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Science Requirement

General Information: Office of the Dean, 208 Hamilton; (212) 854-2441

The objective of the science component of Columbia College’s Core Curriculum is identical to that of its humanities and social science counterparts, namely to help students “to understand the civilization of their own day and to participate effectively in it.” The science component is intended specifically to provide students with the opportunity to learn what kinds of questions are asked about nature, how hypotheses are tested against experimental or observational evidence, how results of tests are evaluated, and what knowledge has been accumulated about the workings of the natural world.

Three courses (at least 10 points) must be completed to meet this portion of the Core Curriculum.

Students normally take SCNC C1000 – Frontiers of Science in their first-year in the term in which they are not taking ENGL C1010 – University Writing.

For the remainder of the requirement students may choose any two courses from the list of approved courses below. These courses may be taken in the same department or in different departments. However, at least one course must be taken in Astronomy; Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology; Physics; or Psychology.

Prospective science majors who in their first-year are enrolled in:

may petition the Committee on Science Instruction to be allowed to postpone taking Frontiers of Science until their sophomore year. Students wishing to petition should do so in 208 Hamilton Hall.

Courses Approved for the Science Requirement

Any courses not included on the list below require the approval of the Committee on Science Instruction in order to satisfy the science requirement. Likewise, exceptions to the general policy of the science requirement may be granted through appeal to the Committee on Science Instruction (208 Hamilton). While students are not required to complete a two-term sequence, students may choose to do so. For this reason, the Committee on Science Instruction has indicated recommended sequences below.

Students should pay careful attention to the prerequisites and instructor approvals required for certain courses. Prerequisite and instructor approval requirements can be found in the course descriptions for each course located in specific departments' sections of this bulletin.

NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, students may not use Barnard College courses to fulfill the Columbia College science requirement.

Frontiers of Science

SCNC C1000: Frontiers of Science
Frontiers of Science is a one-semester course that integrates modern science into the Core Curriculum. The course includes lectures and seminar sections. On Mondays throughout the semester, each of Columbia’s leading scientists present a mini-series of lectures. During the rest of the week, senior faculty and Columbia post-doctoral science fellows (research scientists selected for their teaching abilities) lead seminar sections limited to twenty-two students to discuss the lecture and its associated readings, and debate the implications of the most recent scientific discoveries. Frontiers of Science satisfies one of the three required courses of the science requirement for Columbia College.

Registration Procedure

All information concerning registration in SCNC C1000 is included in the registration materials sent to students. All first-year students are preregistered in Frontiers of Science (one half of the alphabet in each semester).

Courses of Instruction

SCNC C1001x or y Frontiers of science 4 pts. Members of the natural science departments and Columbia post-doctoral science fellows. Lecture and discussion. The principal objectives of Frontiers of science are to engage students in the process of discovery by exploring topics at the forefront of science and to inculcate or reinforce the specific habits of mind that inform a scientific perspective on the world. Sample topics include the evolution of human language, brain dynamics, global climate change, the nanoworld, and biodiversity, among others.

Courses Designed for Nonscience Majors:

Astronomy [ASTR]:
C1234 The universal timekeeper: an introduction to scientific habits of mind, I (forms the first half of a recommended sequence with, and is a recommended prerequisite for ASTR C1235)

C1235 The universal timekeeper: an introduction to scientific habits of mind, II (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with ASTR C1234. NOTE: C1234 is a recommended prerequisite for C1235)

C1403 Earth, moon, and planets (forms the first half of a recommended sequence with either ASTR C1404 or C1420or BC1754or C1836)

C1404 Beyond the solar system (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with either ASTR C1403 or BC1753 )

C1420 Galaxies and cosmology (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with ASTR C1403)

BC1753 Introduction to astronomy, I (forms the first half of a recommended sequence with either ASTR C1404 or BC1754 )

BC1754 Introduction to astronomy, II (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with either ASTR C1403 or BC1753 )

C1836 Stars and atoms (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with ASTR C1403 )

Biology [BIOL]:
C1002 Theory and practice of science: biology

C1015 Molecular biology and evolution for nonscientists

Computer Science [COMS]:
COMS W1001, Introduction to computers

Earth and Environmental Engineering [EAEE]:
 EAEE E1100, A better planet by design

Earth and Environmental Sciences [EESC]:
V1001 Dinosaurs and the history of life: lectures and lab

V1003 Science and society

V1011 Introduction to Earth sciences, I: lectures and lab (forms a recommended sequence with EESC V1012)

V1012 Introduction to Earth sciences, II: lectures and lab (forms a recommended sequence with EESC V1011)

NOTE: Students electing to take EESC V1011 and V1012 as a sequence may begin the sequence with either course.

V1201 Environmental risks and disasters

V1401 Dinosaurs and the history of life: lectures

V1411 Introduction to Earth sciences, I: lectures (forms a recommended sequence with either EESC V1012 or V1412)

V1412 Introduction to Earth sciences, II: lectures (forms a recommended sequence with either EESC V1011 or V1411)

NOTE: Students electing to take EESC V1411 and V1412 as a sequence may begin the sequence with either course.

V1030 Oceanography

V1053 Planet Earth

W3018 Weapons of mass destruction

Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology [EEEB]:
W1001 Biodiversity (forms the first half of a recommended sequence with EEEB W3087 see Courses Not Designed Specifically for Nonscience Majors)

V1010 Human species (forms recommended sequence with EEEB V1011)

V1011 Behavioral biology of the living primates (forms a recommended sequence with EEEB V1010)

NOTE: For students electing to take EEEB V1010 and V1011as a sequence it is recommended, but not required, that V1010 be taken before V1011.

Electrical Engineering [ELEN]:
E1101 The digital information age

Mathematics [MATH]:
NOTE: For descriptions of the following courses, which may be used as courses in mathematics in partial fulfillment of the science requirement, see Departments of Instruction-Philosophy.

V3411 Symbolic logic

W4431 Introduction to set theory

G4424 Modal logic

Physics [PHYS]:
C1001 Physics for poets, I (forms the first half of a recommended sequence with PHYS C1002)

C1002 Physics for poets, II (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with PHYS C1001)

Psychology [PSYC]:
W1001 The science of psychology (forms a recommended sequence with PSYCH W1010or any PSYC course numbered 22xx or 24xx).

W1010 Mind, brain, and behavior (forms a recommended sequence with PSYCH W1001 or any PSYC course numbered 22xx or 24xx).

NOTE: PSYC W1001 or W1010 must be taken as a prerequisite to any psychology course numbered 22xx or 24xx.

NOTE: 2600-level psychology courses may not be used to fulfill the science requirement.

Statistics [STAT]:
W1001 Introduction to statistical reasoning

Additional Courses Approved for the Science Requirement:

NOTE: Most of the following courses have required prerequisites and/or require instructor approval. Prerequisite and instructor approval requirements can be found in the course descriptions for each course located in specific departments' sections of this bulletin.

Astronomy [ASTR]:
Any 3 point course numbered 2000 or higher

Biology [BIOL]:
Any 3 point course numbered 2000 or higher

Chemistry [CHEM]:
C1403 General chemistry, I

C1404 General chemistry, II

C1500 General chemistry: laboratory

BC1601 General chemistry, I

BC1602 General chemistry, II

C2407 Intensive general chemistry: lecture

C2507 Intensive general chemistry: laboratory

Any course numbered 3000 or higher

Computer Science [COMP]:
COMP W1003 Introduction to computer science and programming in C

W1004 Introduction to computer science and programming in JAVA

W1005 Introduction to computer science and programming in MATLAB

W1007 Object-oriented programming and design in JAVA

W1009 Honors introduction to computer science

Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher

Earth and Environmental Sciences [EESC]:
V2100 Earth’s environmental systems: the climate system

V2200Earth’s environmental systems: the solid Earth system

V2300Earth’s environmental systems: the life system

Any course numbered 3000 or higher

Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology [EEEB]:
W2001 Environmental biology, I

W2002 Environmental biology, II

W3087 Conservation biology (forms the second half of a recommended sequence with EEEB W1001, see Courses Designed for Nonscience Majors)

Any course numbered 3000 or higher except W4700.

Mathematics [MATH]:
Any 3-point course numbered 1100 or higher

NOTE: For descriptions of the following courses, which may be used as courses in mathematics in partial fulfillment of the science requirement, see Departments of Instruction-Philosophy.

G4801 Mathematical logic, I: the completeness result

G4802 The incompleteness results in logic

Physics [PHYS]:
F1201 / V1201/ W1201/ General physics: without calculus

F1202/ V1202/ W1202/ General physics: without calculus

V1301 Honors general physics: with calculus

V1302 Honors general physics: with calculus

C1401 Introduction to mechanics and thermodynamics

C1402 Introduction to electricity, magnetism, and optics

C1403 , Introduction to classical and quantum waves

C1601 Physics I: mechanics and relativity

C1602 Physics II: thermodynamics, electricity, and magnetism

Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher

Psychology [PSYC]:
Any 3-point course numbered 32xx, 34xx, 42xx, or 44xx

NOTE: These courses may serve as a second term of a recommended sequence starting with PSYC W1010 or W1001, see Courses Designed for Nonscience Majors).

NOTE: 2600-level psychology courses may not be used to fulfill the science requirement.

Statistics [STAT]:
Any 3-point course except C3997

Special Summer Program:

The following special program fulfills two of the three terms of the science requirement.

Center for Environmental Research and Conversation [CERC]:
Summer ecosystem experience for undergraduates: locations change yearly. Check with the center in the spring semester for details.
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