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Understanding Course Listings
Types of Courses
There are three types of SIPA classes.
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Open courses are those that are open to all Columbia students and do not require approval. SIPA and GSAS students may register for these classes via the phone or the Web registration system.
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Departmental approval courses are available for phone or Web registration to SIPA students only. All SIPA students have departmental approval for all INAF and PUAF courses. Departmental approval courses are required elements of the SIPA curriculum, and may not be available to non-SIPA students. Non-SIPA students should read through the "Instructions for Non-SIPA Students" section of this page for more information on how to cross-register for SIPA courses.
Due to space limitations, students from other divisions of Columbia are not eligible to register for SIPA core courses. These courses are U4040 Professional Development, U4320 Statistics, U4595/U4596 International Economics, U4600/4601 International Economic Analysis, U6310/U6311 Quantitative Techniques, and U8213/U8216 Economics and Policy Analysis. SIPA instructor permission courses require a written request for permission to register for the course, and priority is given to SIPA students. However, any Columbia student may apply for admission. The course instructor and the department will consider all applications. Any student interested in taking a SIPA Instructor Permission course must submit the Instructor Permission Course form by the deadline in order to be considered. SIPA instructor permission courses are blocked from the phone and Web registration systems. Students should read through SIPA Instructor Permission Courses for more information.
Course Numbers
Only graduate-level course work and language courses at the intermediate level or above can be used to fulfill MIA and MPA degree requirements.
Generally, graduate-level courses at Columbia University are designated by course numbers starting at the 4000, 6000, 8000, and 9000 levels. The exception to this Columbia designation is the history department that lists graduate-level courses at the 3000-level and undergraduate courses at the 4000-level. History courses at the 6000-level and above are graduate-level courses.
Generally, lecture courses are designated by the initial digit 4 or 6, and colloquia and seminars by the initial digit 8 or 9. Lecture courses usually involve class sizes of above thirty students and are generally a survey of the material being presented. Colloquia and seminars are typically smaller in size, and the material covered is typically much more in-depth. SIPA students in colloquia or seminars frequently interact with doctoral-level students. It is important to note that admission to most seminars and colloquia usually requires the permission of the instructor.
Call Numbers
Each Columbia University course has an assigned five-digit number. This is the course call number. Call numbers are the unique indentifiers of a course and they change each semester. To register for courses, students must submit, by phone or Web, the call number for each course.
Subject / Department Codes
Each Columbia University Department has a four letter course designation. Subjects and departments with their school affiliations are listed below.
Department Code Subject/Department School INAF International Affairs School of International and Public Affairs PUAF Public Affairs School of International and Public Affairs EMPA Executive MPA School of International and Public Affairs ENVP Environmental Policy School of International and Public Affairs PEPM Program in Economic Policy Management School of International and Public Affairs AHUM Asian Humanities Interfaculty ANTH Anthropology Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ARCH Architecture Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation BENG Bengali Interfaculty BIST Biostatistics School of Public Health BUEC Business Economics School of Business BULW Business-Law School of Business CANT Cantonese Interfaculty CHNS Chinese Interfaculty CLME Comparative Literature Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COMM Communications School of Continuing Education CORE Core Curriculum School of Business CZCH Czech Interfaculty DRAN Decision and Risk Analysis School of Business DTCH Dutch Interfaculty EAAS East Asian Interfaculty EAEE Earth and Environmental Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Science ECON Economics Graduate School of Arts and Sciences EEEB Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Graduate School of Arts and Sciences EESC Earth and Environmental Sciences Graduate School of Arts and Sciences EHSC Environmental Health Sciences School of Public Health EPID Epidemiology School of Public Health FINC Finance School of Business FINN Finnish Interfaculty FREN French Interfaculty FUND Fundraising Management School of Continuing Education GERM German Interfaculty GNPH General Public Health School of Public Health GRKM Greek Interfaculty HIST History Graduate School of Arts and Sciences HNGR Hungarian Interfaculty HPMN Health Policy and Management School of Public Health HRMG Human Resource Management School of Business HRTS Human Rights Interfaculty HSEA History: East Asia Interfaculty HSME History: Middle East Interfaculty HSPS History: Political Science Interfaculty HSPS History: Political Science Graduate School of Arts and Sciences HUD Human Development Teachers College IEOR Industrial Engineering and Operations Research School of Engineering and Applied Science ITAL Italian Interfaculty ITS International and Transcultural Studies Teachers College JOUR Journalism School of Journalism JPNS Japanese Interfaculty KORN Korean Interfaculty LAW Law School of Law LWPS Law : Political Science School of Law MDES Middle East Interfaculty MGMT Management School of Business MRKT Marketing School of Business MUSI Music Interfaculty OPMN Operations Management School of Business ORL Organization and Leadership Teachers College PLAN Urban Planning Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation POLI Polish Interfaculty POLS Political Science Graduate School of Arts and Sciences POPF Population and Family Health School of Public Health PORT Portuguese Interfaculty PUNJ Punjabi Interfaculty RELI Religion Graduate School of Arts and Sciences RMAN Romanian Interfaculty RUSS Russian Interfaculty SDEV Sustainable Development School of International and Public Affairs SOCI Sociology Graduate School of Arts and Sciences SOCW Social Work School of Social Work SOEN Social Enterprise School of Business SOSC Sociomedical Sciences School of Public Health SPAN Spanish Columbia College SRCR Serbo-Croatian Interfaculty STAT Statistics Interfaculty SWED Swedish Interfaculty SWHL Swahili Interfaculty TAGA Tagalog Interfaculty TAML Tamil Interfaculty TAXA Taxation School of Business TIBT Tibetan Interfaculty UKRN Ukrainian Interfaculty UZBK Uzbek Interfaculty VIET Vietnamese Interfaculty WMST Women's Studies Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Building Codes
The list below will help you find where your courses are located.
SIPA is located on the Morningside campus. The Health Sciences campus is located on 168th Street and Broadway. Teachers College is located at 125th Street and Broadway.
CODES BUILDING CAMPUS ALT ALTSCHUL HALL Barnard ALU ALUMNI AUDITORIUM Health Sciences ATP ATCHLEY PAVILION (aka Herbert Irving Pavilion) Health Sciences AVH AVERY HALL Morningside BAR BARNARD HALL Barnard BH BABIES HOSPITAL Health Sciences BHA BARNARD HALL ANNEX Barnard BLK BLACK BUILDING Health Sciences BUE BUELL HALL Morningside BUT BUTLER LIBRARY Morningside CAR CARMAN HALL Morningside CHA CHANDLER Morningside CMR CENTRAL MAIL ROOM Morningside CRC CANCER RESEARCH CENTER Health Sciences CRI CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE Health Sciences CSB CENTRAL SERVICE BUILDING Health Sciences DEU DEUTSCHES HAUS Morningside DFC DODGE FITNESS CENTER Morningside EAR EARL HALL Morningside EI EYE INSTITUTE LABORATORIES Health Sciences ENG ENGINEERING TERRACE Morningside FAY FAYWEATHER Morningside FLS FAIRCHILD LIFE SCIENCES BLDG Morningside GHED GLOBAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEV'T 215 W. 125th Street GDH GRACE DODGE HALL (TC) Teachers College GRE JEROME GREENE HALL Morningside HAM HAMILTON HALL Morningside HAV HAVEMEYER HALL Morningside HEI HEYMAN CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES Morningside HIS CASA HISPANICA Morningside HML HARKNESS MEMORIAL HALL Health Sciences HRT HORACE MANN THEATRE Teachers College HNI HUMAN NUTRITION INSTITUTE Health Sciences HRI HUMAN REPRODUCTION INSTITUTE Health Sciences HS HEALTH SCIENCES Health Sciences HSC HAMMER HLTH SCIENCES CENTER Health Sciences HTL HARTLEY HALL Morningside HUM HUMANITIES BLDG Purchase IAB INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BLDG Morningside JG JEROME L GREENE HALL Morningside JRN JOURNALISM BUILDING Morningside JTS JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Morningside JUI JUILLIARD SCHOOL Morningside KNT KENT HALL Morningside LAW LAW BUILDING Morningside LDO LAMONT-DOHERTY OBSERVATORY Lamont LEH LEHMAN HALL Barnard LER LERNER HALL Morningside LEW LEWISOHN HALL Morningside LMT LAMONT-DOHERTY GEOLOG. OBSERV Lamont LOW LOWLIBRARY Morningside MAN MAIN HALL Teachers College MAT MATHEMATICS BUILDING Morningside MCI MCINTOSH CENTER Barnard MCV MCVICKAR HALL Morningside MCY MACY HALL Teachers College MIL MILBANK HALL Barnard MUD SEELEY W. MUDD BUILDING Morningside NI NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE Health Sciences NUR SCHOOL OF NURSING Health Sciences P&S PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS Health Sciences PH PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL Health Sciences PHI PHILOSOPHY HALL Morningside PRN PRENTIS HALL Morningside PSY PSYCHONANALYTIC CENTER Health Sciences PUB PUBLIC HEALTH Health Sciences PUP PUPIN LABORATORIES Morningside RB RUSS BERRIE MEDICAL SCIENCE PAVILION Health Sciences RUS RUSSELL HALL Teachers College SCEP SCHAPIRO CEPSR Morningside SCH SCHEMERHORN HALL Morningside SSW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Morningside SUH SULZBERGER HALL Barnard THM THOMPSON HALL (TC) Teachers College THR THORNDIKE HALL Teachers College UN UNITED NATIONS United Nations Building URI URIS HALL Morningside UTS UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Morningside VAC VANDERBILT CLINIC Health Sciences WAR WARREN HALL Morningside WAT WATSON HALL Morningside WJW WILLIAM AND JUNE WARREN HALL Morningside YVO YIVO INSTITUTE Morningside BWPH BWEST PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL Health Sciences