The Columbia University Summer Session helps students customize a course of study that works for their academic and career goals. Students may take classes to explore a new subject, deepen their expertise in their professional field, or satisfy credits and course requirements. While some courses take a deep dive into subject areas and require prerequisites, others are an introduction and are open to students with no previous knowledge or experience.
This summer, Columbia is offering several courses designed specifically for an optimal academic experience in an online format. The construction of the courses allows for interactive, personalized engagement with faculty and classmates along with a rigorous curriculum. These classes include Democracy: Theory and Practice, Intro to Language and Computation, Intro to Statistics, and Linear Algebra and Probability.
"These new online courses provide flexibility for students without compromising on the quality of a Columbia University education,” says Erik Nelson, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Columbia University.
Students may choose their courses from more than 50 subject areas, including:
Economics
The Summer Session offers several classes in economics and finance. Classes such as Principles of Economics, Money & Banking, and Financial Economics allow students to explore the fundamentals of both international and domestic markets—as well as current issues in monetary and financial reform. Courses like The American Economy, Game Theory, and Economic Growth & Development dive deeper into specific regional and conceptual ideas within economics.
Psychology
There are several psychology courses for those interested in exploring the secrets of behavior, mysteries of the mind, and inner workings of the brain. Students may study the principles of evolutionary, clinical, or social psychology, or more specific topics such as game theory, abnormal behavior, and experimental psychology.
Art & Art History
Learn from the masters and their masterpieces. Several courses focus on masterpieces of specific eras and movements including Baroque art, Western and East-Asian music and art, and Indian art and architecture. Other courses, including Intro to Dark Room and Printmaking: Silkscreen, give students hands-on training in various media and allow them to build and showcase their portfolio. In addition, students have the benefit of studying art in New York City, which means they have access to, through both class trips and extracurricular visits, many of the greatest art museums in the world. There’s even a New York City and the History of Museums course!
English & Journalism
From cuneiform writing to comics and from Shakespeare to Walt Whitman, the English courses available through the Summer Session help students analyze and appreciate a variety of texts, media, and literary works. Courses such as Modernism, Revolutions in Text and Technology, and The Novel and Economic Justice contextualize texts with factors such as culture, historical period, socioeconomics, and political climate. For aspiring journalists, we offer War Reporting: The Coverage of Armed Conflict. If film is your medium of interest, we also offer courses like Contemporary Global Documentary and Intro to Video Storytelling.
Math & Statistics
The Summer Session has courses for both students looking to level up their math skills—and students who would like to gain a basic foundational understanding of statistics, algebra, calculus, data science, and other branches of mathematics. Learn solid skills like data analysis with Python and creating linear regression models, or explore subjects such as probability theory and analysis and optimization.
Science
The science courses offered cover the main branches of science—biology, physics, and chemistry—as well as more specialized fields within the natural sciences, including astronomy, biodiversity, and even paleontology.
During the Summer Session, students supplement their academic studies with on- and off-campus activities and Student Life events. New York City offers endless opportunities for educational, social, and cultural events. Class trips include visits to museums and New York City landmarks and institutions, and Columbia offers development opportunities including Career Design Lab workshops, LinkedIn headshot sessions, and special lectures. Extracurricular activities organized by Columbia include Broadway shows, pro sports events, Sounds of Summer—an on-campus concert series—lunch cruises on the Hudson, and film screenings. Whatever your interests or goals for the summer, Columbia Summer Session programming offers plenty of opportunities.
For information about the application process and tuition as well as other FAQs, please visit summer.sps.columbia.edu
