Academic Requirements

Academic Credit

A point of academic credit is awarded to a student based on the successful completion of a certain number of contact hours with an instructor and a certain number of hours of coursework outside of class. Generally speaking, one point of academic credit denotes 14 hours of in-class work and approximately 28 hours of out-of-class work. Most undergraduate courses carry 3 to 5 points of academic credit. 

Every Columbia College student must complete 124 points of academic credit  to earn the B.A. degree from Columbia College. To complete this number of credits over 8 semesters, students will need to complete an average of 15.5 credits per semester, which typically represents 4 to 5 academic courses per term (of courses that are worth 3 to 5 points of credit each). According to the expectations of workload per credit hour noted above, a 15.5-credit academic course load will require a minimum of 46.5 hours of work per week, spent attending class and doing homework. 

All courses listed in this Bulletin are open to Columbia College students and carry credit that can be earned toward the B.A. degree. If students are interested in courses that are not listed in this Bulletin, it is important that they consult their advising dean in the Berick Center for Student Advising to confirm that the course will carry credit toward the B.A. degree. 

Students may not earn credit for a course more than once, except in the case of a course that has been approved to be taken more than once (e.g., certain music performance courses, certain research courses).  If a student receives a failing grade in a course and therefore does not receive credit for it, the student may take the class again and earn credit for the second time. In the very rare instance in which a student has earned credit for a course and feels it necessary to retake the course to show a stronger performance, the final grades for both attempts will appear on the transcript, but only the first attempt will earn credit and only the first attempt will count towards the overall GPA as measured by the degree audit report that students can access through Vergil/SSOL. 

Also, students may not earn credit multiple times for course content that is essentially duplicative, as in the following cases:

• If students have been granted academic credit through advanced standing credit (AP, IB, GCE, etc.), they may not take the equivalent course(s) at Columbia for credit. If students do take the equivalent course(s) at Columbia, they will need to forfeit the advanced standing credit previously granted. For more information, see Academic Regulations—Placement and Advanced Standing.
   

• If students have been granted academic credit through transfer credit for coursework at another college or university, they may not take the equivalent course(s) at Columbia for credit. If students do take the equivalent course(s) at Columbia, they will need to forfeit the transfer credit previously granted.  

  • ​For example, credit cannot be earned for two first-term calculus courses, even if one is more theoretical in approach than the other. Similarly, credit cannot be earned for two comparable terms of a science or foreign language even if one has a Barnard course number and the other a Columbia course number. 

The Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum represents the College's approach to general education requirements:

• Six shared courses, in which all students study the same content and learn foundational academic habits of mind and habits of work;
• Discipline-specific courses chosen by students from lists of approved courses, in which students learn specific content that conveys ways of knowing and understanding; and
• The Physical Education requirement.

Course List

Code	Title	Points
Literature Humanities
HUMA CC1001  - HUMA CC1002	EURPN LIT-PHILOS MASTERPIECS I and EURPN LIT-PHILOS MASTRPIECS II
Frontiers of Science
SCNC CC1000	FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE
University Writing
ENGL CC1010	UNIVERSITY WRITING
Contemporary Civilization
COCI CC1101  - COCI CC1102	CONTEMP WESTERN CIVILIZATION I and CONTEMP WESTRN CIVILIZATION II
Art Humanities
HUMA UN1121	MASTERPIECES OF WESTERN ART
Music Humanities
HUMA UN1123	MASTERPIECES OF WESTERN MUSIC
Science Requirement
In addition to Frontiers of Science (listed in the shared courses above), two courses from the list of approved courses that meet the guidelines of the Science Requirement
Global Core Requirement
Two courses from the list of approved courses that have met the guidelines of the Global Core Requirement
Foreign Language Requirement
The successful completion of the "Intermediate ll" (or equivalent) level in a single language or the exemption from the requirement through approved exam scores (i.e., advanced placement exams or departmental placement exams).
Physical Education
Two courses and a swimming test

All of the courses in the full Core Curriculum must be taken for a letter grade (i.e., the Pass/D/Fail option may not be applied), with the exception of courses for the Physical Education requirement, which are offered only on a "pass/withdrawal" basis.

Students are required to complete Frontiers of Science, both semesters of Literature Humanities, and University Writing in the first year. Students who do not complete all of these requirements by the end of the first year will be placed on academic probation.

All students are required to take Contemporary Civilization in their sophomore year. For pedagogical reasons, the College considers Literature Humanities a prerequisite for Contemporary Civilization; therefore, all Columbia College students must complete Literature Humanities prior to taking Contemporary Civilization. (Columbia Engineering students, who may also enroll in Contemporary Civilization, have been given an exception to this sequence because of the structure of their curriculum.)

Students are encouraged to complete Art Humanities and Music Humanities by the end of the junior year.

Courses taken to fulfill the Core Curriculum must be taken in Columbia College, with the exception of the Foreign Language Requirement, which, in some instances and as determined by the relevant academic department at Columbia, may be satisfied at Barnard College.

If students plan to take courses at an approved study abroad program that seem to fulfill the stated goals of the Global Core or Science requirements, students may petition the Committee on the Global Core or the Committee on Science Instruction – through their advising dean in the Berick Center for Student Advising –to ask if the course might be approved for the relevant requirement. Also, if a student has fallen behind on the required number of credits and requirements to be in good academic standing, the student may be able to petition the Committee on Academic Standing to take approved courses at another institution during the summer in order to regain good academic standing.

The Departmental Concentration or Major

All Columbia College students must complete either a concentration or a major in order to experience sustained and advanced work in a field of special interest. A concentration consists of intensive study in one academic program achieved by fulfilling a series of requirements, typically including one or more “methods” course(s) and one or more advanced seminar(s); a major provides even more depth through additional advanced coursework and possibly a senior capstone experience such as a thesis. Individual concentrations and majors are described in the departmental sections of this Bulletin (see Departments, Programs, and Courses).

The choice of a concentration versus a major depends on the particular aims and needs of a student, as well as on the offerings of the particular department in which a student wishes to study. Neither the concentration nor the major is designed to produce professionally trained specialists for one profession or another. In fact, students often pursue careers that are not dependent on the specific content of their concentrations or majors. Rather, the concentration or major provides a particular way of understanding and of working that students can translate into any number of professional contexts. 

It is the responsibility of students to ensure that they complete the requirements for a concentration or a major within eight full-time semesters. Students should complete the requirements for a concentration or major that are in effect as of the time that they declare the concentration or major in their sophomore year. Students are expected to seek out advising regularly, especially from the relevant director of undergraduate studies.

In the first and sophomore years, students should consult a network of advisers as they consider their choice of a concentration or major; this network includes faculty members in academic departments and programs, advising deans in the Berick Center for Student Advising, and advisers in the Center for Career Education. All students declare a concentration or major in their fourth term–i.e., in the spring semester of the sophomore year; students are not permitted to declare a concentration or major before this time. Information about the process for declaring a concentration or major is sent to students in the spring of the sophomore year by the Berick Center for Student Advising.

The requirements for a major or concentration are determined by the faculty of an academic department or program, and each department or program has one or more faculty members designated as a director of undergraduate studies (DUS). A director of undergraduate studies for a department or program provides advising on the individual courses and the programs of study for undergraduates in that department or program, and DUS can offer guidance to students who are prospective majors/concentrators, who are declared majors/concentrators, or who are simply taking a course in the department or program.

All programs of study are outlined in detail in the pages of this Bulletin and on the websites of the individual departments, institutes, and centers. Students should familiarize themselves with the requirements of any academic programs by reading through the requirements for their proposed concentration or major and by directing questions to the relevant director of undergraduate studies. 

The structure of concentrations and majors can vary from one department/program to the next, and students may need to understand these details and distinctions as early as possible. For example:

• Some concentrations and majors require that certain introductory courses be completed before the start of the junior year.
• Some concentrations and majors have different minimum and maximum points allowed for a concentration or a major
• Concentrations and majors have different policies on whether students can fulfill requirements with a grade of D or a mark of "Pass."

All courses taken to complete a concentration or major, whether they are designated as required or elective within the concentration or major, must be taken for a letter grade and must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. Some academic departments permit an exception to this policy, allowing the first one-term course taken by the student in his or her eventual major to be taken for a mark of "Pass." Students should consult the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) for any permissions or restrictions on grading options for the concentration or major.

Students will declare a concentration or major either through an online declaration process in their fourth semester (i.e., spring semester of sophomore year). Some concentrations and majors require departmental review, and students can only declare these concentrations or majors after receiving approval by the department. 

A concentration or major may be changed at any time as long as the requisite departmental approval is received, the requirements have been or can be fulfilled, and students can still graduate by the end of their eighth semester. If a change of concentration or major is decided upon, a new declaration form must be filed online or in hard copy with the advising dean in the Berick Center for Student Advising.

Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental Majors and Concentrations

Interdisciplinary and interdepartmental concentrations and majors combine coursework in two or more areas of study. Interdisciplinary concentrations and majors are linked to the interdisciplinary programs (see Departments of Instruction).

Independent majors or concentrations (i.e., programs of study designed by a student) are not permitted for Columbia College students.

Special Concentrations

Certain programs of study have been designated as “special concentrations.” In some cases, a special concentration is an opportunity for a program of study in one of Columbia’s professional schools, pursuing coursework outside of the College’s liberal arts curriculum. In other cases, a special concentration is an opportunity for a program of study that is structured differently from a concentration or major (even though it may require a similar number of courses or points as some concentrations), and therefore cannot fulfill the requirement of a concentration or major. Therefore, a special concentration can only be pursued as a second program of study; a student pursuing a special concentration must also complete a concentration or major in order to earn the B.A. degree. 

Double Concentrations/Majors

Most Columbia College students graduate with a single program of study — i.e., one concentration or one major. It is possible to declare a maximum of two programs of study —e.g., two concentrations, two majors, a concentration and a major, a concentration and a special concentration, or a major and a special concentration.  

Students must complete their degree requirements within eight semesters (including the terms that transfer students have spent at other institutions), and students will not be awarded additional semesters for the purposes of completing an additional concentration or major.

If a student decides to pursue two programs of study, they may not both be governed by the same offering unit (department, institute, or center). For example, a student may not declare programs in Russian Language and Culture and in Slavic Studies, both of which are governed by the Department of Slavic Languages. Similarly, a student may not declare programs in Mathematics and in Applied Mathematics, both of which are governed by the Department of Mathematics. All joint majors will be considered as governed by both offering units: for example, the Economics-Political Science major is governed by both the Economics department and the Political Science department, so that a student may not declare programs in both Political Science and Economics-Political Science.

Policy on Double-Counting Courses toward Requirements

If a student decides to pursue two programs of study, they may not both be governed by the same offering unit (department, institute, or center). For example, a student may not declare programs in Russian Language and Culture and in Slavic Studies, both of which are governed by the Department of Slavic Languages. Similarly, a student may not declare programs in Mathematics and in Applied Mathematics, both of which are governed by the Department of Mathematics. All joint majors will be considered as governed by both offering units: for example, the Economics-Political Science major is governed by both the Economics department and the Political Science department, so that a student may not declare programs in both Political Science and Economics-Political Science.

If a student chooses to declare two programs of study, the student can, in certain situations, apply a course to both programs (“double-counting”). There are three conditions under which students may apply a course to two programs, and depending on the two programs declared, some or all of these conditions may apply:

1.       If two programs of study require the same fundamental skills as prerequisite for all further study in the majors or concentrations, students pursuing those two programs of study may double-count those particular courses to both programs of study. The Committee on Instruction has defined this fundamental coursework as any of the following courses:

(1) elementary and intermediate foreign language courses;

(2) the calculus sequence (I through IV, or Honors A and B);

(3) introductory courses in Statistics (STAT UN1101 or 1201);

(4) the introductory course in computer programming (COMS W1004).

If faculty members feel that other courses should be included in this category, those courses would need to be explicitly approved by the Committee on Instruction for double-counting.

2.      In addition to double-counting any courses described in #1 above above, students pursuing two programs of study may double-count a maximum of two classes of any type, if the class(es) are among those listed as approved for each program by its governing unit. In other words, the course(s) should already be on the lists of those approved to fulfill a requirement in each major or concentration; students should not request special consideration for exceptions to major/concentration requirements for the purpose of double-counting a course with another program of study. Offering departments, institutes, or centers may choose to restrict the double-counting of particular courses, and such restrictions cannot be appealed.

3.      In addition to double-counting any of the courses described in #1 and #2 above, students may double-count a maximum of two courses taken to fulfill the Global Core Requirement and/or the Science Requirement can also be counted toward the requirements of a program of study (major, concentration, special concentration), if applicable. Courses toward the Foreign Language requirement are included among the courses described in #1 above. Literature Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, Frontiers of Science, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, and University Writing may not be double-counted for any major, concentration or special concentration.

Supervised Independent Study

It is sometimes possible for students to pursue independent advanced work on a topic for credit under the supervision of a faculty member. Students must develop a plan of study with a faculty adviser that details the workload of the independent study (i.e., the weekly reading and/or research, and the assignments that will be submitted and assessed), as well as the plan for regular meetings with the faculty member in fulfillment of the required contact hours between instructor and student. Students must also obtain the approval of the department; approval depends on the quality of the proposal, the student’s qualifications, and the availability of an appropriate faculty adviser. Independent study may earn variable credit (between 1 and 6 credits), depending on the planned workload and meeting schedule; the department can determine the appropriate number of credits.

Academic Advising

Planning an Academic Program

A student’s “academic program” is the full complement of courses in which the student is registered in an academic term–the combination of subjects, topics, and credits that a student plans to complete in a given semester. 

When planning an academic program for each semester, students should ensure the following:

1. Students are thoroughly familiar with the requirements for the degree – including the full Core Curriculum and the requirements for a major or concentration – and with the College regulations, all of which are detailed in this Bulletin (see details above in section on “Majors”);

2. Students plan to complete University Writing (ENGL CC1010), Frontiers of Science (SCNC CC1000), Masterpieces of Western Literature and Philosophy I & II (HUMA CC1001-HUMA CC1002) during the first year, as well as Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West (COCI CC1101 -COCI CC1102) by the end of the sophomore year (see details above in section on “Core Curriculum”).

3. Students prepare to declare a major or concentration in their fourth term (i.e., spring semester of sophomore year).

In particular, students should note that some concentrations and majors require that certain introductory courses be completed before the start of the junior year. For example, students considering a concentration or major in the sciences should focus on required introductory science courses in their first two years, in addition to Core requirements; students considering a concentration or major in the humanities and social sciences should try to take, in their first two years, a combination of Core requirements and introductory level courses in the department(s) in which they are interested in majoring. Similarly, study abroad, professional programs, and graduate schools have a range of requirements that must be successfully completed at prescribed times during the undergraduate career.

When planning their academic program, students are expected to consult with their advising deans in the Berick Center for Student Advising and with the faculty advisers in the relevant academic departments. 

Advising Deans

Advising deans in the Berick Center for Student Advising advise students on general graduation requirements and monitor students’ progress toward completing the Core Curriculum. Advising deans guide and support undergraduates at Columbia College as they navigate their academic and co-curricular lives at Columbia University. Students are assigned an advising dean in the summer before matriculation. 

Productive advising is built on a partnership in which the student and the adviser work together: the spirit of an ideal advising partnership is one of mutual engagement, responsiveness, and dedication. Regular advising conversations - the fundamental building blocks of the partnership - enable an adviser to serve as a knowledgeable resource, reliable guide, and a source for referrals, so that students may make the most of all the opportunities available to them inside and outside the classroom during their time at the College. 

Students can make appointments with their advising deans using the online appointment system. While students have assigned advising deans, students may make appointments with any of the advisers in the Berick Center for Student Advising, and students may also attend walk-in hours in person or virtually to speak to an “adviser of the day” during business hours. Students who wish to change assigned advising deans are encouraged to make an appointment with Andrew Plaa, Dean of Advising, who can make new adviser assignments.

Directors of Undergraduate Studies