Academics at Tel Aviv University | TAU Dual Degree Program

The first two program years at TAU consist of 80 credits of which up to 60 eligible credits will be counted toward students' degree requirements at Columbia University. In years three and four at Columbia, students will complete at least 64 Columbia credits toward their chosen major and Core requirements of which 40 credits will be counted towards TAU degree requirements.

The BA in Liberal Arts at TAU provides a broad education in the humanities while allowing students to specialize in their areas of interest. All classes within the BA in Liberal Arts program are taught in English.

Dual Degree Program students will follow the standard TAU Lowy International School's BA Program during years one and two. The TAU degree is broken down into five parts: Core Curriculum, Major, Minor, and two Basic Tracks. First year students concentrate on the TAU core curriculum, which provides the academic foundation of the program. This includes broad courses in political philosophy, critical theory, Israeli history, the history of ideas, Western literature, modernity and academic writing. Please refer to the table below for more information on each track:

TAU Core Curriculum
Credits to be completed at TAU: 18 credits
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 6 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 24 credits

Major Track
Credits to be completed at TAU: 24 credits*
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 12 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 36 credits

Minor Track
Credits to be completed at TAU: 24 credits*
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 0 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 24 credits

Basic Track 1 (Humanities and Arts)
Credits to be completed at TAU: 8 credits^
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 10 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 18 credits

Basic Track 2 (Global Core and Social Sciences)
Credits to be completed at TAU: 6 credits
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 12 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 18 credits

Total
Credits to be completed at TAU: 80 credits
Credits to be completed at Columbia toward TAU Liberal Arts degree: 40 credits
Total credits required for TAU Liberal Arts degree: 120 credits

^* Including a seminar class

^ Includes up to eight credits of language. Hebrew or Arabic credits could alternatively count towards a Modern Jewish and Israel Studies or Middle Eastern Studies major or minor

Academic Tracks

For the TAU major and minor, students will choose from the list of available academic tracks:

Digital Culture and Communication
Modern Jewish and Israel Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Psychology
Philosophy
Literature
Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
Life Sciences

* Entrepreneurship and Innovation not offered as a major

Each track comprises a range of diverse courses covering foundational and specialist areas within the discipline. Students interested in the Life Sciences track should be advised that this academic program is primarily research-focused, and is not designed to fulfill necessary undergraduate requirements for admission to U.S. graduate medical schools.

Students who wish to do so may also study up to eight credits of Arabic or Hebrew language. These credits may be counted towards the Global Core and Social Sciences basic track or towards a major or minor in Middle Eastern Studies or Modern Jewish and Israel Studies, as well as the Language requirement for the Columbia Core. Students who are not at an intermediate proficiency in any language other than English are strongly encouraged to take either Arabic or Hebrew during years one and two toward the fulfillment of their Columbia University foreign language requirement before arriving on campus in year three. Students who do not complete their language requirement before the end of their second year at TAU will be required to fulfill this requirement at Columbia during years three and four, which may add additional time to their degree completion.

Please visit the TAU Lowy International School's website for more information on the TAU Lowy International School BA in Liberal Arts, including classes offered each semester.