximately 15 students matriculate in the program each year. For more information, including degree options and course requirements, consult the website below. Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program
All About the Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program
Annie spent an hour talking about the Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program. I edited it down to 18 minutes.
Brown | RISD Dual Degree Application Supplement
In addition to applying to both Brown and RISD separately, students who are interested in the Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program must also complete a separate application supplement for the program itself. All applicants must respond to the following prompt:
The Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to provide students with the opportunity to explore and engage with diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry.
The culmination of students’ five-year program is a capstone project that relates and integrates content, approaches, and methods from two distinct learning experiences.
Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD’s experimental, immersive combined studio and liberal arts program and Brown’s wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you.
Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?
It does seem like a great program but for high students who have self-actualized to the point that they specifically know what they are interested in and how they want to combine it into a career. For anyone who is considering this joint degree program, Annie gives invaluable advice on what it’s like to be in this program.
How about you? Did you know about this program? Does it seem perfect for someone you know? Please share with them. Not many people know about it.
p.s. Related posts:
Applying to RISD: Advice from Antonio Peters in Admissions
First Semester Freshman at RISD: A Portfolio of Work
RISD Pre-College Program Summer 2016
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Thanks for all of this great info, Zoe!
Is the cost of this program double the cost of enrolling in only one of those institutions?
The cost is not double. The rate for tuition is based on Brown University but this is a FIVE-year program so there is that extra cost for the 5th year.
So would it cost the same as only attending school at Brown except paying for that extra year? Also thank you so much this is incredibly helpful.
Hi Shahad,
Yes, the cost would be the same as attending Brown University except for an extra year. The financial aid is also through Brown University (which is a good thing because Brown has way more money than RISD). The housing is also through Brown. The first year is at RISD except for an additional class at Brown (which is a heavy workload) because this is Foundation Year at RISD. The second year is more classes at Brown. After that, it is a mix that the student decides.