For Emmie Fitz-Gibbon ’27, going to an art school was not something she had planned. But now, three years into the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program, she can’t picture her life without it.
The first BRDD class came to College Hill in 2008, marking the start of a historic partnership between Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design. Today, over 16 years later, the program has become a point of pride for both schools on College Hill. With a cohort of around 15 students every year, the admitted class spends five years studying at both institutions. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts from RISD and a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science from Brown.
BRDD student Simi Fadel ’28 knew that she needed to explore all her varied interests, which served as a significant factor in her decision to enroll in the program. “I have a very analytical side and a very creative side, and I can’t live without the two of them,” she said.
Brown provides the foundation of a liberal arts education, while RISD offers “intensive, specialized education in all categories of the arts and design,” said Jordan Rockford, assistant dean of the College for Brown-RISD programs. Together, BRDD students can combine their interests leading to “novel research and creative output,” he added.
The program is “best suited to students who are equally passionate and dedicated to both their creative and academic pursuits,” Rockford said.
Nathan Petree ’27, a BRDD student studying literary arts and film, highlighted the benefits of accessing academic resources at both Brown and RISD. “I wouldn’t be able to get that education anywhere else,” he said.
Many BRDD students stated they appreciate how the Open Curriculum allows them to take advantage of varied opportunities at Brown and focus on academic exploration. But compared to students who only attend Brown, dual degree students have less freedom to take classes outside their concentrations because , Fadel said.
Fadel added that even with the five-year program, dual degree students “definitely have to make a decision earlier” than students enrolled at only RISD or Brown, adding that without adequate planning, BRDD students may struggle to meet all of the requirements necessary for their degree within the five-year timeline.
Another unique part of the program is the opportunity to live on both schools’ campuses. In BRDD students' first year on College Hill, they live other RISD first-years. The following year, students move to one of Brown’s upper-division dorm buildings, and they have the choice to live with either another BRDD student or a Brown sophomore.
“It’s really special,” Fitz-Gibbon told The Herald. “It’s very cool seeing the difference in dynamics and culture between the different schools.”
In the first year of the dual degree program, students’ course of study is primarily focused on the Experimental and Foundation Studies Program at RISD, according to Rockford. In the second year, students have more of an opportunity to take Brown classes, aided by the move to Brown’s campus.
While this provides a great opportunity for students, some said it can be challenging socially.
“We were basically fully RISD students” in the first year of the program, Petree said. Moving to Brown’s campus in his second year felt almost like being a transfer student, he added.
Scheduling is another challenge for dual degree students. Studio classes can be nearly eight hours long in the first year, and five hours long in the second, which can make taking classes at Brown difficult, Fitz-Gibbon said.
Last semester, when taking a course on Brown’s campus, Fadel said it was hard to make friends in class, especially because she had to rush from Brown classes to her RISD studio and thus could not stay after class to socialize with her classmates.
Some BRDD students also noted scheduling difficulties with Wintersession, a five-week period between RISD’s fall and spring semesters in which all RISD students embark on intensive creative study through workshops, internships or unique courses. BRDD students are exempt from Wintersession after their second year.
But because Brown finals conclude at the end of December and RISD Wintersession begins in early January, BRDD students may experience a significantly shorter winter break compared to students who only attend Brown.
Despite this, Fadel believes Wintersession is a unique opportunity to explore something new and serves as “the best way to get immersed in RISD," she said.
Dual degree students have advisors at both institutions, as well as access to peer advisors within the program. Students also have the opportunity to join organizations at both campuses.
“There’s so much mixing,” Fitz-Gibbon said. “It just feels like one big school.”
