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Columbia Dual Degree Programs

Most Columbia dual degree programs provide flexibility in enrollment plans from one year or semester to another. But students should be aware that SIPA funding is only available for those semesters which you are attending SIPA, it cannot under any circumstances be used at other schools at Columbia. While enrolled at Columbia, your financial aid eligibility, including any combination of scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, student loans or Work Study, will be determined by the school that you are attending that semester. Students enrolled in dual degree programs are just as eligible to apply for SIPA funding as are non-dual degree students. While you are enrolled at the other school, please make sure you are aware of applicable deadlines and procedures at SIPA.

Drawing on the resources of Columbia University, SIPA offers a number of dual degree programs with other Columbia schools. Students in these programs gain knowledge, skills, and perspectives in fields other than International and Public Affairs. Each dual degree program leads to the award of two degrees in less time than if the two degrees were pursued separately.



SIPA currently has eleven dual Master's degree programs with the following schools:

Mailman School of Public Health »

Columbia Law School »

Columbia Business School »

Columbia School of Journalism »

Columbia School of Social Work »

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences »

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation »

Admissions

Applications for admission must be filed separately to each school as admissions decisions are made independently. There is no special consideration for students applying to two schools at Columbia University. Students are considered dual degree students only after being admitted into two separate schools with a recognized dual degree program at Columbia University. Applicants may apply simultaneously to two separate schools at Columbia. If admitted to both schools, a deferment must be requested at one of the two schools. Admitted students who do not begin their combined program at SIPA should send the acceptance form and a request for a deferral to the SIPA Admissions Office. Applicants may also enroll in one school first, and then apply to another school at a later date. Students must, however, apply to the second school prior to completing half the course work of the first school.

Students interested in pursuing any of the Columbia dual degrees listed above should contact the Admission Offices of each respective school and that school's specific Dual Degree liaison.  Contacts and relevant URLs are embedded in the links below. 

Students interested in applying to SIPA should contact the SIPA Admissions Office for admissions-related questions. Current SIPA students or applicants to SIPA who want to know how the dual degree works in general and on the SIPA side in particular should consult the Columbia Dual Degree FAQ below. If you have additional questions you can contact Dean Stefan Brown.

The dual degree programs offered by SIPA and other Columbia schools, and the degrees they confer, are listed below.

MIA Dual Degrees

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  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA  
    Chanel Roche | Journalism School

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 30 SIPA credits and 37 Journalism credits - 67 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 2 semesters at SIPA and 2 semesters at Journalism - 4 semesters total

     Learn more about the School of Journalism dual degree requirements.

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean, SIPA  
    Danielle Smoller | Urban Planning

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 45 SIPA credits and 45 Urban Planning credits - 90 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 3 semesters at Urban Planning - 6 semesters total

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    CBS Admissions | Business School

    Requirements

    • Credit Requirements: 45 SIPA credits and 45 Business School credits - 90 credits total
    • Minimum Residency Requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 3 semesters at Business School - 6 semesters total

     For information about Columbia Business School degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA 
    Robert Ford | Executive Director of Student Services, Community Engagement, and Equity | Law School

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 30 SIPA credits and 83 Law School credits - 103 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 2 semesters at SIPA and 6 semesters at the Law School - 8 semesters total

    For information about Columbia Law School degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA 
    Lillian Morales | Associate Director - Academic Records and Standards | Public Health

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 36 SIPA credits and 39 Public Health credits (32 of which must be completed while in residence at Public Health) - 75 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 2 consecutive semesters at MPH (Fall and Spring) - 5 semesters total

    For information about the Mailman School of Public Health degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    Meghan McCarter | Program Coordinator | QMSS

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 37 SIPA credits and 30 QMSS credits - 67 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 2 semesters at QMSS - 5 semesters total

     For information about the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS) degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA 
    Karma Lowe  | Social Work

    Requirements

    • Credit Requirements: 45 SIPA credits and 45-51* Social Work credits - 90-96 credit total
      * The number of credits required at social work are between 45 and 51, depending on the student’s chosen method concentration area.
    • Minimum Residency Requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 3 semesters at Social Work - 6 semesters total

    For information about the Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) degree requirements, click here

MPA Dual Degrees

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  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    Robert Ford | Executive Director of Student Services, Community Engagement, and Equity | Law School

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 30 SIPA credits and 83 Law School credits - 103 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 5 semesters at the Law School - 8 semesters total

    For information about Columbia Law School degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    Lillian Morales | Associate Director - Academic Records and Standards | Public Health

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 36 SIPA credits and 39 Public Health credits (32 of which must be completed while in residence at Public Health) - 75 credits total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA, 2 consecutive semesters at MPH (Fall and Spring) - 5 semesters total

     For information about the Mailman School of Public Health degree requirements, click here

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    Meghan McCarter | Program Coordinator | QMSS

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 37 SIPA credits and 30 QMSS credits - 67 credit total
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 2 semesters at QMSS - 5 semesters total

     For information about the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS) degree requirements, click here.

     

  • Contacts

    Stefan Brown | Senior Assistant Dean | SIPA
    Karma Lowe | Social Work

    Requirements

    • Credit requirements: 45 SIPA credits and 45-51* Social Work credits - 90-96 credits total
      * The number of credits required at Social Work are between 45 and 51, depending on the student’s chosen method concentration area.
    • Minimum residency requirements: 3 semesters at SIPA and 3 semesters at Social Work - 6 semesters total

     For information about the Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) degree requirements, click here

     

Financial Aid and Fellowships

Note: regarding email addresses - to ensure your application is reviewed in a timely manner, please use the same email address for all communications regarding your application to SIPA.

It is suggested that you use an email account that you check frequently or one that is also associated with the examinations you are required to take in order to apply to SIPA (e.g., create an application using the same email address you use for your GRE exam).

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Columbia Dual Degree FAQs

  • Being a dual degree student means you have been successfully admitted to two programs that participate in a formal Columbia University dual degree arrangement. The formal dual degree arrangement consists of a proposal that has been agreed to by the Committee of Instruction (COI) of both schools, approved the Columbia University Senate, and sanctioned by the State of New York. There are no formal dual degree arrangments that exist outside of this process and ad hoc arrangements are not permitted by SIPA.

  • You must contact the admission office of each participating program or school separately. You must be admitted to each school separately on the basis of your fit for each program. You must follow the timeline and deadlines of each school and meet the admissions requirement of each school. Being admitted to one school or program has no bearing on your separate admission application to another program. If, and only if, you are admitted separately to two schools that have a dual degree arrangement, can you then participate as a dual degree student.

  • Please contact the admission office of each school/program you are interested in. You are bound by the admissions timelines and deadlines of each separate school to which you want to apply.

  • Some schools, like CBS and SIPA, have J-term admissions; others do not. Please contact the admissions office of the school you are interested in.

  • You will need to make sure that the dual degree liason/advisor for each school has been notified. Each advisor will have to record your status as a dual degree candidate in the separate systems according to each school's process for doing so.

    Depending on when you are admitted to any given school and that school's residency requirement (see below), you might have to defer your admission to one school while you meet the residency requirement of the other school.

  • Under any dual degree arrangement, a student must register for a minimum number of semesters in each school that participates in that particular dual degree arrangement.  A student cannot register in both schools simultaneously. "Residency"/"in residence" ultimately means to whom you are paying tuition.

  • Students pay the tuition and fees required by the school/program in which they are in residence in any given semester. The tuition and fees vary from school to school, so students need to check directly with the schools in which they will be in residence.

  • There are different scenarios and options to weigh when considering your residency sequencing and which courses you will take while in residency at any given school/program. It's important that once you are admitted as a dual degree student (that is, admitted separately to two participating schools/programs) you talk to an advisor in each school to help determine the best residency sequencing and course selections for your individual situation.

  • You will only be able to use your SIPA scholarship while in residence at SIPA. There are no exceptions to this rule.

  • Dual degrees at Columbia University are formal arrangements established through a proposal that has been agreed upon by the Committees on Instruction (COI) of two interested schools, approved by the Columbia University Senate, and sanctioned by the State of New York. There are no formal dual degree arrangements that exist outside of this process and ad hoc arrangements are not permitted by SIPA.

  • SIPA students who are admitted to the dual degree program (by being admitted separately to two schools that are a part of a dual degree arrangement) are no longer required to complete a Concentration or Specialization. However, students may elect to fulfill some, all, or part of any concentration if they are so inclined. Reasonable participation in a concentration, while not required, is encouraged and highly recommended.

    SIPA students in a dual degree arrangement are obligated to fulfill ALL MIA or MPA core requirements, including the Capstone. Students are also required to fulfill residency requirements (varies according to dual degree arrangement); minimum point/credit requirements (varies according to dual degree arrangement); and earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 while in residence at SIPA.

  • On the SIPA side, you do not have to choose a concentration or specialization. However, electing a concentration is encouraged. With most of our dual degrees, you can perhaps fulfill all concentration requirements on the SIPA side if you plan well. Talk with your advisor. It's impossible to fulfill concentration requirements in the dual degree with the School of Journalism.

    Should you have any questions or concerns regarding concentration requirements in a SIPA partner school/program, please check directly with that school/program.

  • Yes, with the notable exceptions of Columbia Business School, School of Journalism, and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. You cannot do a dual degree as an MPA candidate with these schools. The reasons are historical.

  • The foreign language requirement is a core requirement of the MIA and may be met in any of three ways:

    1. As a native speaker of a language other than English, who can also read and write that language
    2. By passing a language proficiency test
    3. By achieving a grade of B or better in an Intermediate Level II language course at Columbia
  • In a dual degree arrangement, both degrees of the participating schools/programs must be conferred simultaneously. That is, the degree for one school cannot be conferred before the degree for the other school even if the requirements for one school has been completed. The requirements for the degrees of both programs must be completed before any degree is conferred.