Arts Highlight

COMBINED DEGREES: STUDYING OUTSIDE THE LINES

Tufts offers unparalleled programs across its undergraduate schools, particularly with the Combined Degree program that allows students to take advantage of the interdisciplinarity of liberal arts, sciences, and fine arts to create their own unique program. “Five years. Two degrees.” The Combined Degree program allows Jumbos with multifaceted interests to graduate with both a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SMFA and either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts’ School of Arts and Sciences. Ever thought of becoming a biologist with deep expertise in 3D modeling? Does the idea of being a portrait painter with a distinctly feminist perspective have a nice ring to it? What about someone well-versed in psychology and animation? If you see yourself leaving Tufts with a toolkit that spans academic and creative skill sets, then this program is for you! Here, we feature two students and how they flourished in the program to align their interests.

BY JED QUIAOIT ’25

Collin Serigne ’24, BFA in Studio Art + BS Biology + BS Environmental Geology

Collin first found himself at a crossroads between art and science in high school. After taking plenty of science classes in zoology and botany at a different college before transferring to Tufts, he wanted to explore the other side more deeply: “The two parts of my brain wanted to pursue both as much as possible.”

Ever since coming to Tufts, Collin has explored the nooks and crannies of the course catalog. He found joy in studying unique and disparate fields, like the mechanisms behind how systems operate in plant physiology, the challenging yet rewarding nature of large-format photography, and the rodeo of learning World War II, Japanese culture, and introductory Buddhism via both film and text. Outside of class, he finds joy in eclectic hobbies ranging from self-teaching accordion to practicing woodworking and welding.

Most importantly, Collin finds a renewed interest in the intersection of life sciences and modern art. “I can talk about trivial facts like being from South Louisiana and such, but there are so many more intricacies. Art has that unique opportunity to communicate things, and the more educated you are in environmental science, the more effective you are in communicating as an environmental artist.” He also observes, “There’s a gap between scientists and policymakers. Scientists will write research reports and it feels like this bubble of science-speak that nobody outside of that world really understands. And then whenever they go to policymakers, it doesn’t seem like the things that people are researching are translating into real world change. That’s where art has a place to communicate those findings, whether that’s through infographics or conceptual artwork—to make something more comprehensible that makes people feel a certain way.”

Where does Collin find his niche, then? “Among these three pillars of a community (the community that’s affected, the people who are studying the community, and the people who are communicating about the community), given the opportunity that I find myself in, why not try to bridge those gaps? I feel like taking as many classes and putting myself in all these uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations to learn different topics prepares me to go into any one of those areas.”

Kim Tran ’24, BFA in Studio Art + BA Child Study and Human Development

Kim first matriculated to Tufts as a BFA student before transferring into the Combined Degree program after discovering a newfound love of working with children, prompting them to add an additional program in child study and human development (CSHD). In the process, they became involved with Outside the Lines Studio, an alternative arts-based day program collectively run by artists for special needs populations.

One of the highlights of Kim’s Combined Degree experience is the experiential learning opportunities that come with the CSHD program: “I took a limited course during the height of the COVID pandemic called Making Education Equitable During COVID. Everyone in that class worked as tutors for students, and I and another person worked with two second graders. I enjoyed it because I got to use what we were learning inside the class and apply it to situations in real-time.” Within the CSHD major, they see themselves concentrating on identity and global contexts to focus on bilingualism and how languages “form” in the brain.

“I’m from Miami, so even though I’m not bilingual, I’m used to being around a lot of people who come from different backgrounds. Since coming here in 2019, I can now actually see the cultural differences in the makeup of my classes, and it’s been really amazing getting to know the intricacies and the brain development of what is language development. Even though I’m not a Cognitive & Brain Science person, I get to learn about the social sciences behind that—I really like it.”

As for the biggest reason behind the jump from pursuing one degree to two, Kim proudly states that “I’m passionate about two things, and I really want to make that happen. I couldn’t see myself just having one without the other in my life and I wanted a way to make it reflective of what I’m studying.”