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, as seen below:
| UNC | SMU | CBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Title | Global Leadership & Teaming | Entrepreneurship and Business Creation in Asia | Financial Institutions in Society |
| Global Business Strategy | Digital Marketing Strategy | The Institutional Arrangements of Capitalism |
*Please note that the information is accurate as at August 2024. Courses may be subjected to review and changes.
During the two terms on exchange, students will 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.
*Please note that students will have to abide by the rules and regulations of course enrolment in each of the individual institutions.
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, accomodation costs and activities fees.
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?
Applications are for this programme is now closed. For the next intake, it will be opened around the last quarter of 2025.
Further Details
1) Please note that LKCSB will shortlist applicants for this programme. Selected applicants are required to attend one group interview and one individual interview. The interview results and selection will be final.
2) For information on available financial assistance, pls refer to: Financial Aid | SMU Undergraduate Singapore
3) For more information on studying at UNC and CBS, pls refer to links below:
Undergraduate Business Global Programs Visiting Exchange Students | UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
https://catalog.unc.edu/courses/busi/
https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/anticipating_arrival_guide.pdf,
https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/smooth_studies_guide.pdf
Courses at bachelor level | CBS - Copenhagen Business School
If you have further enquiries on this programme, you may write to lkcsb_ug[at]smu.edu.sg, attn: Ms Jasmine Lim.
