The first group of international students in Temple’s new Dual Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree program (DBMD) recently arrived from China and Taiwan to begin taking classes. The program, also known as “three plus two,” was launched in 2007 when President Ann Weaver Hart and College of Science and Technology Dean Hai-Lung Dai traveled to Taiwan to sign a groundbreaking agreement with six leading Taiwanese universities. Nine international partners in China and Taiwan are now involved in the program, which is expected to expand to more institutions in other countries.

The DBMD program allows high achieving students to apply for early admission into graduate studies at Temple. The students complete three years of undergraduate

studies at their home institution before enrolling at Temple for two years of advanced undergraduate and graduate studies. At the end of the five-year program, students earn a bachelor’s degree from their home institution and a master’s degree from Temple.

Seven Chinese students and three Taiwanese students arrived on campus in mid-August for a two-week orientation that helped them learn about Temple faculty and support resources, enhance their English proficiency and acclimate to Philadelphia as a place to learn and live.