Fall Update

At SPS this fall, all courses, other than pre-established online courses, will be offered face-to-face in our New York City classrooms. Some of these face-to-face courses will be offered in the HyFlex format to ensure that all of our students can make progress toward their degree requirements, if faced with delays due to student visas or vaccination effectiveness wait times.

Non-Degree Orientation Schedule

It is expected that all incoming students to the School of Professional studies participate fully in their Orientation. For the Fall 2021 semester, Non-Degree New Student Orientation will comprise of three parts:

  1. SPS Pre-Orientation Portal
  2. New Student Virtual Workshops
  3. Non-Degree Orientation

View the New Student Orientation Guide

SPS Pre-Orientation Portal and University Tutorials

All new School of Professional Studies students are required to participate in an online, asynchronous Pre-Orientation portal prior to their arrival on campus. This portal provides information on items such as academic integrity, student engagement, ISSO, health services, and others.

Failure to complete the designated required sections by September 9, 2021, will result in a registration hold on your student account which will prevent you from registering for classes.

Access the SPS Pre-Orientation Portal here

*If you are unable to access the SPS Pre-Orientation Portal using the link above, copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://preorientation.sps.columbia.edu. If you require the ADA compatible version, once you log in there is a button on the bottom right that says "ADA Version."

New Student Virtual Workshops

At the Columbia University School of Professional Studies, your transition to graduate studies is important to us. We have designed various virtual workshops to support your transition. Non-Degree students are encouraged to attend the following select virtual workshops:

  • EQ and You: Intro to Emotional Intelligence and Why it Matters
  • International Student Welcome 
  • Maximizing Your SPS Experience with Student Life
  • Recognizing Your Bias Inside and Outside the Classroom
  • Research Support with Columbia Libraries
  • Trans Inclusivity 101
  • Thriving in Graduate School: Caring for Yourself and Others

Learn more about these workshops

Non-Degree Orientation

The Non-Degree Orientation Session is an opportunity to meet with leaders and representatives from your academic program, learn about your coursework, and get to know your fellow classmates. The session will be held on Tuesday, August 31, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET.

This session will have a virtual option for students to attend. At this time, our team is working diligently with university partners to determine if there will be an in-person component as well. As decisions are made, students will be promptly notified and this webpage will be updated.

If you have any questions, please reach out to sps-studentlife [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu.