Emerson’s “Borderless Campus” Expands to Switzerland

Franklin University in Lugano, Switzerland.

Students soon will be able to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years at Franklin University Switzerland and Emerson College.

Emerson is partnering with Franklin University to offer two accelerated degree programs that will allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree in three years at Franklin’s campus in Lugano, and a one-year master’s degree in either Publishing and Writing or Public Relations at Emerson’s Boston campus.

“This program gives students the opportunity to combine a liberal arts education with international immersion and exposure to the world through travel, as well as an advanced professional degree at one of the highest-ranking colleges of writing, publishing, and communications – in a compressed timeframe,” said Michaele Whelan, Emerson’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Learn more about the Franklin/Emerson combined BA/MA

Emerson and Franklin are also working to develop a joint bachelor’s degree in International and Political Communication, allowing students to learn about global communications on two continents.

The 3+1 dual degree program is open to students enrolled in good standing at Franklin with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Eligible students will automatically be admitted to Emerson’s graduate program in either Publishing and Writing or Public Relations, depending on their choice.

The partnership will also enable faculty research collaborations, a Visiting Scholars program, student exchanges, and enrollment at summer study abroad programs at both Franklin and Emerson.

The Emerson-Franklin dual degree program is one of a number international partnerships Emerson is forming in a drive to become a “borderless campus.”

In August, Emerson announced that it would jointly offer a brand new Global BFA in Film Art with Paris College of Art. Students in that program would earn the three-year bachelor’s degree in Paris, Boston, and the Netherlands.

The College also has a longstanding partnership with Blanquerna – Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, Spain, and plans to establish a winter session and summer program in Sydney, Australia in 2019. Joint degrees in Hong Kong also are planned.

“As the premier institution of higher learning for creative leaders in communications, the arts, and the liberal arts, Emerson seeks to fulfill our mission in an increasingly global world by creating a borderless campus, which we see as vital to educating the world’s future generations of artists and storytellers,” President Lee Pelton said.