columbia college phd programs

Education Policy PhD

Doctor of philosophy in education policy.

In the rapidly changing and increasingly complex world of education, a crucial need exists for better knowledge about how schools and school systems, higher education, and early childhood education can be organized and led most effectively. We need to reach deeper understandings of how policies, politics, and the law can advance the twin goals of excellence and equity, how educational institutions and systems can best acquire and use resources, how leaders can support teacher development and student achievement, and how education policymakers and leaders can make best use of information from student assessments, program evaluations, and analytical research. This knowledge should be based on thoughtful reasoning and solid evidence; it should be theoretical in scope but also have clear implications for education practice.

The campus-based Ph.D. degree in Education Policy responds to these knowledge demands by focusing on the scholarly study of education policy. This degree program provides the opportunity to develop expertise in many interconnected subject areas and preparation for careers in academic research and teaching or in applied policy development and research. Graduates of the Ph.D. program are able to build new knowledge, teach new leaders, and craft new policies.

In the Education Policy program, students will consider how laws and policies impact the reform of educational systems and how they support or impede improvements in curriculum, teaching, and student achievement. Furthermore, students will analyze the political, social, economic and legal dynamics that affect policy development and implementation.

The program may be completed in 75 credits, of which up to 30 credits may be transferred from another graduate institution. In addition to study in education policy, the program requires extensive preparation in quantitative and qualitative research methods and in one of the cognate social sciences offered by the University, for example, Political Science, Sociology, Economics, or Law. For information, please contact Gosia Kolb at  [email protected] .

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Displaying requirements for the Spring 2024, Summer 2024, and Fall 2024 terms.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Points/Credits: 75
• Entry Terms: Fall

Application Deadlines

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines , such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

Application Guidelines and Required Documents

The faculty members of the Education Policy Program collectively make admissions decisions for our Program. We are committed to a holistic review of applicants’ materials and to creating a diverse and inclusive doctoral cohort and learning community. In the application materials, the Statement of Purpose is particularly important. We strongly recommend that applicants describe their intellectual and applied interests in education policy and why they believe our program is a good fit for them given their background, past experiences, and future plans. It is helpful to mention particular specialization areas they’re interested in and/or faculty members they would like to work with. Applicants are also encouraged to describe any personal circumstances that have impacted their prior education and their plans for the future. Doctoral study culminates in a research dissertation, and while applicants are not expected to enter our program with a fully conceived research plan, it would be helpful to know about prior research experience and current general thinking about an eventual topic area. While we ask for GRE scores, they are not the decisive factor and we do not have any particular cut-off point for admission. Regarding letters of recommendation, we ask for three letters, at least one (1) of which should be from a professor or another academic source who can speak to the applicant’s academic interests and strengths.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2023-2024)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 terms.

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In the rapidly changing and increasingly complex world of education, a crucial need exists for better knowledge about how policies can support early childhood education, elementary and secondary education, and higher education while advancing the goals of efficiency, excellence, and equity. The school-year Ph.D. degree in Education Policy responds to these knowledge demands by focusing on the scholarly study of education policy. This degree program provides the opportunity to develop expertise in many interconnected subject areas as preparation for careers in academic research and teaching or in applied policy development and research. 

The degree program may be completed in a minimum of 75 points, Up to 30 points of eligible coursework  may be transferred from another accredited graduate institution. In addition to study in education policy, the degree program requires extensive preparation in quantitative and qualitative research methods and in one or more of the social science disciplines, including economics, history, law, political science, and sociology. Students must complete a doctoral certification process and a research dissertation.

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Box: Box 11

Teachers College, Columbia University Zankel 212

Contact Person: Malgorzata Kolb

Phone: (212) 678-3751 Fax: (212) 678-3589

Email: kolb@tc.columbia.edu

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The Coordinated Doctoral Programs in Biomedical Sciences are part of the medical school and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The programs are located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus. PhD students have access to more than 250 training faculty when selecting their research direction, ensuring that each student receives optimal training and research experience. We also provide a supportive environment which goes beyond academics. 

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The Mailman School's public health doctoral degree programs provide tremendous access to renowned researchers and thought leaders. Through their course of study, doctoral students obtain the tools they need to create knowledge in the field and advance the practice of public health.

The School offers two doctoral degrees, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). Both train candidates to create new knowledge and research, apply them to important public health issues, and identify and implement potential solutions. They differ only in emphasis:

• The DrPH programs place greater emphasis on the application of science to public health leadership, practice, and program development.
• The PhD programs place greater emphasis on creating new knowledge, with PhD recipients pursuing research and/or teaching as their career goal.

The DrPH can be obtained in:

• Biostatistics
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Epidemiology
• Population and Family Health

The PhD can be obtained in:

• Sociomedical Sciences

Degree Requirements

Graduates of the DrPH degree complete a minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the course work for the MPH degree or equivalent professional degree in public health.

The PhD degree is conferred by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , as are all PhD degrees at Columbia University. Graduates of a Mailman PhD degree program complete a minimum of 60 credit hours that constitute the combined requirements for the MA and PhD degree. Students entering the PhD degree program with MA degrees from other universities may receive up to 30 credits of advanced standing.

To learn more about degree competencies, curriculum plans, and student handbooks, visit our  Academics  page. Academic directors in each department are available to provide additional guidance on which program best fits particular academic and career goals. Applicants are also encouraged to review faculty profiles —including their research interests—to identify common interests with their discipline of choice.

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Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of philosophy (phd), ignite your future with a columbia nursing phd.

The Columbia University School of Nursing PhD program is a full-time, research-intensive curriculum that prepares nurses for careers as nurse scientists who will conduct research across a broad range of populations and health conditions. Importantly, much of our research is focused on health disparity populations with the long-term goal of informing health policy and clinical practice across the lifespan.

Columbia Nursing provides three years (eight semesters) of funding for tuition, related fees, health insurance, and a stipend for full-time PhD students.

Program Design

Our PhD program provides students with an understanding of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of nursing science and a strong foundation in research methods (design, statistics, measurement, quantitative and qualitative methods) for clinical, translational and health services research. All students are mentored by research advisors with active programs of research as they move toward independent research and assume the roles of doctorally prepared nurse scientists.  

As a Columbia Nursing PhD student, you will learn to:

• Design, conduct, and report multidisciplinary research studies that increase knowledge to improve the health and well-being of patients and families across the lifespan
• Advance the state of the science in a substantive area of research through application of innovative and rigorous methods
• Promote health and well-being for individuals and families in the context of their communities
• Provide leadership in improving the health care delivery system at local, national, and international levels
• Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate and develop policies for delivery of health service
• Translate evidence accumulated through research into practice and policy at multiple levels

As part of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), Columbia Nursing enjoys a unique collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the College of Dental Medicine. CUIMC provides myriad opportunities for interprofessional collaboration in research . 

The PhD curriculum builds on the foundation of nursing science by bringing together practice, policy, translational research, and leadership. The core courses provide the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct relevant and well-designed research studies. Electives strengthen an area of clinical interest or intensify understanding of a specific research or analytic method. 

Both post-master's and post-BSN students admitted to the program will complete a minimum of 57 credits. The curriculum plan is designed to make it possible to complete the program in three years for those students with clearly defined plans for their dissertation research.

PhD courses are offered in three major areas:

• Theoretical foundations of nursing science
• Analytical foundations of nursing science
• Electives and application

Students must be registered as full-time for the duration of the program (typically three to four years). The minimum number of semester credits in required coursework is 37 (four semesters) for eligibility to progress to the qualifying exam. Six of the 37 credits required to be completed prior to the qualifying examination are elective courses tailored to the student’s dissertation topic and/or dissertation methods. The PhD program requires nine credits of elective courses. A minimum of 57 total credits is required for program completion. 

Concurrent with Coursework

• Research Experience (participating in faculty research projects and/or a research practicum)
• Research Faculty Training

Request a Sample Academic Program Plan

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination helped me to combine the content I learned in my courses and my research interests so I could further articulate my research question. Performing a scoping review on my topic of interest immersed me in the current literature and was crucial to the development of my dissertation. This experience prepared me to successfully work independently through the rest of my Ph.D.

 Kylie Dougherty, BSN, RN, M.Phil.

In addition to coursework, students must successfully complete a qualifying examination with written and oral components. The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is awarded after successful completion of the qualifying examination and the student enters doctoral candidacy status.

Dissertation

Students are expected to successfully defend a dissertation reporting original research. Four dissertation credits are required each semester during the dissertation phase of study. 

Scholarship Expectations

My advisor and the Columbia Nursing faculty provided me exceptional guidance throughout the PhD program to extend my learning beyond the classroom with the goal of becoming an independent nurse scientist. I learned valuable skills and knowledge to successfully obtain a NIH-funded predoctoral training award, present research findings at local, regional, and national conferences, and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals with good impact factors.

Joseph Belloir, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC

• Publication: At least one manuscript published in an appropriate peer-reviewed journal.
• Grantsmanship: At least one grant application submitted to an appropriate funding agency or organization.
• Presentation: At least one abstract submitted for presentation as a poster or oral presentation at an appropriate professional meeting.
• Networking: Student will attend at least one regional or national research meeting.

Preparation for Postdoctoral Fellowship: Research Career Next Step 

The coursework and research mentoring at Columbia Nursing helped prepare me for the next steps in my education and career post-PhD. In addition to structured coursework and educational seminars, the school provided beneficial informal support and resources. Feedback sessions with both peers and faculty were very helpful in preparing me to present posters and presentations at research conferences. The school also provided funds for travel to conferences where I presented my research. The grant writing workshop and mock reviews of grant applications provided me with tools and feedback needed to successfully apply for additional funding for my research. Finally, interdisciplinary research collaborations with faculty provided me with opportunities to work with researchers from several disciplines to complete my dissertation.

Melissa Beauchemin, PhD '19, MS '10, RN

PhD Student Handbook

The Columbia Nursing PhD student handbook provides information to aid doctoral students in planning coursework and proceeding through all phases of the program.

Request a PhD Student Handbook

What is it like to be a PhD student at Columbia Nursing?

Required courses (excluding electives).

Building upon the foundations provided in the quantitative and qualitative research method courses, in this course students examine advanced methods and frameworks frequently used in studying health policy, health services research problems and comparative effectiveness research. In addition to a critical review of the methods, the course examines the relationship among science, policy and healthcare delivery, and identifies critical questions shaping the future policy research agenda.

Interdisciplinary research is an approach to advancing scientific knowledge in which researchers from different disciplines work at the borders of those disciplines in order to address complex questions and problems. Successful interdisciplinary efforts require mastery of specific competencies. This seminar will introduce students to competencies in interdisciplinary research through a combination of readings, case studies, and lectures in each necessary aspect, chosen from fields essential to successful interdisciplinary research. It is intended to assist learners to understand why and how different professional disciplines must work together to generate and disseminate knowledge. We will examine: different conceptualizations of interdisciplinary; barriers to and facilitators of interdisciplinary research; approaches, benefits, and limitations of collaboration and team science; methods for measuring interdisciplinary collaboration; the intersection of translational and interdisciplinary scientific strategies; and individual researchers' experiences with and evaluations of their own interdisciplinary scientific projects. Learners will develop a set of skills to be effective members and leaders of interdisciplinary research teams.

The student works with a faculty member or other scientist who is conducting a research project. The specific nature of the experience depends on the nature and stage of the research, but might include search and review of relevant literature, data collection, data analysis and/or grant preparation.

This course is intended for PhD students who are engaged in relevant scholarly activities that are associated with dissertation research.

This foundational course will examine the philosophy of nursing knowledge including foundations of nursing theory, concept development, and its application to research. Students will explore approaches to the analysis and development of concepts and the application of nursing concepts and frameworks to clinical practice and research. Ideas, assumptions, events, people, and writings are examined for their influence, inter-relationships, and significance to nursing. Types of reasoning will be evaluated within the context of nursing and health. Major theories, frameworks, and concepts of nursing and health and their implication for research will be discussed. The focus of the course will be on development of critical thinking skills in analyzing key elements of philosophies, concepts, and conceptual frameworks.

In this foundational course students will study the links between theory and the psychosocial and biophysical measures used in nursing research.  Students will employ the principles of classical test theory and item response theory to evaluate the reliability and validity of measurement.  Application of computational techniques will be covered in the lab portion of the course.  Course topics include types and uses of measures, item/scale development and validation, survey methods, reporting for publication, and the relationships between measurement and research ethics, cultural competency, and health disparities.

This course provides a foundation for quantitative research methods and design. Research process topics examined include: appraisal of the quality of existing evidence; identification of gaps in the literature; formulation of researchable questions and testable hypotheses; types of research variables; sampling designs and power analyses; and the uses, strengths, and weaknesses of various experimental and quasi-experimental research designs.

This course provides an in-depth examination of qualitative study designs and methods through a combination of theoretical discussion and hands-on practical experience. Topics include paradigm distinctions, theoretical perspectives, designs and methods, critique of research reports, and ethical issues in qualitative research.

The course is intended for PhD students who are engaged in relevant scholarly activities that are not associated with the required course sequence. Such activities must accrue more than 20 hours/week.

This course is intended to provide a hands-on introduction to delivering data visualizations to serve as a critical lens through which individual and population level health can be examined. The proposed course will combine concepts and theory in data visualization and exploration and practice to enable the student to gain the necessary knowledge to use graphics and statistics to explore the data, find and construct a narrative, and share findings in ways colleagues and decision-makes can readily understand and act upon.

This course is designed to provide the tools for the doctorally prepared nurse to evaluate, translate and integrate published research results into clinical practice. During the course, students will learn how to conceptualize clinical practice problems and transform them into answerable clinical research questions, how to search for the best clinical evidence, and how to assess clinical evidence using basic epidemiological, biostatistical and scientific principles. The course will culminate in a systematic review or meta-analysis of a body of research relevant to advanced practice nursing.

Total Credits:

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Slavic Languages

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Departmental Office: 708 Hamilton; 212-854-3941 http://www.columbia.edu/cu/slavic/

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Adam Leeds, 715 Hamilton Hall; 212-854-3941; [email protected]

Russian Language Program Director: Prof. Alla Smyslova, 708 Hamilton; 212-854-8155; [email protected]

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures is devoted to the study of the cultures, literatures, and languages of Russia and other Slavic peoples and lands. We approach our study and teaching of these cultures with an eye to their specificity and attention to their interaction with other cultures, in history and in the contemporary global context. We focus not only on the rich literary tradition, but also on the film, theater, politics, art, music, media, religious thought, critical theory, and intellectual history of Russians and other Slavs. Our approach is interdisciplinary.

Students who take our courses have different interests. Many of our courses are taught in English with readings in English and have no prerequisites. As a consequence, our majors and concentrators are joined by students from other literature departments, by students of history and political science who have a particular interest in the Slavic region, and by others who are drawn to the subject matter for a variety of intellectual and practical reasons.

We provide instruction in Russian at all levels (beginning through very advanced), with a special course for heritage speakers. To improve the proficiency of Russian learners and speakers, we offer a number of literature and culture courses in which texts are read in the original and discussion is conducted in Russian. We offer three levels of other Slavic languages: Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, and Ukrainian (with additional courses in culture in English). All language courses in the Slavic Department develop the four basic language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and cultural understanding.

Our department prides itself on the intellectual vitality of its program and on the sense of community among students and faculty. As they explore Russian and Slavic languages, literatures, and cultures, students develop not only their specific knowledge and cultural understanding, but also the capacity for critical thought, skills in analyzing literary and other texts, and the ability to express their ideas orally and in writing. Our graduates have used their knowledge and skills in different ways: graduate school, Fulbright and other fellowships, journalism, publishing, law school, NGO work, public health, government work, and politics. Our faculty is proud of its students and graduates.

Majors and Concentrations

Guided by the director of undergraduate studies and other faculty members, students majoring in Slavic create a program that suits their intellectual interests and academic goals. They choose from three tracks: Russian Language and Culture (for those with a strong interest in mastering the language), Russian Literature and Culture (for those who want to focus on literary and cultural studies), and Slavic Studies (a flexible regional studies major for those interested in one or more Slavic cultures). In each major, students may count related courses in other departments among their electives.

In addition to its majors, the department offers five concentrations. Three are analogous to the major tracks (Russian Language and Culture, Russian Literature and Culture, and Slavic Studies). There is also a concentration in Russian Literature that does not require language study and another concentration in Slavic Cultures that allows students to focus on a Slavic language and culture other than Russian.

Motivated seniors are encouraged but not required to write a senior thesis. Those who write a thesis enroll in the Senior Seminar in the fall term and work individually with a thesis adviser. Students have written on a wide range of topics in literature, culture, media, and politics.

Slavic Culture at Columbia Outside of the Classroom

All interested students are welcome to take part in departmental activities, such as conversation hours, Slavic student organizations, the department's various film series (Russian, East Central European, Central Asian, and Ukrainian), and the country's first undergraduate journal of Eastern European and Eurasian Culture, The Birch . The Slavic Department has close ties to the Harriman Institute and the East Central European Center, which sponsor lectures, symposia, performances, and conferences.

Study and Research Abroad

The department encourages its students to enrich their cultural knowledge and develop their language skills by spending a semester or summer studying in Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, or the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The department helps students find the program that suits their needs and interests. Undergraduates may apply to the Harriman Institute for modest scholarships for research during winter/spring breaks or the summer.

Advanced/NEWL Placement 

A score of 5 on the AP/NEWL Russian exam satisfies the foreign language requirement. Upon successful completion of a 3-point 3000 level (or higher) course at Columbia, the Department of Slavic Languages will award 3 points of AP credit, provided the grade in the course is a B or better. Courses taught in English may not be used to earn AP credit. No credit or placement is given for the SAT II Subject test. If you wish to continue with Russian at Columbia, you should take the departmental placement test and speak with the Russian program director prior to registration to ensure proper placement.  

• Valentina Izmirlieva  Liza Knapp (Chair) Mark Lipovetsky (Leiderman)
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Assistant Professors   

Ofer Dynes Adam Leeds Jessica Merrill

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Adam Leeds (Fall 2022, Spring 2023)  

Guidelines for all Slavic Majors and Concentrators

Senior thesis.

A senior thesis is not required for any Slavic major. Students who wish to undertake a thesis project should confer with the director of undergraduate studies during the registration period in April of their junior year and register to take RUSS UN3595 SENIOR SEMINAR in the fall term of their senior year. Students can opt to expand the thesis into a two-semester project register for RUSS UN3998 SUPERVISED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH , with their thesis adviser, in the spring term of their senior year. Senior Seminar may satisfy one elective requirement; the optional second semester of thesis work adds one course to the 15 required for the major.

Courses in which a grade of D has been received do not count toward major or concentration requirements.

Major in Russian Language and Culture

This major is intended for students who aim to attain maximal proficiency in the Russian language. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Russian culture that allow students to achieve critical understanding of contemporary Russian society and of Russian-speaking communities around the world. Since this major emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native Russian speakers.

The program of study consists of 15 courses, distributed as follows:

Major in Russian Literature and Culture

The goal of this major is to make students conversant with a variety of Russian literary, historical and theoretical texts in the original, and to facilitate a critical understanding of Russian literature, culture, and society. It is addressed to students who would like to complement serious literary studies with intensive language training, and is especially suitable for those who intend to pursue an academic career in the Slavic field.

Students considering graduate study in Russian literature are strongly advised to complete four years of language training.

Major in Slavic Studies

This flexible major provides opportunities for interdisciplinary studies within the Slavic field. Students are encouraged to choose one target language (Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian), though there are possibilities for studying a second Slavic language as well. Generally, the major has one disciplinary focus in history, political science, economics, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music. In addition, this program allows students to focus on a particular Slavic (non-Russian) literature and culture or to do comparative studies of several Slavic literatures, including Russian. Students should plan their program with the director of undergraduate studies as early as possible, since course availability varies from year to year.

Altogether students should complete four courses in a single discipline, including, if appropriate, the required history or literature/culture courses.

Concentration in Russian Language and Culture

This program is intended for students who aim to attain proficiency in the Russian language. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Russian culture that allow students to achieve critical understanding of contemporary Russian society and of Russian-speaking communities around the world. Since this concentration emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native Russian speakers.

The program of study consists of 10 courses, distributed as follows:

Concentration in Slavic (Non-Russian) Language and Culture

This program is intended for students who aim to attain proficiency in a Slavic language other than Russian. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Slavic cultures that allow students to achieve critical understanding of the communities that are shaped by the Slavic language of their choice. Since this concentration emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native speakers of the target language.

Concentration in Russian Literature and Culture

The goal of this concentration is to make students conversant with a variety of Russian literary texts and cultural artifacts that facilitate a critical understanding of Russian culture. It is addressed to students who would like to combine language training with study of the Russian literary tradition.

Concentration in Slavic Studies

This flexible concentration provides opportunities for interdisciplinary studies within the Slavic field. Students are encouraged to choose one target language (Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian), and one disciplinary focus in history, political science, economics, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music. In addition, this program allows students to focus on a particular Slavic (non-Russian) literature and culture, or to do comparative studies of several Slavic literatures, including Russian.

Altogether students should complete three courses in a single discipline, including, if appropriate, the required history or literature/culture courses.

Concentration in Russian Literature

This concentration is addressed to serious literature students who would like to pursue Russian literature but have no training in Russian. It allows students to explore the Russian literary tradition, while perfecting their critical skills and their techniques of close reading in a variety of challenging courses in translation.

The program of study consists of 8 courses, with no language requirements, distributed as follows:

Relevant literature courses from other departments may count toward the concentration only if approved by the director of undergraduate studies.

Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Language and Literature

BCRS UN1101 ELEM BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 4.00 points .

Essentials of the spoken and written language. Prepares students to read texts of moderate difficulty by the end of the first year

BCRS UN1102 ELEM BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 4.00 points .

BCRS UN2101 INTER BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: BCRS UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: BCRS UN1102 or the equivalent. Readings in Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian literature in the original, with emphasis depending upon the needs of individual students

BCRS UN2102 INTER BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: BCRS UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: BCRS UN1102 or the equivalent. Readings in Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian literature in the original, with emphasis depending upon the needs of individual students. This course number has been changed to BCRS 2102

BCRS GU4002 YUGOSLAV＆POST-YUGOSLAV CINEMA. 3.00 points .

This course investigates the complex relationship between aesthetics and ideology in Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav cinema. Specifically, it examines the variety of ways in which race, ethnicity, gender inequality, and national identity are approached, constructed, promoted, or contested and critically dissected in film texts from the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) and its successor states (Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, FYR Macedonia). The course has four thematic units and is organized chronologically.

BCRS GU4331 ADV BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: BCRS UN2102 Prerequisites: BCRS UN2102 Further develops skills in speaking, reading, and writing, using essays, short stories, films, and fragments of larger works. Reinforces basic grammar and introduces more complete structures

BCRS GU4332 ADV BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN. 3.00 points .

Comparative Literature - Czech

CLCZ GU4020 Czech Culture Before Czechoslovakia. 3 points .

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: sophomore standing or the instructor's permission.

An interpretive cultural history of the Czechs from earliest times to the founding of the first Czechoslovak republic in 1918. Emphasis on the origins, decline, and resurgence of Czech national identity as reflected in the visual arts, architecture, music, historiography, and especially the literature of the Czechs.

CLCZ GU4030 POSTWAR CZECH LITERATURE. 3.00 points .

A survey of postwar Czech fiction and drama. Knowledge of Czech not necessary. Parallel reading lists available in translation and in the original

CLCZ GU4035 THE WRITERS OF PRAGUE. 3.00 points .

After providing an overview of the history of Prague and the Czech lands from earliest times, the course will focus on works by Prague writers from the years 1895-1938, when the city was a truly multicultural urban center. Special attention will be given to each of the groups that contributed to Prague’s cultural diversity in this period: the Austro-German minority, which held disproportionate social, political and economic influence until 1918; the Czech majority, which made Prague the capital of the democratic First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938); the German- and Czech-speaking Jewish communities, which were almost entirely wiped out between 1938 and 1945; and the Russian and Ukrainian émigré community, which—thanks in large part to support from the Czechoslovak government—maintained a robust, independent cultural presence through the 1920s and early 1930s. Through close reading and analysis of works of poetry, drama, prose fiction, reportage, literary correspondence and essays, the course will trace common themes that preoccupied more than one Prague writer of this period. In compiling and comparing different versions of cultural myth, it will consider the applicability of various possible definitions of the literary genius loci of Prague

CLCZ GU4038 PRAGUE-SPRING 1968-FILM ＆ LIT. 3.00 points .

The course explores the unique period in Czech film and literature during the 1960s that emerged as a reaction to the imposed socialist realism. The new generation of writers (Kundera, Skvorecky, Havel, Hrabal) in turn had an influence on young emerging film makers, all of whom were part of the Czech new wave

Comparative Literature - Polish

CLPL GU4042 Bestsellers of Polish Literature. 3 points .

A study of the 20th-century Polish novel during its most invigorated, innovative inter-war period. A close study of the major works of Kuncewiczowa, Choromanski, Wittlin, Unilowski, Kurek, Iwaszkiewicz, Gombrowicz, and Schulz. The development of the Polish novel will be examined against the background of new trends in European literature, with emphasis on the usage of various narrative devices. Reading knowledge of Polish desirable but not required. Parallel reading lists are available in the original and in translation.

CLPL GU4040 Mickiewicz. 3 points .

The Polish literary scene that in this particular period stretched from Moscow, Petersburg, and Odessa, to Vilna, Paris, Rome. The concept of exile, so central to Polish literature of the 19th-century and world literature of the 20th will be introduced and discussed. The course will offer the opportunity to see the new Romantic trend initially evolving from classicism, which it vigorously opposed and conquered. We will examine how the particular literary form - sonnet, ballad, epic poem and the romantic drama developed on the turf of the Polish language. Also we will see how such significant themes as madness, Romantic suicide, Romantic irony, and elements of Islam and Judaism manifested themselves in the masterpieces of Polish poetry. The perception of Polish Romanticism in other, especially Slavic, literatures will be discussed and a comparative approach encouraged.Most of the texts to be discussed were translated into the major European languages. Mickiewicz was enthusiastically translated into Russian by the major Russian poets of all times; students of Russian may read his works in its entirety in that language. The class will engage in a thorough analysis of the indicated texts; the students' contribution to the course based on general knowledge of the period, of genres, and/or other related phenomena is expected.

CLPL GU4300 The Polish Novel After 1989. 3 points .

This seminar is designed to offer an overview of Post-1989 Polish prose. The literary output of what is now called post-dependent literature demonstrates how political transformations influenced social and intellectual movements and transformed the narrative genre itself. The aesthetic and formal developments in Polish prose will be explored as a manifestation of a complex phenomenon bringing the reassessment of national myths, and cultural aspirations. Works by Dorota Maslowska, Andrzej Stasiuk, Pawel Huelle, Olga Tokarczuk, Magdalena Tulli and others will be read and discussed. Knowledge of Polish not required.

CLPL GU4301 Survey of Polish Literature and Culture. 3 points .

This course introduces and explores key works, traditions, and tendencies in Polish literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present. Focusing in particular on the monuments of Polish literature, the course embeds them in historical context and places them in dialog with important ideas and trends in both Polish and European culture of their time.  The aim is to engender and establish an understanding of Poland’s position on the literary and cultural map of Europe.  In addition to literature, works of history, political science, film, and the performing arts will be drawn on for course lecture and discussion. No prerequisites. Readings in English.

Comparative Literature - Slavic

CLSL UN3304 How To Read Violence: The Literature of Power, Force and Brutality from 20th Century Russia and America. 3 points .

This course seeks to understand how authors and filmmakers in the 20th century communicate the experience of violence to their audiences. We will discuss how fragmentation, montage, language breakdown and other techniques not only depict violence, but reflect that violence in artistic forms. We will also ask what representing violence does to the artistic work. Can the attempt to convey violence become an act of violence in itself? We will consider texts from Vladimir Mayakovsky, John Dos Passos, Andrei Platonov, Vasiliy Grossman, Allen Ginsberg, Anna Akhmatova, Richard Wright, Cormac McCarthy, Vladimir Sorokin, as well as films from Sergei Eisenstein, Alexei Balabanov and Quentin Tarantino. Full course description and syllabus available at  readingviolence.weebly.com .

CLSL GU4000 Hebrew: History, Politics, Culture, Literature. 3.00 points .

This class offers an introduction to Hebrew culture from a historical and literary perspective, focusing on the intersection of linguistic ideology, and literary and cultural creativity. What, we will ask, is the relationship between what people think about Hebrew and what they write in Hebrew? We will investigate the manners in which Hebrew was imagined – as the language of God, the language of the Jews, the language of the patriarchy, the language of secularism, the language of Messianism, the language of nationalism, a dead language, a diasporic Eastern European language, a local Middle Eastern Language, ext., and how these conflicting imaginaries informed Hebrew creativity. This class does not require prior knowledge of Hebrew. Students proficient in Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Ladino, and/or European languages are encouraged to contact the instructor in advance for supplementary material in these languages

CLSL GU4003 Central European Drama in the Twentieth Century. 3 points .

Focus will be on the often deceptive modernity of modern Central and East European theater and its reflection of the forces that shaped modern European society. It will be argued that the abstract, experimental drama of the twentieth-century avant-garde tradition seems less vital at the century's end than the mixed forms of Central and East European dramatists.

CLSL GU4004 Introduction to Twentieth-Century Central European Fiction. 3 points .

This course introduces students to works of literature that offer a unique perspective on the tempestuous twentieth century, if only because these works for the most part were written in "minor" languages (Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Serbian), in countries long considered part of the European backwaters, whose people were not makers but victims of history. Yet the authors of many of these works are today ranked among the masters of modern literature. Often hailing from highly stratified , conservative societies, many Eastern and Central European writers became daring literary innovators and experimenters. To the present day, writers from this "other" Europe try to escape history, official cultures, politics, and end up redefining them for their readers. We will be dealing with a disparate body of literature, varied both in form and content. But we will try to pinpoint subtle similarities, in tone and sensibility, and focus, too, on the more apparent preoccupation with certain themes that may be called characteristically Central European.

CLSL GU4008 Slavic Avant-Garde Surfaces. 3 points .

This lecture course will provide a punctual survey of the major trends and figures in the interwar visual culture and avant-garde poetry of the Soviet Russia and East Central Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia), including the opulent field of their intersection. Topics include various interfaces of visual culture and graphic arts, such as public spaces, walls, propaganda trains, windows, postcards, posters, books, and screens. The course will address the innovative use of typography and photography, typophoto and photomontage, as well as the short written and hybrid genres such as manifesto, cinepoetry, photo essay, and photo frescoes. We will discuss poets and artists such as Mayakovsky, Lissitsky, Rodchenko, Klutsis, Vertov, Teige, Nezval, Sutnar, Štirsky, Szczuka, Stern, Themersons, Kassák, Kertész, Moholy-Nagy, Goll, Micić, VuÄo, Matić. Each session will include a lecture followed by discussion.

CLSL GU4010 What We Do in the Shadows: A History of the Night in Eastern Europe. 3.00 points .

This course looks at nighttime as an object of inquiry from an experiential, historical, religious, literary, and cultural perspectives, introducing the students with the growing field of night studies. It covers the Early Modern and the Modern Periods and centers primarily on Eastern Europe and East Central Europe, with a secondary focus on Jewish Literature and Culture in these regions. The course caters for students who are interested in in night studies, in the history and culture of Eastern Europe, students who are interested in Jewish (Hebrew and Yiddish) Studies, as well as students who are interested in the intersection of history and literature

CLSL GU4011 Experimental Cultures. 3.00 points .

This seminar course will provide a punctual survey of trends and figures in the experimental cultures of East Central Europe. Formations include the avant-gardes (first, postwar, and postcommunist); experimental Modernisms and Postmodernisms; alternative film, media, and visual culture; and formally inventive responses to exceptional historical circumstances. Proceeding roughly chronologically from early twentieth to early twenty-first centuries, we will examine expressionist/surrealistic painting and drama; zenithist hybrid genres such as cinépoetry and proto-conceptualist writing; mixed-media relief sculpture; post-conceptual art; experimental and animated film; and avant-garde classical music. In terms of theory, we will draw on regional and global approaches to artistic experimentation ranging from Marxist and other theories of value through discourses of the body and sexuality in culture to contemporary affect theory. The course will be taught in English with material drawn primarily from Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Each session will include a lecture followed by discussion

CLSL GU4012 Holocaust Literature: Critical Thinking in Dark Times. 3.00 points .

How do you write literature in the midst of catastrophe? To whom do you write if you don’t know whether your readership will survive? Or that you yourself will survive? How do you theorize society when the social fabric is tearing apart? How do you develop a concept of human rights at a time when mass extermination is deemed legal? How do you write Jewish history when Jewish future seems uncertain? This course offers a survey of the literature and intellectual history written during World War II (1939-1945) both in Nazi occupied Europe and in the free world, written primarily, but not exclusively, by Jews. We will read novels, poems, science fiction, historical fiction, legal theory and social theory and explore how intellectuals around the world responded to the extermination of European Jewry as it happened and how they changed their understanding of what it means to be a public intellectual, what it means to be Jewish, and what it means to be human. The aim of the course is threefold. First, it offers a survey of the Jewish experience during WWII, in France, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Greece, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, the USSR, Argentina, and the United States. Second, it introduces some of the major contemporary debates in holocaust studies. Finally, it provides a space for a methodological reflection on how literary analysis, cultural studies, and historical research intersect

CLSL GU4016 Socialist World Literature. 3.00 points .

This course researches the potentiality and development of a Socialist World Literature. Students will learn about the more contemporary constructions of World Literature in the West, and then look at how the Soviet Union and its satellites potentially crafted an alternative to the contemporary construction. The class will then examine whether the Soviet version addressed some of the criticism of the contemporary definitions of World Literature, particularly through addressing the colonialism and nationalism. Students will learn about the complex history of World Literature and its definitions, reading the major theorists of the concept as well as the major critics. They will also create their own arguments about World Literature in a highly-scaffolded major project due at the end of the term. All readings will be provided online

CLSL GU4017 The Central European Grotesque. 3.00 points .

Central Europe is home to large number of authors, artists, and directors who made use of the critical power of the grotesque. Beginning from the fin-de-siecle and moving to the contemporary moment, students will get to know a wide range of grotesque art from Central Europe as well as several of the critical approaches to the subject. The course should be of interest to anyone studying Central European culture, as well as students interested in cultural studies more generally. Students will learn to identify and analyze examples of the grotesque through a variety of theoretical lenses. They will also enrich their knowledge of Central European literature and culture

CLSL GU4075 POST COLONIAL/POST SOV CINEMA. 3.00 points .

The course will discuss how filmmaking has been used as an instrument of power and imperial domination in the Soviet Union as well as on post-Soviet space since 1991. A body of selected films by Soviet and post-Soviet directors which exemplify the function of filmmaking as a tool of appropriation of the colonized, their cultural and political subordination by the Soviet center will be examined in terms of postcolonial theories. The course will focus both on Russian cinema and often overlooked work of Ukrainian, Georgian, Belarusian, Armenian, etc. national film schools and how they participated in the communist project of fostering a «new historic community of the Soviet people» as well as resisted it by generating, in hidden and, since 1991, overt and increasingly assertive ways their own counter-narratives. Close attention will be paid to the new Russian film as it re-invents itself within the post-Soviet imperial momentum projected on the former Soviet colonies

CLSS GU4101 Balkan as a Metaphor. 3 points .

This seminar for graduate and advanced undergraduate students has two main objectives. First, it is to critically assess competing and conflicting conceptions of the Balkans, Balkanism, and Balkanization. Second, it engages with border studies, a vast and thriving field that makes sense of widely different and constantly changing definitions of the border. The course’s case studies focus on the region of the former Yugoslavia across the disciplines currently recognized as the humanities and social sciences. We will examine what those disciplinary borders do to the different types of borders we have chosen to analyze. We will discuss the concepts of copy and imitation in relation to Balkan arts and politics in the contemporary globalized world. We will explore documentary film and performance art representations of how refugees, migrant minorities, and borderline populations counter marginalizations and trauma.

CLSL GU4995 Central European Jewish Literature: Assimilation and Its Discontents. 3 points .

Examines prose and poetry by writers generally less accessible to the American student written in the major Central European languages: German, Hungarian, Czech, and Polish. The problematics of assimilation, the search for identity, political commitment and disillusionment are major themes, along with the defining experience of the century: the Holocaust; but because these writers are often more removed from their Jewishness, their perspective on these events and issues may be different. The influence of Franz Kafka on Central European writers, the post-Communist Jewish revival, defining the Jewish voice in an otherwise disparate body of works.

Comparative Literature - Russian

CLRS UN3314 The Story, She Told: Women's Autofiction ＆ Life Writing in Russian. 3.00 points .

In her 1975 essay The Laughter of Medusa, Hélène Cixous compared women’s writing—in French, “écriture féminine”—to the unexplored African continent. To date, literary criticism has been grappling with the distinct qualities of literary works, crafted by women. This course offers a survey of main autofictional works and memoirs, written originally in the Russian language within the last 100 years. We will start our journey with the tumults of the WW1 and the Bolshevik Revolution, the Civil War, through the WW2, the Soviet dissident movement, the emigration waves into Israel and the United States, the advent of a post-socialist Russia in 1991—in order to arrive at the two plus decades of Vladimir Putin’s presidency. We will consider the ways in which each author transposes and conveys her own—and others’ memories—through the medium of autofiction, defined by Serge Doubrovsky, who coined the term in French, as “the adventure of the language, outside of wisdom and the syntax of the novel.” All selected works, with very few exceptions, are available in English; no reading knowledge of Russian is required. No prerequisites

CLRS UN3309 Fact and Fiction: The Document in Russian and American Literature. 3 points .

“Truth is stranger than fiction,” wrote Mark Twain in 1897. It is an axiom more relevant today than ever before, as more and more writers draw on “true events” for their literary works. Svetlana Alexievich, 2015 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, goes so far as to insist that “there are no borders between fact and fabrication, one flows into the other” in contemporary literature. In this course we read works from Russian and American literature that dance along this line between fact and fiction. Sometimes called “creative non-fiction,” “literary journalism,” or “documentary prose,” these works (Sergei Tretiakov, Viktor Shklovsky, Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, John McPhee, Artem Borovik, and others) blur the boundaries between documentary evidence and literary art. No prerequisites.

CLRS GU4011 DOSTOEVSKY,TOLSTOY ＆ ENG NOVEL. 3.00 points .

A close reading of works by Dostoevsky (Netochka Nezvanova; The Idiot; A Gentle Creature) and Tolstoy (Childhood, Boyhood, Youth; Family Happiness; Anna Karenina; The Kreutzer Sonata) in conjunction with related English novels (Bronte's Jane Eyre, Eliot's Middlemarch, Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway). No knowledge of Russian is required

CLRS GU4017 Chekhov [English]. 3 points .

A close reading of Chekhov's best work in the genres on which he left an indelible mark (the short story and the drama) on the subjects that left an indelible imprint on him (medical science, the human body, identity, topography, the nature of news, the problem of knowledge, the access to pain, the necessity of dying, the structure of time, the self and the world, the part and the whole) via the modes of inquiry (diagnosis and deposition, expedition and exegesis, library and laboratory, microscopy and materialism, intimacy and invasion) and forms of documentation (the itinerary, the map, the calendar, the photograph, the icon, the Gospel, the Koan, the lie, the love letter, the case history, the obituary, the pseudonym, the script) that marked his era (and ours). No knowledge of Russian required.

CLRS GU4022 Russia and Asia: Orientalism, Eurasianism, Internationalism. 3 points .

CC/GS/SEAS: Partial Fulfillment of Global Core Requirement

This course explores the formation of Russian national and imperial identity through ideologies of geography, focusing on a series of historical engagements with the concept of "Asia." How has the Mongol conquest shaped a sense of Russian identity as something destinct from Europe? How has Russian culture participated in Orientalist portrayals of conquered Asian lands, while simultaneously being Orientalized by Europe and, indeed, Orientalizing itself? How do concepts of Eurasianism and socialist internationalism, both arising in the ealry 20th century, seek to redraw the geography of Russia's relations with East and West? We will explore these questions through a range of materials, including: literary texts by Russian and non-Russian writers (Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Solovyov, Bely, Blok, Pilnyak, Khlebnikov, Planotov, Xiao Hong, Kurban Said, Aitimatov, Iskander, Bordsky); films (Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, Kalatozov, Paradjanov, Mikhalkov); music and dance (the Ballets Russes); visual art (Vereshchagin, Roerich); and theoretical and secondary readings by Chaadaev, Said, Bassin, Trubetskoy, Leontievm, Lenin, and others.

CLRS GU4036 Nabokov and Global Culture. 3 points .

In 1955, an American writer of Russian descent published in Paris a thin book that forever shaped English language, American culture, and the international literary scene.  That book, of course, was Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita .

We will speak of exile, memory and nostalgia, of hybrid cultural identities and cosmopolitan elites, of language, translation and multilingualism.  All readings will be in English.

CLRS GU4037 Poets, Rebels, Exiles: 100 Years of Russians and Rusian Jews in America. 3.00 points .

Poets, Rebels, Exiles examines the successive generations of the most provocative and influential Russian and Russian Jewish writers and artists who brought the cataclysm of the Soviet and post-Soviet century to North America. From Joseph Brodsky—the bad boy bard of Soviet Russia and a protégé of Anna Akhmatova, who served 18 months of hard labor near the North Pole for social parasitism before being exiled—to the most recent artistic descendants, this course will interrogate diaspora, memory, and nostalgia in the cultural production of immigrants and exiles

CLRS GU4038 DOSTOEVSKY,DEMONS,DICKENS. 3.00 points .

A study of Dostoevsky and Dickens as two writers whose engagement in the here and now was vital to their work and to their practice of the novel. Readings from Dostoevsky cluster in the 1870s and include two novels, Demons (1872) and The Adolescent (1876), and selections from his Diary of a Writer. Readings from Dickens span his career and include, in addition to David Copperfield (1850), sketches and later essays.

CLRS GU4040 The Future is Red (White and Blue): Modernity and Social Justice in U.S. and U.S.S.R.. 4 points .

In the 1920s, the Soviet Union and the U.S. emerged as growing world powers, offering each other two compelling, if often opposed, versions of modernity. At the same time, each country saw its intercontinental rival as an attractive, but dangerous “other”: a counterexample of the road not taken, and a foil for its own ideology and identity. From the 1920s to the heat of the Cold War, Some of the USSR’s most prominent public figures came to the U.S. and several American intellectuals, progressive activists, and officials traveled to the Soviet experiment. This course examines the cultural images of the American and Soviet “other” in the texts that resulted from these exchanges. We will read works about America from Sergei Esenin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Ilya Il'f and Evgeny Petrov, and poems, essays, and novels about Russia by Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Louise Bryant, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Steinbeck, and others. Each of these texts attempts to grapple with what it means to be modern—both technologically advanced and socially liberated—in different national contexts and under different proclaimed ideologies. 

CLRS GU4111 Narrative and Repetition: Circling in Time and Space. 3.00 points .

An introduction to central concepts in narrative theory: plot, archetype, myth, story vs. discourse, Freudian analysis, history and narrative, chronotype and personal narrative. These are explored in the context of sustained investigation of a particular plot device: the time loop. Examples come from Russian modernist fiction, Soviet and American science fiction, and film. We compare being stuck in a time loop with being lost in space - a theme found in personal narratives shared orally and online, as well as in literary fiction. Students develop a final paper topic on time loop narrative of their choice

CLRS GU4113 Impossible Worlds in Russian and English Ficiton. 3.00 points .

It is often remarked that narratives constrain. The pressure to fit knowledge to a plot structure can limit understanding. This course explores the problem of narrative structure by focusing on the storyworld. We ask, can distorting the time and space of a fictional world enable new knowledge? We consider fictions set in other places (heterotopias), stories without endings, genre hybrids, time travel, 4D space. In addition to texts, units focus on oral storytelling, and image and game based narrative. The syllabus is historical and comparative, contrasting (primarily) Russophone and Anglophone works drawn from the 19th-20th centuries. Our investigation of impossible worlds is supported throughout by readings in narrative theory. The course thus also provides an introduction to Bakhtinian, structuralist, and cognitive narrative studies. No prerequisites. All assigned reading is provided in English

CLRS GU4213 Cold War Reason: Cybernetics and the Systems Sciences. 3.00 points .

The Cold War epoch saw broad transformations in science, technology, and politics. At their nexus a new knowledge was proclaimed, cybernetics, a putative universal science of communication and control. It has disappeared so completely that most have forgotten that it ever existed. Its failure seems complete and final. Yet in another sense, cybernetics was so powerful and successful that the concepts, habits, and institutions born with it have become intrinsic parts of our world and how we make sense of it. Key cybernetic concepts of information, system, and feedback are now fundamental to our basic ways of understanding the mind, brain and computer, of grasping the economy and ecology, and finally of imagining the nature of human life itself. This course will trace the echoes of the cybernetic explosion from the wake of World War II to the onset of Silicon Valley euphoria

CLRS GU4215 Thinking Socialism: The Soviet Intelligentsia After Stalin. 3.00 points .

While Soviet Union after the second World War is often figured as a country of “stagnation,” in contrast to the avant garde 1920s and the tumult of Stalin’s 1930s, this figure is currently being re-evaluated. Political calm belied a rapidly changing society. The period developed a Soviet culture that was indubitably educated, modern, and mass. Despite, or within, or against the ever changing and ambiguous boundaries, censors, and dogmas, Soviet intellectuals generated cultural productions that reflected upon, processed, and critiqued the reality in which they lived and created. This course examines the development of this late Soviet “intelligentsia,” the first that was fully a product of Soviet society itself. Against a background of social history, we will select developments in various realms of cultural production for further examination, which from year to year may include philosophy, literature, political culture and ideology, art, and science

Czech Language and Literature

CZCH UN1101 ELEMENTARY CZECH I. 4.00 points .

Essentials of the spoken and written language. Prepare students to read texts of moderate difficulty by the end of the first year

CZCH UN1102 ELEMENTARY CZECH II. 4.00 points .

CZCH UN2101 INTERMEDIATE CZECH I. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: CZCH UN1102 or the equivalent Prerequisites: CZCH UN1102 or the equivalent Rapid review of grammar. Readings in contemporary fiction and nonfiction, depending upon the interests of individual students

CZCH UN2102 INTERMEDIATE CZECH II. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: CZCH UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: CZCH UN1102 or the equivalent. Rapid review of grammar. Readings in contemporary fiction and nonfiction, depending upon the interests of individual students

CZCH GU4333 READINGS IN CZECH LITERATURE I. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: two years of college Czech or the equivalent. A close study in the original of representative works of Czech literature. Discussion and writing assignments in Czech aimed at developing advanced language proficiency

CZCH GU4334 READINGS IN CZECH LITERATURE II. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: two years of college Czech or the equivalent. Prerequisites: two years of college Czech or the equivalent. A close study in the original of representative works of Czech literature. Discussion and writing assignments in Czech aimed at developing advanced language proficiency

Polish Language and Literature

POLI UN1101 ELEMENTARY POLISH I. 4.00 points .

POLI UN1102 ELEMENTARY POLISH II. 4.00 points .

POLI UN2101 INTERMEDIATE POLISH I. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: POLI UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: POLI UN1102 or the equivalent. Rapid review of grammar; readings in contemporary nonfiction or fiction, depending on the interests of individual students

POLI UN2102 INTERMEDIATE POLISH II. 4.00 points .

POLI GU4051 Movements in Polish Cinema. 3 points .

This course introduces and explores three separate movements in Polish post-World War II cinema – the “Polish School” of 1955–1965, the “Cinema of Moral Concern” of 1976–1981, and the “New Naïveté,” of 1999–2009. Each of these currents adopted a loosely conceived, historically specific aesthetic and ideological platform, which they sought to put into practice artistically in order to exert a therapeutic and a didactic influence on the culture and society of their time.

• The “Polish School,” which was characterized by a blend of Italian neorealist and Polish Romantic or absurdist/existentialist styles, sought to represent and work through the national trauma of World War II in a context in which political censorship prevented the direct address of such issues. It includes the early work of world-renowned director Andrzej Wajda, as well as works by prominent filmmakers such as Andrzej Munk, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, and Wojciech Has.
• The “Cinema of Moral Concern,” which drew on and combined the techniques of West European “cinemas of truth” with those of the New Hollywood, was in the forefront of the cultural ferment of the late 70s, which was devoted to the establishment of an underground civil society outside the institutions of the communist state and led up to the founding of the trade union Solidarity. It includes early work by internationally recognized filmmakers Krzysztof Kieślowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Agnieszka Holland.
• The “New Naïveté” drew on a broad variety of Hollywood and international styles, seeking to transform the legacy of Solidarity’s anti-communist “revolution of the spirit” into contemporary forms of cultural capital in order to lay the foundations for “capitalism with a human face.” Among filmmakers active in this movement are Krzysztof Krauze, Robert Gliński, and Piotr Trzaskalski.

Screening approximately one film a week, we will view at least five works from each movement, examining and discussing their individual formal and aesthetic principles and ideological investments, their relation to their respective movement as a whole, and their impact on the culture of their day.

POLI GU4101 ADVANCED POLISH. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: two years of college Polish or the instructor's permission. Extensive readings from 19th- and 20th-century texts in the original. Both fiction and nonfiction, with emphasis depending on the interests and needs of individual students

POLI GU4102 ADVANCED POLISH II. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: two years of college Polish or the instructors permission. Extensive readings from 19th- and 20th-century texts in the original. Both fiction and nonfiction, with emphasis depending on the interests and needs of individual students

Russian Language

RUSS UN1101 FIRST-YEAR RUSSIAN I. 5.00 points .

Grammar, reading, composition, and conversation

RUSS UN1102 FIRST-YEAR RUSSIAN II. 5.00 points .

RUSS UN2101 SECOND-YEAR RUSSIAN I. 5.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: RUSS UN1102 or the equivalent. Drill practice in small groups. Reading, composition, and grammar review.Off-sequence

RUSS UN2102 SECOND-YEAR RUSSIAN II. 5.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS UN2101 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: RUSS UN2101 or the equivalent. Drill practice in small groups. Reading, composition, and grammar review

RUSS UN3101 THIRD-YEAR RUSSIAN I. 4.00 points .

Limited enrollment.

Prerequisites: RUSS UN2102 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: RUSS UN2102 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Recommended for students who wish to improve their active command of Russian. Emphasis on conversation and composition. Reading and discussion of selected texts and videotapes. Lectures. Papers and oral reports required. Conducted entirely in Russian

RUSS UN3102 THIRD-YEAR RUSSIAN II. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS UN2102 or the equivalent and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: RUSS UN2102 or the equivalent and the instructors permission. Enrollment limited. Recommended for students who wish to improve their active command of Russian. Emphasis on conversation and composition. Reading and discussion of selected texts and videotapes. Lectures. Papers and oral reports required. Conducted entirely in Russian

RUSS UN3105 Real World Russian. 3 points .

Prerequisites: ( RUSS UN2102 ) (department placement test)

This content-based course has three focal points: 1) communicative skills 1) idiomatic language; 3) cross-cultural awareness. The course is designed to help students further develop all of their language skills with particular focus on communicative and information processing skills, as well as natural student collaboration in the target language. The materials and assignments that will be used in class allow to explore a broad range of social, cultural, and behavioral contexts and familiarize students with idiomatic language, popular phrases and internet memes, developments of the colloquial language, and the use of slang in everyday life. On each class students will be offered a variety of content-based activities and assignments, including, information gap filling, role-play and creative skits, internet search, making presentations, and problem-solving discussions. Listening comprehension assignments will help students expand their active and passive vocabulary and develop confidence using natural syntactic models and idiomatic structures. Students will be exposed to cultural texts of different registers, which will help them enhance their stylistic competence. Students will learn appropriate ways to handle linguo-social situations, routines, and challenges similar to those they come across when traveling to Russia. They will explore various speech acts of daily communication, such as agreement/disagreement, getting and giving help, asking for a favor, expressing emotions, and so forth. Part of class time will be devoted to nonverbal communication, the language of gestures, emotional phonetics and intonation.

RUSS UN3430 RUSSIAN FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS V3430 or the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: RUSS V3430 or the instructor's permission. This course is designed to help students who speak Russian at home, but have no or limited reading and writing skills to develop literary skills in Russian. THIS COURSE, TAKEN WITH RUSS V3431, MEET A TWO YEAR FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT. Conducted in Russian

RUSS UN3431 RUSSIAN FOR HERITAGE SPKRS II. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS V3430 or the instructors permission. This course is designed to help students who speak Russian at home, but have no or limited reading and writing skills to develop literary skills in Russian. THIS COURSE, TAKEN WITH RUSS V3430, MEET A TWO YEAR FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT. Conducted in Russian

RUSS GU4342 FOURTH-YEAR RUSSIAN I. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS UN3101 and RUSS UN3102 Third-Year Russian I and II, or placement test. Prerequisites: RUSS UN3101 and RUSS UN3102 Third-Year Russian I and II, or placement test. Systematic study of problems in Russian syntax; written exercises, translations into Russian, and compositions. Conducted entirely in Russian

RUSS GU4343 FOURTH-YEAR RUSSIAN II. 4.00 points .

FOURTH-YEAR RUSSIAN II

RUSS GU4350 Moving to Advanced-Plus: Language, Culture, Society in Russian Today. 3 points .

Prerequisites: Six semesters of college Russian and the instructor's permission.

The course is designed to provide advanced and highly-motivated undergraduate and graduate students of various majors with an opportunity to develop professional vocabulary and discourse devices that will help them to discuss their professional fields in Russian with fluency and accuracy. The course targets all four language competencies: speaking, listening, reading and writing, as well as cultural understanding. Conducted in Russian.

RUSS GU4351 Moving to Advanced-Plus: Language, Culture, Society in Russian Today. 3 points .

Prerequisites: eight semesters of college Russian and the instructor’s permission.

RUSS GU4434 PRACTICAL STYLISTICS-RUSS LANG. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS W4334 or the equivalent or the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: RUSS W4334 or the equivalent or the instructor's permission. Prerequisite: four years of college Russian or instructor's permission. The course will focus on theoretical matters of language and style and on the practical aspect of improving students' writing skills. Theoretical aspects of Russian style and specific Russian stylistic conventions will be combined with the analysis of student papers and translation assignments, as well as exercises focusing on reviewing certain specific difficulties in mastering written Russian

RUSS GU4910 LITERARY TRANSLATION. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: four years of college Russian or the equivalent. Prerequisites: four years of college Russian or the equivalent. Workshop in literary translation from Russian into English focusing on the practical problems of the craft. Each student submits a translation of a literary text for group study and criticism. The aim is to produce translations of publishable quality

Russian Literature

RUSS UN3332 Vvedenie v russkuiu literaturu: Scary Stories. 3 points .

For non-native speakers of Russian.

Prerequisites: two years of college Russian or the instructor's permission.

The course is devoted to the reading, analysis, and discussion of a number of Russian prose fiction works from the eighteenth to twentieth century. Its purpose is to give students an opportunity to apply their language skills to literature. It will teach students to read Russian literary texts as well as to talk and write about them. Its goal is, thus, twofold: to improve the students' linguistic skills and to introduce them to Russian literature and literary history. A close study in the original of the "scary stories" in Russian literature from the late eighteenth century. Conducted in Russian.

RUSS UN3333 VVEDENIE V RUSSKUIU LITERATURU. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: two years of college Russian or the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: two years of college Russian or the instructor's permission. The course is devoted to the reading, analysis, and discussion of a number of Russian prose fiction works from the eighteenth to twentieth century. Its purpose is to give students an opportunity to apply their language skills to literature. It will teach students to read Russian literary texts as well as to talk and write about them. Its goal is, thus, twofold: to improve the students’ linguistic skills and to introduce them to Russian literature and literary history. In 2007-2008: A close study in the original of the “fallen woman” plot in Russian literature from the late eighteenth century. Conducted in Russian

RUSS GU4332 CHTENIIA PO RUSSKOI LITERATURE. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: Three years of college Russian and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: Three years of college Russian and the instructors permission. The course is devoted to reading shorter works by Nikolai Gogol. The syllabus includes a selection of stories from Evenings at a Farm near Dikanka and Mirgorod, “Nevsky Prospect,” “The Overcoat,” “Nose,” and “Petersburg Tales,” and The Inspector General

RUSS GU4338 CHTENIIA PO RUSSKOI LITERATURE. 3.00 points .

The course is devoted to reading and discussing of Tolstoy's masterpiece. Classes are conducted entirely in Russian.

RUSS GU4340 Chteniia po russkoi literature: Bulgakov. 3.00 points .

The course is devoted to reading and discussing of Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece Master i Margarita. Classes are conducted entirely in Russian

RUSS GU4344 ADV RUSSIAN THROUGH HISTORY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: RUSS UN3101 and RUSS UN3102 Third-Year Russian I and II, or placement test. Prerequisites: RUSS UN3101 and RUSS UN3102 Third-Year Russian I and II, or placement test. A language course designed to meet the needs of those foreign learners of Russian as well as heritage speakers who want to develop further their reading, speaking, and writing skills and be introduced to the history of Russia

RUSS GU4345 ADV RUSSIAN THROUGH HISTORY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: three years of Russian. Prerequisites: three years of Russian. This is a language course designed to meet the needs of those foreign learners of Russian as well as heritage speakers who want to further develop their reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills and be introduced to the history of Russia

Slavic Culture

SLCL UN3001 SLAVIC CULTURES. 3.00 points .

The history of Slavic peoples - Russians, Czechs, Poles, Serbs, Croats, Ukrainians, Bulgarians - is rife with transformations, some voluntary, some imposed. Against the background of a schematic external history, this course examines how Slavic peoples have responded to and have represented these transformations in various modes: historical writing, hagiography, polemics, drama and fiction, folk poetry, music, visual art, and film. Activity ranges over lecture (for historical background) and discussion (of primary sources)

SLCL UN3100 FOLKLORE PAST ＆ PRESENT. 3.00 points .

An introduction to the concept of folklore as an evolving, historical concept, and to primary source materials which have been framed as such. These are translated from Bosnian, Chukchi, Czech, Finnish, German, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Tuvan, Ukrainian, Yiddish, Yupik languages, and others. Geographical range is from South-Eastern Europe to the Russian Far East. We learn about particular oral traditions, their social mechanisms of transmission and performance, their central themes and poetics. Attention is paid to the broader sociopolitical factors (Romantic nationalism, colonization) which have informed the transcription, collection and publication of these traditions. For the final project, students learn how to conduct an ethnographic interview, and to analyze the folklore of a contemporary social group. Our goal is to experientially understand—as folklorists and as members of folk groups ourselves—the choices entailed in transcribing and analyzing folklore

HNGR GU4028 Modern Hungarian Prose in Translation: Exposing Naked Reality. 3 points .

This course introduces students to representative examples of an essentially robust, reality-bound, socially aware literature. In modern Hungarian prose fiction, the tradition of nineteenth-century "anecdotal realism" remained strong and was further enlivened by various forms of naturalism. Even turn-of-the century and early twentieth-century modernist fiction is characterized by strong narrative focus, psychological realism, and an emphasis on social conditions and local color. During the tumultuous decades of the century, social, political, national issues preoccupied even aesthetics-conscious experimenters and ivory-tower dwellers. Among the topics discussed will be "populist" and "urban" literature in the interwar years, post-1945 reality in fiction, literary memoirs and reportage, as well as late-century minimalist and postmodern trends.

HNGR GU4050 The Hungarian New Wave: Cinema in Kadarist Hungary [In English]. 3 points .

Hungarian cinema, like film-making in Czechoslovakia, underwent a renaissance in the 1960's, but the Hungarian new wave continued to flourish in the 70's and film remained one of the most important art forms well into the 80's. This course examines the cultural, social and political context of representative Hungarian films of the Kadarist period, with special emphasis on the work of such internationally known filmmakers as Miklos Jancso, Karoly Makk, Marta Meszaros, and Istvan Szabo. In addition to a close analysis of individual films, discussion topics will include the "newness"of the new wave in both form and content (innovations in film language, cinematic impressionism, allegorical-parabolic forms, auteurism, etc.), the influence of Italian, French, German and American cinema, the relationship between film and literature, the role of film in the cultures of Communist Eastern Europe, the state of contemporary Hungarian cinema. The viewing of the films will be augmented by readings on Hungarian cinema, as well as of relevant Hungarian literary works.

Slavic Literatures

SLLT GU4000 EURASIAN EXILES & LIT IN N.Y.. 3 points .

Eurasian Exiles and Literature in New York examines Eurasian exile literature in the United States and especially New York over the course of four emigration waves: so called Second Wave writers who fled the Russian Revolution (Vladimir Nabokov), the Third Wave exiles, who came after World War II (Joseph Brodsky and Sergei Dovlatov), the exile literature of the last Soviet generation who came as refugees in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Gary Shteyngart, Irina Reyn), and the perestroika and post-Soviet diaspora, who came to New York after 1991. All four waves drew upon a rich Russian cultural heritage and influences that they encountered abroad to create innovative work: new topoi and urban fiction as well as unique images of New York. All four have complicated and fascinating engagements with American society and the cultures of New York City, and also with the Russian and Eurasian émigré communities, vibrant worlds unto themselves. The initial waves drew mainly on East European themes and were still attached to Russia while the latter were increasingly concerned with non-Russian nationalities like Bukharan Jews, Georgians, and Tajiks. The course looks closely and critically at the meanings of “exile” and “Eurasia,” as well as the poetics of exilic and urban writing; it asks whether we can still speak of exiles and exile fiction in the postSoviet age of globalization, social media, and unprecedented migration.

Ukrainian Language and Literature 

UKRN UN1101 ELEMENTARY UKRAINIAN I. 4.00 points .

Designed for students with little or no knowledge of Ukrainian. Basic grammar structures are introduced and reinforced, with equal emphasis on developing oral and written communication skills. Specific attention to acquisition of high-frequency vocabulary and its optimal use in real-life settings

UKRN UN1102 ELEMENTARY UKRAINIAN II. 4.00 points .

UKRN UN2101 INTERMEDIATE UKRAINIAN I. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: UKRN UN1102 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: UKRN UN1102 or the equivalent. Reviews and reinforces the fundamentals of grammar and a core vocabulary from daily life. Principal emphasis is placed on further development of communicative skills (oral and written). Verbal aspect and verbs of motion receive special attention

UKRN UN2102 INTERMEDIATE UKRAINIAN II. 4.00 points .

UKRN GU4001 Advanced Ukrainian I. 3 points .

Prerequisites: UKRN UN2102 or the equivalent.

The course is for students who wish to develop their mastery of Ukrainian. Further study of grammar includes patterns of word formation, participles, gerunds, declension of numerals, and a more in-depth study of difficult subjects, such as verbal aspect and verbs of motion. The material is drawn from classical and contemporary Ukrainian literature, press, electronic media, and film. Taught almost exclusively in Ukrainian.

UKRN GU4002 Advanced Ukrainian II. 3 points .

UKRN GU4006 Advanced Ukrainian Through Literature, Media, and Politics. 3.00 points .

This course is organized around a number of thematic centers or modules. Each is focused on stylistic peculiarities typical of a given functional style of the Ukrainian language. Each is designed to assist the student in acquiring an active command of lexical, grammatical, discourse, and stylistic traits that distinguish one style from the others and actively using them in real-life communicative settings in contemporary Ukraine. The styles include literary fiction, scholarly prose, and journalism, both printed and broadcast

UKRN GU4007 Advanced Ukrainian Through Literature, Media and Politics II. 3.00 points .

UKRN GU4033 FIN DE SIECLE UKRAINIAN LIT. 3.00 points .

The course focuses on the emergence of modernism in Ukrainian literature in the late 19th century and early 20th century, a period marked by a vigorous, often biting, polemic between the populist Ukrainian literary establishment and young Ukrainian writers who were inspired by their European counterparts. Students will read prose, poetry, and drama written by Ivan Franko, the writers of the Moloda Muza, Olha Kobylianska, Lesia Ukrainka, and Volodymyr Vynnychenko among others. The course will trace the introduction of feminism, urban motifs and settings, as well as decadence, into Ukrainian literature and will analyze the conflict that ensued among Ukrainian intellectuals as they shaped the identity of the Ukrainian people. The course will be supplemented by audio and visual materials reflecting this period in Ukrainian culture. Entirely in English with a parallel reading list for those who read Ukrainian

UKRN GU4037 SOV UKRAINIAN MODERNISM: REV, REB, EXPER. 3.00 points .

This course studies the renaissance in Ukrainian culture of the 1920s - a period of revolution, experimentation, vibrant expression and polemics. Focusing on the most important developments in literature, as well as on the intellectual debates they inspired, the course will also examine the major achievements in Ukrainian theater, visual art and film as integral components of the cultural spirit that defined the era. Additionally, the course also looks at the subsequent implementation of the socialist realism and its impact on Ukrainian culture and on the cultural leaders of the renaissance. The course treats one of the most important periods of Ukrainian culture and examines it lasting impact on today's Ukraine. This period produced several world-renowned cultural figures, whose connections with the 1920s Ukraine have only recently begun to be discussed. The course will be complemented by film screenings, presentations of visual art and rare publications from this period. Entirely in English with a parallel reading list for those who read Ukrainian

UKRN GU4054 CREATING ID-CONTEMP UKRN CULTR. 3.00 points .

This course presents and examines post-Soviet Ukrainian literature. Students will learn about the significant achievements, names, events, scandals and polemics in contemporary Ukrainian literature and will see how they have contributed to Ukraine’s post-Soviet identity. Students will examine how Ukrainian literature became an important site for experimentation with language, for providing feminist perspectives, for engaging previously-banned taboos and for deconstructing Soviet and Ukrainian national myths. Among the writers to be focused on in the course are Serhiy Zhadan, Yuri Andrukhovych, Oksana Zabuzhko and Taras Prokhasko. Centered on the most important successes in literature, the course will also explore key developments in music and visual art of this period. Special focus will be given to how the 2013/2014 Euromaidan revolution and war are treated in today’s literature. By also studying Ukrainian literature with regards to its relationship with Ukraine’s changing political life, students will obtain a good understanding of the dynamics of today’s Ukraine and the development of Ukrainians as a nation in the 21st century. The course will be complemented by audio and video presentations. Entirely in English with a parallel reading list for those who read Ukrainian

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Morningside Campus Access Updates

School - June 26, 2024

Future-Proofing with Tech: How the Technology Management Program Curriculum Evolves with a Rapidly Advancing Industry

• Technology Management

Change is accelerating. Generative AI is redefining the shape and speed of innovation. Columbia’s Master of Science in Technology Management program prepares technology professionals to future-proof their practice.

Columbia University pioneered the Ivy League’s first Technology Management master’s program 20 years ago to empower professionals to make an economic and social impact in a world of constant change and disruption. We have institutionalized technology’s continuous improvement and deployment philosophy in our curriculum. 

As technology continues to redefine operations, a paradigm shift has occurred. Previously, strategy and policy preceded execution. Today, execution leads, followed by strategy, with policy lagging behind. This evolution underscores technology’s pivotal role as a catalyst for innovation, growth, and risk, and the Technology Management program curriculum has been revised to keep up with industry innovations.   

“Tech leadership demands constant learning and adaptation,” said Dr. Alexis Wichowski, Technology Management’s program director and a professor of practice. “Our newly revised M.S. in Technology Management program now reflects that reality. This program is not just for tech people or business people: It trains future leaders to be equally fluent in both.”

The program prepares students to thrive in these conditions with solid fundamentals in core technology and business principles and also offers continually updated courses that reflect current trends. The revised curriculum is the first of its kind to include an explicit focus on ethical leadership, reflecting the ways in which today’s technology leaders must negotiate not only business and technology decisions but also the application of concepts like “do no harm” in relation to the deployment of new technologies.

With options to study either  in person or  online with four immersive residencies, the program offers unparalleled insider access to one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative technology capitals. The faculty and program team, composed of industry-leading practitioners including 12x serial entrepreneur  Art Chang , global business leader and cybersecurity expert  Cristina Dolan , and leading technology and media corporate strategist  Stephano Kim , brings real-world experience and expertise to the classroom, equipping our students with the tools they need to succeed and the networks they need to achieve their career goals. 

The program doesn’t just teach theory—it also provides hands-on experiential learning through projects, internships, and networking opportunities. The curriculum constantly evolves to keep pace with the latest developments in technology and business, ensuring that students graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their careers. With a community of more than 1,000 alumni who have gone on to lead and innovate at companies like Google, Apple, NASA, and more, students will be equipped to adapt and keep pace in an ever-changing technology landscape as they join a global network of peers shaping the future.

About the Program

Columbia University's  Master of Science in Technology Management is designed to respond to the urgent need for strategic perspectives, critical thinking, and exceptional communication skills at all levels of the workplace and across all types of organizations.

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Related news, summer special events in new york city learn about what’s happening on campus this summer. in the community, school new york city high school students complete their columbia stem program with a series of events at morgan stanley over twenty nyc high school students in columbia’s youth in stem program spent a week at the financial company. school honoring the achievements of the sps community at the sps excellence awards learn about the winners of this year's sps excellence awards. all news footer social links.

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A Student’s Journey On The Bridge To PhD Program

Columbia’s Bridge to PhD program supports Eden Shaveet in her journey as a public health infodemiologist.

Find open faculty positions here .

Computer Science at Columbia University

Upcoming events, in the news, press mentions, dean boyce's statement on amicus brief filed by president bollinger.

President Bollinger announced that Columbia University along with many other academic institutions (sixteen, including all Ivy League universities) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging the Executive Order regarding immigrants from seven designated countries and refugees. Among other things, the brief asserts that “safety and security concerns can be addressed in a manner that is consistent with the values America has always stood for, including the free flow of ideas and people across borders and the welcoming of immigrants to our universities.”

This recent action provides a moment for us to collectively reflect on our community within Columbia Engineering and the importance of our commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming community for all students, faculty, researchers and administrative staff. As a School of Engineering and Applied Science, we are fortunate to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, from across the country, and from around the world. It is a great benefit to be able to gather engineers and scientists of so many different perspectives and talents – all with a commitment to learning, a focus on pushing the frontiers of knowledge and discovery, and with a passion for translating our work to impact humanity.

I am proud of our community, and wish to take this opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to maintaining an open and collegial environment. We are fortunate to have the privilege to learn from one another, and to study, work, and live together in such a dynamic and vibrant place as Columbia.

Mary C. Boyce Dean of Engineering Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor

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Courses This Semester

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Accelerated Masters Nursing Program for Non-Nursing College Graduates

Located in the heart of NYC, Columbia University School of Nursing is among the world’s leading centers of nursing education, research, and practice. 

Length of Program

Application deadline.

October 2024

Decisions Posted

February 2025

Program Start Date

October 2022

February 2023

The Masters Direct Entry (MDE) Program is a full-time accelerated nursing program for non-nurse college graduates who wish to become registered nurses (RNs).

This program prepares students in the provision of evidence-based nursing care with an emphasis on care coordination and religio/cultural care to patients along the wellness/illness continuum and across all care settings.

Heidi Hahn-Schroeder, DNP, RN

What Makes an Education at Columbia Nursing Unique

Educational Excellence

We prepare students to excel as clinicians, researchers, and nurse leaders. Our reputation for innovation and excellence attracts highly motivated students who are eager to apply the knowledge they acquire and practice at the highest level of the profession.

Clinical Practice

Learning extends beyond the classroom. Students complete over 1,000 clinical hours in small group clinical settings in areas such as labor and delivery, medical surgical, pediatrics, community health, and psychiatric-mental health. The MDE program offers a unique six-week integration experience in which students work one-on-one with an RN in New York or participate in one of many global integration sites. Additionally, we have partnerships with more than 200 practice sites throughout NYC. 

Global Health

Columbia University School of Nursing prepares nurses with the knowledge, clinical expertise, and leadership skills to contribute to the vast health challenges facing most of the world's population. Our mission is to instill in nursing students a sense of global citizenship and ethical responsibility. 

Can I work while I am in the program?

It is not possible to work during the MDE program.

What is the outlook for employment and salaries for a Registered Nurse?

The employment and salary outlook for entry-level Registered Nurses is excellent. Please review the U.S. Department of Labor's career data and growth projections.

Can I apply to multiple specialties for the DNP?

  No. You must choose only one specialty.

Can I choose a specialty for the MDE program?

  No. The MDE program prepares students as nurse generalists and registered nurses. Thus, students do not choose a specialty.

What degree is awarded after I graduate from the MDE?

Students are awarded a Master of Science degree after graduating from the MDE. New York State does not offer MSN degrees.

Do you require labs for the science prerequisite courses?

Columbia Nursing does not require labs for the science prerequisite courses. However, please check with your home state as labs may be required for your home state licensure.

Financial Aid & Scholarships Available

Columbia University School of Nursing is proud to offer approximately $10 million annually in fellowships and scholarships to our nursing students who demonstrate excellent academic achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise for leadership in nursing. 

"Most of the nursing schools I researched offered bachelor’s degree programs, but Columbia Nursing's Masters Direct Entry (MDE) program allows me to get my master’s degree in 15 months, and leads directly into a doctoral program without having to apply again to school. And, as soon as I graduate I can sit for the licensing exam to become an RN. Also, the MDE program offers a lot of clinical hours starting from day one, which was a big draw. I had concerns about transitioning from a different field, and I wanted to be able to get hands-on experience working with patients right away. Columbia Nursing facilitates that."

Janine Inez

 get more information about our programs.

Fill out the form below

560 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032

Get more information about columbia's master's programs for non-nursing college graduates.

Hurry! The application deadline is October 15

Patient Care

A Columbia Nursing education enables students to practice at the highest extent of their preparation, providing accurate, independent diagnosis, and evidence-based treatments and interventions.

Our world-class faculty serve as both educators and clinical role models. Most maintain an active practice, introducing students to the challenges of clinical practice by bringing real-world experiences and scenarios into the classroom.

Columbia Nursing’s faculty practice opened at Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside in Manhattan on September 29, 1997. The faculty's first commercial venture, originally called Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates (CAPNA), responded to the need to further validate cost, quality, and competence benefits of advanced practice nurses. In 2016 it was rebranded as ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group.

Today, the practice operates out of a practice location in Washington Heights, just across the street from Columbia Nursing. Additional practice components include a nurse practitioner house calls service in upper Manhattan and using telehealth to increase access to care.

As part of their practicum, both student nurses and student advanced practice registered nurses have an opportunity for clinical preparation via rotations through the primary care faculty practice.

The faculty practice sub-specializes in the following areas:

• Integrated mental health
• Palliative care within the primary care setting
• Care of LGBTQ individuals

In addition, Columbia Nursing has clinical partnerships with more than 200 practice sites throughout New York City, and affiliations with major New York medical centers including NewYork-Presbyterian. This solid clinical training ground gives our students invaluable experiential learning, and opportunities to actively contribute to the health of individuals and communities, a critical complement to our rigorous classroom curriculum.

Visit the ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group website to make an appointment or learn more.

2024’s Top Film Schools in North America

Each year, Variety curates a list of the top film school programs across North America. From universities that are as old (or older) than the moving picture itself, to budding programs, the schools on this list collectively offer an impressive array of educators, facilities and lessons to be learned. Countless alumni from these programs have become legendary names in the industry. They have created award-winning films and television series, enacted change both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, and often give back to the institutions that fostered their talent.

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Collaboration between departments is key to the success of Belmont’s students in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. “Our faculty are career industry professionals, who’ve worked in all forms, from indie features to the biggest studio productions,” Jay New, the school’s co-chair of motion pictures, production and screenwriting, tells Variety. He adds that students can pick up a camera on day one. “Our freshman students are required to start off with a course called cinematic storytelling, where they have a camera in hand,” he says. “They make four productions that semester. And then it just keeps going from there.” Besides state-of-the-art equipment and advantageous curriculum, students benefit from networking opportunities provided by dedicated staff. “We have students who have very seamlessly moved into the industry for internships and other opportunities in L.A. and New York, Atlanta — and obviously, Nashville as well,” says New.

Biola University

La Mirada, CA

Tucked in a suburb of Los Angeles, Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts offers students not only the technical skills to forge a successful career but also qualities such as teamwork, reliability and follow-through, says Dean Tom Halleen. “It’s an understanding that preparing students for the world of media in general isn’t just about having excellent technical skills.” The school features all the high-end equipment and instruction that students need to create films, and in 2026, it will open an expanded studio, growing Biola’s existing production facilities. “The building has been envisioned to accommodate the incredible rate of growth that we have,” says Halleen. “The idea behind the building is to house the full production workflow, from ideation to pre-production, production and post-production all the way through final presentation in our theater.” The school is also working in partnership with a “recently announced AI lab within our Crowell School of Business,” says Halleen.

Boston University

Boston University will renovate a second 2,500-square-foot production space this summer, which will operate in addition to the school’s current production studio. BU is also moving toward the use of LED to replace traditional lighting, which is more environmentally conscious and safer for students. “We are immensely proud of all aspects of our program, both in the classroom and beyond — the renaissance we are experiencing in curriculum growth and faculty expansion and the ongoing success of our students in the field,” says Paul Schneider, chair of the department of film and television. Current faculty members include cinematographer Tim Palmer (“Killing Eve,” “Bad Sisters”) and director and producer Amy Geller (“The Guys Next Door,” “The Rabbi Goes West”) among many other industry professionals.

California State University, Northridge

Northridge, CA

With a campus near studio lots, Cal State Northridge students are in the heart of the industry. The school has a strong documentary department and under new documentary head Judy Korin (“Adrift,” “The Great Hack”), student documentaries have garnered national attention with finalists for the Student Academy Awards and PBS Fine Cut Festival of Films. Dave Caplan (“The Connors”) is heading up a new CSUN Cinema and Television Arts mentorship program for six underserved screenwriting students that places them with working showrunners to develop their own TV scripts. Talicia Raggs (writer/producer on “NCIS: New Orleans”) and music producer/engineer/scoring mixer Michael Stern (“Iron Man 2”) are new faculty members.

Chapman University

The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman is not only one of the most technically advanced institutions in the country — sporting multiple soundstages, editing and mixing suites plus an LED wall — it is also one of the most productive with 50 undergrad thesis films being produced this year. Yet, according to dean Stephen Galloway, what makes it truly unique is the community built between students during their four years. “We bake that in from day one. Students are working together, forming teams, not being dictatorial,” Galloway says. “We think of this as a village of filmmakers, where everybody knows each other and works together and builds those relationships that you take out into the industry.” 

Community College of Aurora

Formerly known as Colorado Film School, the Cinematic Arts department at the Community College of Aurora is expanding into virtual production, immersive entertainment and storytelling for video games. The average class size is around 13, and the curriculum is based on experiential learning, so students and the school have established educational partnerships with interactive game companies, national advertising agencies, production companies, and film festivals. The school offers six certificates and six three-year associate’s degrees so students can finish their program and enter the industry earlier than traditional programs. The price of the degree is also much less than most bachelor’s degree programs, allowing aspiring filmmakers to graduate without heavy debt.

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL

Undergraduate students can take advantage of the school’s Semester in L.A. program, which introduces students to people working in the entertainment industry and L.A. internship opportunities. “At Columbia College Chicago, we focus on bringing your vision to the screen, but also on developing close working relationships with people you trust. Our classes provide the skills needed to work in any aspect of the industry you are interested in, and our vibrant community helps you build creative partnerships that start at school but continue and grow as you enter the industry,” says Eric Scholl, interim co-chair of the cinema and television arts department.

Columbia University's School of the Arts

New York, NY

In the 2023-2024 school year, the film MFA program welcomed its first class to the new writing for film and television concentration, while undergrads can work on graduate films and take advantage of the Columbia Undergraduate Film Productions group. New faculty include veteran film and TV editor and producer Elizabeth Kling (“Practical Magic,” “Addicted to Love”). Notable faculty include James Schamus, Trey Ellis and Ira Deutchman. Columbia’s notable alumni includes writer/actress Grace Edwards (“Insecure”) and helmer Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”), offering plentiful networking opportunities for graduates.

Emerson College

Within the Visual and Media Arts department, Emerson promises a hands-on education in filmmaking. Students can select a production track or media studies track, with courses ranging from writing the feature film to computer animation to media criticism and theory. Students can take advantage of the school’s directing studio located on campus at the Paramount Center, or partake in the school’s Los Angeles internship program. VMA chair Shaun Clarke says, “The Visual and Media Arts department fosters the development and creative passions of our students in ways true to themselves and uniquely Emersonian: in the classroom with highly skilled faculty and inspired peers, using state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and in the world alongside groundbreaking alumni impacting the future of film.”

Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema

Brooklyn, NY

For a top film school, Feirstein is famously more affordable than many others with tuition at $21,000. The school is also developing new curriculum, which is more focused on the overall multifaceted filmmaker, rather than specific tracks. Students benefit from an impressive faculty including the school of cinema’s executive director Richard N. Gladstein, who frequently leads master classes and lectures about film producing and the entertainment industry, and new instructors such as producer Anne Carey (“The Persian Version,” “Lost Girls”) and helmer/writer Anthony Drazen (“The West Wing”). The school also recently had masterclasses taught by John Turturro, Steven Soderbergh and Janusz Kaminski. Feirstein boasts a powerhouse advisory council that includes Ethan Hawke, Darren Aronofsky, Bruce Cohen, Stephen Daldry, Randall Poster, John Turturro, Talitha Watkins, Vicki Thomas and Doug Steiner.

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

The College of Motion Picture Arts at Florida State University is all about putting students first with a 5-1 student-to-faculty ratio, 24-7 facility hours, plus funding virtually all student laboratory, workshops and thesis project production expenses at the graduate and undergraduate level. An impressive 96% of graduates find work in the industry after one year. FSU is also home to the Torchlight Center for Motion Picture Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which is an off-campus cinematheque and virtual production studio available to all film students. Just last year, the college was named number four among all public film schools in the nation. 

Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY

This year, Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication added a BS in sports media and continues to offer BFAs in filmmaking and writing for the screen, as well as a BA in film productions and studies and another BS in television and film. Students in these programs can begin making their films their first year with access to three soundstages and a post-production facility that includes an editing classroom, screening room and color correction suite. Faculty include cinematographer Sekiya Dorsett (“In Our Mother’s Gardens”), helmer Kelcey Edwards (“The Art of Making It”) and cinematographer Mark Raker (“Five Questions”).

Ithaca College

In 2023, Ithaca’s Roy H. Park School of Communications established a special opportunities fund for students to access hands-on opportunities related to their career paths. Additionally, the James B. Pendleton Endowment gives more than $800,000 every year to the Park school, funding the Los Angeles program, annual technology upgrades, two endowed professorships, $125,000 in student scholarship awards and close to $75,000 for student, faculty and staff projects. Park also boasts an immersive volume stage known as the Cube, which lets students make use of 3D visual effects via Unreal Engine. Dean Amy Falkner says, “Recruiters often remark at how industry-ready Park students are when they enter the workforce. We owe that to our Tech Ops team who keep the broadcast studios, soundstages, virtual production studios, LED walls and post-production suites on the cutting edge of industry-grade equipment and software. The faculty incorporate all this tech in their teaching, and it takes our students to the highest level.”

Loyola Marymount

Los Angeles, CA

In the fall, LMU will introduce Masters in Entertainment Leadership and Management (MELM), a collaboration between LMU SFTV and LMU College of Business Administration. This program will be taught by industry leaders including Janet Yang, SFTV presidential fellow and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Unique programs for LMU include its Hollywood Bootcamp, recently led by WME agent Krista Parkinson, which provides career training via access to leading executives and companies. LMU also often brings distinguished speakers to campus such as Damon Lindelof, S.S. Rajamouli, Vince Gilligan, Lauren Neustadter and Terilyn Shropshire. “We have a unique ability to provide not only an exceptional education within the classroom but also the in-person industry access and connections required to launch and sustain a successful entertainment career. Thanks to our award-winning faculty, our two campuses located in the heart of the industry (Los Angeles and Silicon Beach), and programs like Hollywood Bootcamp and our Distinguished Artist in Residence, we give aspiring filmmakers a pragmatic, real-world education to set them up for success,” says Joanne Moore, dean of the School of Film and Television.

New York Film Academy

The New York Film Academy is one of the most expansive film schools in the nation, with eight global locations and three undergraduate degree programs encapsulating over 15 areas of study. With an emphasis on a hands-on approach to filmmaking, students get access to top-of-the-line gear and facilities, personal mentoring from industry veterans, travel courses for up to eight weeks and opportunities to train in formats such as 35mm and 16mm film. NYFA has no shortage of famous alumni including Bill Hader, Issa Rae, Aubrey Plaza, Shivani Rawat, Masali Baduza and Lisa Cortés.

Northwestern

Evanston, IL

This year, Northwestern’s department of radio/television/film took students to Sundance to experience the festival and network with alumni. “Our alumni networks are our biggest asset,” says Kerry Trotter, communications director at the school. “There is a very strong, short tether between L.A. and Evanston, and alumni in the industry are often cultivating opportunities for NU students.” Additionally, each spring break the program takes a group of RTVF and communication studies students to London for site visits and networking opportunities. As part of the school’s mission to elevate entertainment education for its student body, it will offer a new minor next academic year: game design, media arts and animation. 

New Brunswick, NJ

Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts offers a myriad of programs and facilities, including the Documentary Film Lab, which allows students to work on full-length documentaries with faculty. Associate professor and chair of the Rutgers Filmmaking Center, Patrick Stettner, says of the department’s mission, “Our priority is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of different modes of storytelling and filmmaking techniques. We recently launched a new course, AI in New Technology Filmmaking, which helps students navigate the next great tech revolution in cinema.” Mason Gross also boasts a new VR studio lab which offers students the opportunity to gain experience with virtual reality filmmaking.

Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah, GA

With one of the largest university film studio complexes in the nation, SCAD continues to expand. New additions will include a 17,000-square-foot support building for production classrooms, costume labs, costume studio shop and a scenic production wood/machine shop. Students recently worked on a comedy series and two short films on location at SCAD’s Lacoste, France campus. Film and television coursework is supported by events with industry guests throughout the academic year, such as Kevin Bacon, Eva Longoria, Ava DuVernay and George Lopez. The school boasts a well-connected faculty, including Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the school of film and acting and director of SCAD’s casting office, who is the former director of casting at CBS Primetime, New York.

Scottsdale Community College

Scottsdale, AZ

Offering efficient two-year degree programs that prepare students to enter the entertainment industry is just one advantage of the Scottsdale School of Film and Theatre at Scottsdale Community College. The school’s curriculum is looking ahead to what film and theater professionals will need in the coming decade, and as such, updating courses to prepare students to work in both filmed productions and live events. Scottsdale’s TV/New Media studio is also in the early stages of a $250,000 update, focused on creating a space that features current equipment and tech students will likely use post-graduation. 

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse’s Visual and Performing Arts film program focuses on hands-on education, the film production process and cross-training across film disciplines for its students. BFA and MFA degrees in film are offered through the VPA program, and BS and MA degrees in television, radio and film are offered through the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The VPA program also hosts study opportunities in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. “The brand of Newhouse graduates is less about making film as we know it, rather their capacity to invent the next generation of film,” says Michael Schoonmaker, professor and chair of the television, radio and film department at the communications school.  

The Los Angeles Film School

Centrally located in Hollywood and just a stone’s throw from nearby studio lots, the Los Angeles Film School offers bachelor’s and associate degrees in entertainment fields, with its film degree allowing students to pursue concentrations in production, directing or cinematography. In addition to adding an animation/VFX program that shares classes with the film program, the school recently redesigned its TechKit — which includes state-of-the-art software and hardware designed to make it possible for the student to start making films immediately — for the animation program. Famous alums include sound designer Phillip Bladh, who won an Oscar for sound for “The Sound of Metal,” video director Hannah Lux Davis, known for collaborating with Ariana Grande, Halsey and Demi Lovato, and helmer/writer/producer Kyle Newacheck, whose work has appeared on “Workaholics,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community.”

U. of Texas at Austin - Moody College

Within the Moody College of Communication, the department of radio-television-film boasts a motion capture studio, 70×20 foot green screen and podcast suites, as well as noteworthy alums including Matthew McConaughey and Robert Rodriguez. The school has begun a curriculum overhaul to its B.S., MFA and M.A. programs, and is currently refreshing all film equipment, including cameras, lenses, audio equipment and computers. For aspiring young filmmakers, the school even offers a summer camp led by advanced graduate students, professors and media professionals.

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, NC

Now celebrating the school’s 30th anniversary, the Fighting Pickles are formally launching the Story Art Studio in 2024 as an incubator that merges the unique voice and history of the region with both classical and cutting-edge storytelling tools across the disciplines of dance, music, drama and more. The program not only encapsulates the breadth of UNCSA’s curriculum but joins with its Dean’s Advisory Council, comprising of prominent industry leaders, to create post-graduate pathways into the industry. “It’s a gift to have the focus that [students] have here without the distractions of wonderful cities like Los Angeles and New York present,” says dean Deborah LaVine. “Here, the only person they’re competing with is themselves.”

Vancouver Film School

Vancouver, B.C.

Through its school of film & television, school of animation and school of games & creative design, VFS offers an immersive curriculum across 15 programs. Students are trained by industry professionals and have access to eight world-class production centers that feature a 64,000 cubic-feet of performance and motion capture volume, a 180-degree greenscreen room, mixing labs and recording studios, film sets and studios. VFS has been ranked as the top game design school in Canada, and the second-top game design school worldwide. In the 2024 awards season, over 12,000 VFS alumni were credited on nominated and winning projects spanning the Game Awards, Golden Globes, Emmys and the Academy Awards.

Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT

The College of Film and the Moving Image at Wesleyan University seeks to blend history, analysis and production in a liberal arts context. The school recently piloted a one-week immersive summer externship program in Los Angeles, which introduces students from underrepresented groups to the entertainment industry. Two first-generation college students spent a week meeting with prominent alumni like Jenno Topping, Tony Ducret and David Stone. “While we teach skills such as analytical and creative writing, producing, shooting and editing, our goals are broader,” says Scott Higgins, director of the College of Film and the Moving Image. “We aim to help undergraduates discover their goals and to develop their creative and critical voices in a collaborative community founded on a passionate commitment to the moving image.” 

Film School Titans

USC, UCLA, Cal Arts, Tisch, AFI

Across the film school landscape, there are many notable programs but five in particular stand apart because of their impressive curriculum, notable alumni and overall influence: the American Film Institute, California Institute of the Arts, the Kanbar School of Film and Television at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

AFI is noted for its remarkable instructors such as cinematography head Stephen Lighthill and producing head Lianne Halfon. Fellows are guaranteed to make films and the school has partnered to help create the Disney/AFI Underrepresented Storytellers Initiative to help create a pathway that removes economic barriers for emerging filmmakers.

Ask many any animation luminary where they went to school, and you’ll likely hear the name CalArts. Notable alumni include Tim Burton, Brad Bird and Pete Docter, whose films have won multiple Academy Awards. Students can choose from 70 comprehensive degree programs.

The Kanbar Institute within Tisch claims Martin Scorsese as a production alum. Several years ago, the school received the largest grant in its history from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation to establish the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, which includes a virtual production center and cinematic studies.

As a public university, UCLA offers a world-class film school education at a price that won’t saddle a student with heavy costs. Among ambitious offerings at UCLA’s school of theater, film and television is a recently announced extended reality and artificial intelligence research studio at the school’s downtown campus. Faculty includes many noted working pros who cover every aspect of filmmaking such as costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis. Screenwriter David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “War of the Worlds”) and Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”) are among the school’s many notable alums.

The USC School of Cinematic Arts offers a unique interdisciplinary curriculum, in which students take courses from the full spectrum of the SCA’s offerings — prospective writers take courses in directing, directors take courses in interactive media. Helmer Ryan Coogler and writer-producer Shonda Rhimes are just a few of SCA’s highly successful alums. The school receives tremendous support from the creative community. In 2006, filmmaker and alumnus George Lucas made the largest single donation in USC history by giving the film school $175 million.

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I live rent-free in NYC. Moving into a van has allowed me to save, avoid taking out loans, and live a life of adventure.

• Columbia graduate student Gerardo Rios Garcia lives in a van for financial security and adventure.
• He drove his van from Mexico to NYC and sleeps in it while balancing school and multiple jobs.
• Although he says it's challenging and can be scary, he saves $2,000 a month and doesn't have loans.

I'm a 26-year-old graduate student at Columbia University and an intern at the United Nations who lives in a vintage Volkswagen van in Manhattan. I made this choice driven by a goal for future financial security and a thirst for adventure.

My journey into van life began when I was a kid, listening to my grandpa's stories about road trips around Mexico and the US. During my junior year of college that same van my grandpa had driven was passed down to me.

Though it was no longer in the best condition — plagued with rust, brake issues, electrical malfunctions, and motor problems — I decided to renovate it.

I got into Columbia University for graduate school, and my van was the most affordable and fun way to go

After completing my undergrad degree in business, I knew I wanted to continue my studies. I had no idea where to go, other than it had to be in North America, so I could take my van with me. I also wanted to avoid taking out loans or asking my family for financial support.

I applied and was accepted to Columbia University's MS in sustainability management program. After working full time in consulting in Mexico for two years, saving as much as possible, and selling or donating everything that wouldn't fit into my van, I set out to drive to my graduate program.

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After crossing the border in Arizona, I had 2,500 miles and 10 states to cover. I experienced engine issues in Albuquerque, Kansas City, and Indianapolis, and I had to tow the van with a U-Haul at one point. Still, I made it to NYC on a Sunday morning and had orientation on Monday. My Volkswagen van became my home in September.

I wanted a lifestyle that allowed me to focus on my studies and work to secure a good professional standing while living life to the fullest and gaining as many new experiences as possible. The van was a solution that was both economically viable and incredibly liberating.

Living in a van in Manhattan is hard, scary, and stressful

At just over 46 square feet, my van poses significant challenges. I must constantly find free street parking, deal with extreme temperatures, and stay aware of my surroundings. I use the WiFi at coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, or the gym. I also typically shower at the gym.

I have a mini fridge, an electric stove powered by a solar panel, and basic cooking utensils, so I cook sometimes. I also frequent diners, Columbia's dining halls, and coffee shops for meals.

I have friends over from time to time, but because the space is small, it's not something I do very often. My mom visited me a few months ago when the weather was nice for a week, and she stayed with me in the van.

I'm more involved in my community

A small living space has encouraged me to become more engaged in my community and vastly increased my productivity. Balancing three part-time jobs — a teaching assistant position, a research assistant role, and my internship at the UN — while joining student clubs, volunteering, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA has been feasible because I don't feel the need to always be at home.

I study in the van when the weather permits, watch movies, and take naps. During the coldest months of winter and hottest parts of summer, I mainly just sleep in it.

My unconventional lifestyle has become a talking point. Colleagues and professors find my story intriguing. In the professional world, I've encountered a range of reactions, from admiration and curiosity to skepticism and judgment. These interactions have taught me valuable lessons in communication, resilience, and growth.

I've learned how to prioritize what's truly important

I now know that I want a minimalist lifestyle focused on my goals and passions, free from the distractions of excessive materialism.

Financial independence is another significant benefit of my van life. I save around $2,000 each month and avoid student loans. This freedom gives me the cushion to explore the culinary richness of NYC, play sports, attend events, and do other activities that I wouldn't be able to do otherwise.

Van life has been an incredible journey of self-discovery and growth

Van life has shown me there are endless possibilities when you choose to live authentically and embrace the unknown, but the uncertainty is the biggest challenge of this lifestyle. Not having a comfortable place to retreat and dealing with added stress can be challenging.

Materially, there's limited space, and being essentially homeless can be taxing on relationships. There's also the constant concern of potential break-ins and mechanical issues. However, I truly believe living in a van has positively impacted my professional and academic life.

I want my story to be a reminder that there are many ways to live and thrive. I like to think that my van, parked amid the urban chaos, stands as a symbol of resilience, creativity, and the enduring human spirit.

I finish my courses in December and plan to stay in the van until then. I don't intend to live in my van for an extended period after finishing school, but I haven't decided on my next steps. I'm open to exploring different opportunities and locations.

Watch: How one couple turned their pickup truck into a DIY camper

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