Majors, Minors, and Special Programs

The Columbia College Bulletin provides an overview of all requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College. Every academic department or program that offers an undergraduate major, minor, or special program has a section of the Bulletin that provides an overview of the department/program, a list of affiliated faculty, the required courses to fulfill a major/minor/special program, and a list of courses currently offered by the department/program.

Majors

All Columbia College students must complete a major. By requiring both breadth and depth of study in one particular discipline or field, the major ensures intensive study in a single academic program, typically through a combination of introductory courses, methods courses, advanced seminars, and possibly a senior capstone experience such as a thesis.

Columbia College students can choose a major in one of the following subjects. Click each subject to find details in the pages of the relevant departments or programs in the Columbia College Bulletin.

Minors

Most students graduate from Columbia College with one program of study – i.e., with one major. Majors vary in the number and type of required courses, and students may find that they have very full programs of study each semester with the mix of courses to fulfill a major and courses to fulfill the Core Curriculum. To the extent that students have additional space in their programs of study for elective coursework, they might choose to take a mix of liberal arts courses in a variety of departments, or they might give their elective coursework shape by declaring another program of study. While students can declare a second major, more often students who wish to pursue another program of study will opt to a secondary course of study in the form of an academic minor.

A minor offers students the opportunity to increase their exposure to the breadth of the liberal arts curriculum in ways that are curated by the faculty’s expertise and interests. Smaller than a major program of study, an academic minor typically requires 5-6 courses to complete. (In certain cases, there may also be the expectation of prerequisite coursework.)

Columbia College students can choose a minor in one of the following subjects. Click each subject to find details in the pages of the relevant departments or program in the Columbia College Bulletin.

(Please note that minors are a recent addition to the undergraduate curriculum, and some departments are still in the process of creating proposals for minors, so this list will continue to expand.)

Special Programs

In certain cases, the College has partnered with Columbia’s professional schools or affiliated programs to offer a special program of study that goes beyond the liberal arts curriculum offered to College students. If a student completes one of these programs, it will appear on the student’s transcript as a “special program.” A special program can only be pursued as a secondary program of study; a student pursuing a special program must also complete a major in order to earn the B.A. degree. Click each subject to find details in the pages of the relevant departments or program in the Columbia College Bulletin.

This section applies only to students who began their studies in Columbia College prior to Fall 2024:

Prior to Fall 2024, the undergraduate curriculum of Columbia College consisted of majors, concentrations, and special concentrations. Students who began their studies before Fall 2024 are therefore eligible to complete one of the concentrations listed below instead of, or in addition to, majors, and/or eligible to complete one of the special concentrations listed below alongside a major and/or concentration. Click each subject to find details in the pages of the relevant departments or program in the Columbia College Bulletin.