SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Understanding Course Listings

Course information is usually presenting in the following format:

 

 

Subject/Department Codes

Each Columbia University Department has a four letter course designation.  SIPA subjects/departments are listed below.                                                                                          

Subject/ Department Code	Department	School
SIPA	International Affairs	School of International & Public Affairs
INAF	International Affairs	School of International & Public Affairs
PUAF	Public Affairs	School of International & Public Affairs
EMPA	Executive MPA	School of International & Public Affairs
ENVP	Environmental Policy	School of International & Public Affairs
PEPM	Program in Economic Policy Management	School of International & Public Affairs
SDEV	Sustainable Development	School of International & Public Affairs

Other Subjects/Departments of Interest may include the following:

ANTH	Anthropology	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
ARCH	Architecture	Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
BIST	Biostatistics	School of Public Health
BUEC	Business Economics	Business School
BULW	Business-Law	Business School
DRAN	Decision & Risk Analysis	Business School
ECON	Economics	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
EEEB	Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
EESC	Earth & Environmental Sciences	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
EHSC	Environmental Health Sciences	School of Public Health
EPID	Epidemiology	School of Public Health
FINC	Finance	Business School
GNPH	General Public Health	School of Public Health
HIST	History	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
HPMN	Health Policy & Management	School of Public Health
HRMG	Human Resource Management	Business School
HRTS	Human Rights	Interfaculty
HUD	Human Development	Teacher’s College
IEOR	Industrial Engineering & Operations Research	School of Engineering & Applied Science
ITS	International & Transcultural Studies	Teacher’s College
JOUR	Journalism	School of Journalism
LAW	Law	School of Law
LWPS	Law : Political Science	School of Law
MDES	Middle East	Interfaculty
MGMT	Management	Business School
MRKT	Marketing	Business School
OPMN	Operations Management	Business School
ORL	Organization & Leadership	Teacher’s College
PLAN	Urban Planning	Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
POLS	Political Science	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
POPF	Population and Family Health	School of Public Health
RELI	Religion	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
SOCI	Sociology	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
SOCW	Social Work	School of Social Work
SOEN	Social Enterprise	Business School
SOSC	Sociomedical Sciences	School of Public Health
STAT	Statistics	Interfaculty
TAXA	Taxation	Business School
WMST	Women’s Studies	Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

 

Prefix Code 

Each University School or Division has a unique prefix before their course number.  The following is the list of University Prefixes:

Call numbers

Each Columbia University course has an assigned 5-digit number.  This is the course call number.  Call numbers are the unique indentifiers of a course and they change each semester.  To register for courses, students must submit the call number for each course.

 

Course Numbers

Only graduate-level coursework and language courses at the intermediate level or above can be used to fulfill MIA and MPA degree requirements. 

Generally, graduate-level courses at Columbia University are designated by course numbers starting at the 4000-,6000-, 8000-, and 9000- level.  The exception to this Columbia designation is the History department that lists graduate level courses at the 3000-level and undergraduate courses at the 4000-level.  History courses at the 6000 level and above are graduate level courses.

Generally, lecture courses are designated by the initial digit 4 or 6, colloquia and seminars by the initial digit 8 or 9.  Lecture courses usually involve class sizes of above thirty students and are generally a survey of the material being presented. Colloquia and seminars are typically smaller in size, and the material covered is typically much more in-depth. SIPA students in colloquia or seminars frequently interact with doctoral-level students. It is important to note that admission to most seminars and colloquia usually requires the permission of the instructor.

 

Section Numbers

Each course has a course number and section number assigned to it.  Courses with multiple sections, for example SIPA U6500 Quantitative Analysis, will list the course multiple times with different section numbers.  Each section is essentially its own course and has a specific day/time assigned to it.  (e.g. SIPA U6500-001, SIPA U6500-002, SIPA U6500-003).

Recitations/Labs

Some courses require attendance at a Recitation or Lab in addition to the lecture.  Recitations and/or Labs can be distinguished by the section number.  If a section number starts with a R, B, or D, it is a recitation or Lab.

 

Term Designation

The SIPA On-line Curriculum Guide distinguishes the term a course is generally offered. X corresponds to the Fall semester, Y corresponds to the Spring semester, Z corresponds to the Summer semester.

Day/Time/Location Information

The following is the list of days of the week in the Columbia system.

 

 

Approvals Required

There are three categories of approvals.

1. Open SIPA Courses are those that are open to all Columbia students and do not require approval.  SIPA and GSAS students may register for these classes using the web registration system. 
2. Departmental Approval Courses are available to SIPA students only.  SIPA students have departmental approval for all SIPA, INAF and PUAF courses.  Departmental approval courses are required elements of the SIPA curriculum, and may not be available to non-SIPA students.  Non-SIPA students should read through the Instructions for Non-SIPA Students section of the SIPA Registration webpage for more information on how to cross-register for SIPA courses.
   
   Due to space limitations, students from other divisions of Columbia are not eligible to register for SIPA Core Courses. These courses are U6800 Conceptual Foundations, U6500 Quantitative Analysis, U4200/U4201 International Economics, U6400/6401 International Economic Analysis, U6110 Politics of Policymaking, U6000 Management, U9013 Internship and U4040 Professional Development. 
3. SIPA Instructor Permission Courses require a written request for permission to register for the course, and priority is given to SIPA students. However, any Columbia student may apply for admission. The course instructor and the department will consider all applications. Any student interested in taking a SIPA Instructor Permission course MUST submit the Instructor Permission Course form on the SIPA Registration web site by the deadline in order to be considered.  SIPA Instructor Permission courses are blocked from the registration system.  Students should read through the SIPA Instructor Permission Courses Instructions for more information.