TRicontinental Exchange in Business & Leadership Education (TREBLE)
The TREBLE Programme
Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) has announced in February 2024, a new TRicontinental Exchange in Business and Leadership Education (TREBLE) programme. This is a collaboration with Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in the United States, and Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark. In this programme, each institution selects 15 undergraduate business students to form a joint class of 45, who will as a cohort spend three terms on an exchange basis, first at UNC, then at SMU, and finally at CBS.
Programme Structure
Courses for this programme will be specially curated and focused on the leadership of people, organisations, and markets. Students will also have access to other courses offered by each host university. In addition to academic pursuits, students will also have immersive experiences in diverse geographical and cultural settings and grow their global network.
BBM students in their second year at SMU may apply for this programme and if selected, will start the tricontinental exchange in their third year. They will move as one cohort with other students from CBS and UNC. The first batch will start at UNC in Fall 2025 (i.e., Year 3 Term 1, August to December 2025), then at SMU in Spring 2026 (i.e., Year 3 Term 2, January to April 2026), and finish the programme at CBS in Fall 2026 (i.e., August to December 2026). This timeline is illustrated below:
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 1 | Term 2 |
| UNC | SMU | CBS | |||||
Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) students on this programme, like all other BBM students, will have to adhere to SMU’s exchange policies and timelines, including the following:
- Core courses and major core courses are not allowed to be mapped; in other words, courses taken at UNC and CBS can only be mapped to major electives and free electives.
- Students are expected to submit exchange worksheets for approval before proceeding to UNC and CBS.
- While on exchange, only a maximum of 2 major electives can be mapped back.
- Courses taken on exchange are mapped back on a pass/fail basis.
- During the Summer and Winter breaks of this programme, students are free to pursue internship/community service activities.
Students in this programme will pay normal tuition and fees to their institution of origin, i.e., home institution, in accordance with the policies of that institution. They do not need to pay tuition at any of the other Universities, i.e., host institution, while on exchange. However, students will be responsible for all expenses and obligations incurred during the programme. This includes (but is not limited to) insurance, living, and accommodation costs.
Who can apply?
Students in their second year of the BBM programme with exemplary conduct, good academic performance, and a strong interest in living and learning abroad can apply for this programme.
How to apply?
In the final quarter of 2024, LKCSB UG Office will send out more information on the programme, and application details.
Further Details
If you have further enquiries on this programme, you may write to lkcsb_ug@smu.edu.sg, attn: Ms Jasmine Lim.
