Columbia College Mission

A Lifetime of Learning, a World of Opportunity 

Columbia College’s 100-year-old-plus uniquely designed Core Curriculum of philosophy, history, politics, literature, art, music, science and writing provides every student with a comprehensive and transformational understanding of modern civilization. The Core’s distinctively personal and highly interactive seminar format  develops essential skills to engage in an increasingly diverse and rapidly changing world. Rooted in the practice of critical inquiry and reflection, the Core Curriculum forms the foundation for a lifetime of continual learning.

Columbia students also have the extraordinary opportunity to enhance their chosen studies through the unparalleled energy, vitality and multicultural variety of New York City.  No other college in America offers students the integration of the highest level of educational excellence in a community with an incomparable offering of professional, career and life experiences.