Representatives from Swansea and Trent Universities with dual degree students.
The first dual degree programme allowing students to study at both Swansea and in Canada is marking its 10th anniversary, and stems from a partnership of nearly forty years between Swansea University and Trent University in Ontario.
The Trent/ Swansea Law Dual Degree, offered jointly by Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and Swansea University is marking 10 years since its launch as the first programme of its kind between the institutions.
This dual degree programme allows students to study at both Swansea and at Trent and earn two degrees in six years.
Trent University in Peterborough is one of Canada’s top undergraduate universities. It was founded in 1964 and today has nearly 14,000 students and offers around one hundred degree programmes across its two campuses; the Symons Campus in Peterborough and the smaller Durham Campus in Oshawa.
It is ranked fourth in the league table for Canadian undergraduate universities and boasts a 95% graduate employment rate.
The dual degree programme offered by Swansea and Trent is also open to students in chemical engineering and medical sciences, degrees that have built off the success of the law pathway. Students spend their first two years at Trent University before transferring to Swansea for either two or three years, depending on the subject.
Students do not need to make additional applications or sit entrance exams, plus they have guaranteed accommodation for their first year in Trent, and their first year in Swansea.
All students graduate with two independent degrees, one from each institution, as well as having had the chance to broaden their horizons enormously through the experience of living and studying in another country.
Over the past decade, 127 Trent dual degree students have studied in Swansea, in addition to 67 this year.
In law, dual degree students are frequently amongst the very highest performing graduates from Swansea each year. The top student in 2025, Maggie Jessop, has been nominated for a Wales-wide award. Dual degree law students also contribute significantly to Swansea’s success in mooting, debating and international client competitions.
The dual degree format has grown out of a highly successful exchange partnership between Swansea and Trent, which goes back to 1988. Swansea has sent 48 students out on exchange since then and welcomed 49 students from Trent.
There are also close links between the two universities at senior level. The President of Trent and other senior colleagues recently visited Swansea, meeting the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellors and representatives from faculties and professional services.
The partnership also continues to deliver new forms of collaboration, creating more opportunities for students. One example is a new programme in Comparative International Criminology which is starting this autumn. Taught online between the two campuses, it will involve students from Trent and from Swansea collaborating to share their knowledge about criminal justice in their respective countries, and learn from their classmates.
Elenor Marano, a 2025 graduate in law, now beginning her legal career in Canada, said: “Trent and Swansea University are an even match when it comes to opportunity, care and experience. The learning environments offered more than just theory, they pushed me to bridge my learning through practical application in a supportive environment. Faculty never made me feel as if I was a number, rather they cared to hear my interests, struggles and ideas.
“The opportunities, the community, and the care I found at both universities did not just prepare me for a career, but helped me grow into a more confident, compassionate and engaged person.”
Evan Roitz, a 2025 graduate of the Dual Degree Chemical Engineering programme, said: “I chose the Trent-Swansea dual degree programme as I was interested in engineering and the industrial applications of chemistry, and studying at Swansea University was an incredible experience. I enjoyed my time at Swansea so much that I chose to stay on for another year and have just graduated with a first-class MEng in Chemical Engineering. I’m now working in Peterborough, Ontario for BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada as a Quality Assurance Engineering Assistant.”
Dr. Mark Skinner, Provost and Vice-President Academic at Trent University, said: “The success of this partnership is a testament to the student experiences at Trent and Swansea and reflects the desires of students to have unique and seamless learning pathways to professional degrees. All of the Trent-Swansea dual degree programmes offer a structure for those aiming for a particular career goal, but also flexibility and variety to inspire their learning. The law programme, in particular, allows for students to customize their path by choosing from a variety of majors at Trent to pair with their law degree. Our two institutions want to see supported and inspired students who will thrive in their careers, and it’s working through these programmes.”
Professor Paul Boyle, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: “Trent University is one of our key international partners, and we are proud to have developed a number of innovative dual degree programmes that afford students a unique opportunity to study in both Canada and Wales. As we mark ten years of these transformative programmes, we celebrate the growing community of students - now over 100 strong - who have benefitted from this global academic experience. Our international strategic partnerships are critical to Swansea University’s vision for the future, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration with Trent to create even more opportunities for our students and staff.”