Vassar/Dartmouth BA/BE

Exterior of a building labeled, "Thayer School."

Through a cooperative arrangement with the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, Vassar students may earn both the bachelor of arts (BA) degree from Vassar and the bachelor of engineering (BE) degree from Dartmouth. 

Normally, students spend their junior year at Dartmouth, return to Vassar in their senior year to finish the bachelor of arts degree requirements, and then complete a fifth year at Dartmouth to obtain the second degree (2-1-1-1 option). Successful completion of the BE degree would prepare students to work in the field of engineering or apply to graduate school in engineering. An additional one or two years may lead to the master of engineering management or the master of science degree from Dartmouth. Although admission to Dartmouth is not guaranteed, Vassar students who follow the required and recommended course of study have an excellent record of being accepted by the program. Learn about the areas of concentration available through Dartmouth and find additional information for prospective students ’23–’24 (PDF).

Academic Plan and GPA

  • Students must work with their academic advisor, the Vassar Dual-Degree Engineering advisor, and the Dean of Studies Office to develop a feasible academic plan that incorporates the major, the Vassar degree requirements, and the year at Dartmouth.
  • Students should have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 or higher in order to submit an application for the Dartmouth program through Vassar (students with lower GPAs will be considered on a case-by-case basis by Vassar’s Committee on Leaves and Privileges).
  • Students must declare a major at Vassar before the end of the 1st semester of their sophomore year.

Courses

The following Vassar courses (or equivalent) are required for the program. They must be completed prior to the end of the student’s sophmore year.

  • MATH 121, MATH 126 (0.5 credit), MATH 127 (0.5 credit), and MATH 220
  • PHYS 113 and PHYS 114
  • CHEM 121 (or CHEM 125 if interested in Chemical or Biomedical Engineering)
  • CMPU 101

Depending on the engineering area of concentration, certain additional Vassar courses are also recommended, as indicated below:

  • MATH 221 and MATH 228
  • PHYS 200 and PHYS 210
  • PHYS 240 (If interested in Electrical Engineering)
  • BIOL 105 and BIOL 106 (If interested in Biotechnology or Biomedical Engineering)
  • CHEM 244 and CHEM 245 (If interested in Chemical or Biomedical Engineering)
  • CMPU 102 and CMPU 145 (If interested in Computer Engineering)

  1. Beginning of first semester freshmen year
    1. Attend New Student Orientation Pre-Engineering Advising Session
    2. Consult with departments offering required courses
    3. Consult with pre-major advisor
  2. First semester sophomore year
    1. Declare major and consult with major advisor (determine major department’s policy on courses eligible for transfer from Dartmouth to Vassar for the major)
    2. Consult with Vassar Dual-Degree Engineering advisor
    3. Consult with the Dean of Studies, who will provide a link to the Vassar eligibility form
  3. December first of sophomore year
    1. Complete the Vassar eligibility form
    2. Complete Dartmouth Dual-Degree Application Form (this form is to be submitted to the Assistant Dean of Studies, NOT to Dartmouth)
    3. Arrange for a letter of recommendation, written by a mathematics or science professor
  4. February of sophomore year: Dartmouth reviews applicants
  5. End of sophomore year: consult with Vassar Financial Aid Office if Dartmouth application is successful
  6. Beginning of junior year: matriculate at Dartmouth-Thayer (up to 9.0 units of transfer credit will be transferred back to Vassar)
  7. Beginning of senior year: matriculate back at Vassar College for their senior year (student should graduate from Vassar before returning to Dartmouth to finish the BE)
  8. Beginning of fifth year: matriculate at Dartmouth to complete the BE

The application process for the Vassar/Dartmouth BA/BE dual degree program is a two phase process.

  1. The application deadline for the first phase is December 2, 2024. Students will need to submit their application using the Dartmouth Thayer BA/BS Dual Degree Vassar Petition Form.
  2. Applications are typically reviewed by the Committee on Leaves and Privileges (CLP) in January. If approved to move on to the second phase of the application process, students will receive the link for the Dartmouth application.

Students who receive Vassar financial aid would be allowed to apply this aid toward the tuition and fees of the Dual-Degree Program for the junior year only. Students not receiving Vassar aid but receiving federal loans may also have them applied toward the junior year at Dartmouth. However, to have either the Vassar aid or federal aid applied, a student must complete the Financial Aid Budget Worksheet for Study Away. The Vassar Financial Aid Office will contact students who have been accepted to the program to complete this form prior to beginning the year at Dartmouth. Students who return for the fifth year at Dartmouth to complete the B.E. degree must apply to Dartmouth for financial aid for that year.