SOE Oct 28, 2014 The signing and inauguration ceremony of a dual degree program between Yale University and Tsinghua University was held at Tsinghua on the morning of October 27, 2014. Yale President Peter Salovey and Tsinghua President Chen Jining attended the ceremony and witnessed the signing of the agreement.

The Program was jointly launched by Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) and School of Environment, Tsinghua University (SOE). Dean Peter Crane on behalf of F&ES and Dean He Kebin on behalf of SOE signed this agreement. Yale Vice President Linda Lorimer, Yale Vice President Scott Strobel, SOE professor and member of Chinese Academy of Engineering Qian Yi and Tsinghua Vice Provost Zhang Yi attended the ceremony. SOE Vice Dean Zuo Jian’e  presided over the ceremony.

The Program will be implemented as a pilot project for an initial duration of five years. The first class of dual degree students will be enrolled in August 2015. Each school will admit students according to its own criteria for admission. The students will study at Yale and Tsinghua for a total of three years. Each school will assign advisors to the students once they accept the offer of admission. These advisors will assist students with curriculum choices, thesis research and other academic matters. Each school has formulated a detailed plan for the Program, which retains the characteristics both school, such as the Summer Module at Yale and the research thesis at Tsinghua. Some credits in one university can be offset by eligible courses taken at the other university so that the students can own more initiatives in terms of elective courses.