Science

The Core science requirement aims to develop critical awareness of the methods and limits of scientific inquiry, while fostering observational and analytical skills, particularly in reference to the natural and physical world. When choosing a science course, students should make sure they have reviewed and met the specified prerequisites for the course prior to enrollment.

Students who are considering careers in science-related fields, including health-related professions, are urged to begin their study of science within the first two semesters after matriculation at GS. 

Science Requirement

To fulfill the science requirement, students must successfully complete three courses selected from two of the following Columbia departments or from the list of approved courses below, no more than two of which should be from the same department:

  • Astronomy
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Earth and Environmental Sciences 
  • Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
  • Physics
  • Psychology (Columbia department only, excluding courses numbered at the 2600, 3600, or 4600 level)

Students who matriculate in spring 2023 or earlier may also use international high school leaving exams for which they received at least three transfer credits on the Entrance Credit Report (ECR) in one of the disciplines listed above to fulfill one of the three science requirement courses. Students who matriculate in fall 2023 and later will not be able to receive science credit for international leaving exams.

List of Approved Science Courses

The list of approved courses that fulfill the science requirement includes recommended sequences, science courses for non-science majors, and approved courses from departments not listed above and Barnard.

The following two courses may satisfy both the QR requirement and one science requirement when passed with a letter-grade of C or above. The P/D/F grading option is not available for either of these two courses.

  • Foundations of Science (SCNC UN1212)
    Using modern, student-centered, active and collaborative learning techniques, students will engage — through field observations, in-class experiments, computer simulations, and selected readings — with a range of ideas and techniques designed to integrate and anchor scientific habits of mind. Topics covered will include statistics, basic probability, a variety of calculations skills, graph reading and estimation, all aimed at elucidating such concepts as energy, matter, cells, and genes in the context of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, neuroscience, and physics.

  • FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE (SCNC CC1000)
    The principal objectives of Frontiers of Science are to engage students in the process of discovery by exploring topics at the forefront of science and to inculcate or reinforce the specific habits of mind that inform a scientific perspective on the world. Sample topics include the evolution of human language, brain dynamics, global climate change, the nanoworld, and biodiversity, among others. 

GS students interested in taking Frontiers of Science should have earned a minimum score of 16 on the GS Quantitative Reasoning Exam and/or meet the specific criteria listed in the Quantitative Reasoning section of the website by the specified timelines. Prior to enrolling in Frontiers of Science, students should also read the first chapter of the electronic textbook Scientific Habits of Mind and take the self-exam.

Courses Designed For Nonscience Majors

Astronomy
ASTR UN1234UNIVERSAL TIMEKEEPER
ASTR UN1403EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS
ASTR UN1404STARS, GALAXIES & COSMOLOGY
ASTR UN1420Galaxies and Cosmology
ASTR UN1453ANOTHER EARTH
ASTR UN1610THEOR-UNIVERS:BABYLON-BIG BANG
ASTR UN1836STARS AND ATOMS
ASTR BC1753LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
ASTR BC1754Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
Recommended Sequences:
ASTR UN1403
 - ASTR UN1404
EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS
and STARS, GALAXIES & COSMOLOGY
ASTR UN1403
 - ASTR UN1420
EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS
and Galaxies and Cosmology
ASTR UN1403
 - ASTR UN1836
EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS
and STARS AND ATOMS
ASTR UN1403
 - ASTR BC1754
EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS
and Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
ASTR BC1753
 - ASTR UN1404
LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
and STARS, GALAXIES & COSMOLOGY
ASTR BC1753
 - ASTR BC1754
LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
and Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
Biology
BIOL UN1002Theory and Practice of Science: Biology
BIOL UN1130GENES AND DEVELOPMENT
Computer Science
COMS W1001Introduction to Information Science
COMS W1002COMPUTING IN CONTEXT
Earth and Environmental Engineering
EAEE E2100A BETTER PLANET BY DESIGN
Earth and Environmental Sciences
EESC UN1001DINOSAURS AND HISTORY OF LIFE
EESC UN1003Climate and Society: Case Studies
EESC UN1011Earth: Origin, Evolution, Processes, Future
EESC UN1030OCEANOGRAPHY
EESC UN1053Planet Earth
EESC UN1201Environmental Risks and Disasters
EESC UN1401DINOSAUR & HISTORY OF LIFE-LEC
EESC UN1411Earth: Origin, Evolution, Processes, Future: Lectures
EESC UN2330SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVPT
Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
EEEB W1001Biodiversity
EEEB UN1010HUMAN ORIGINS & EVOLUTION
EEEB UN1011BEHAVIOR BIOL-LIVING PRIMATES
EEEB S1115SThe Life Aquatic
Recommended Sequences:
EEEB UN1001
 - EEEB UN3087
Biodiversity
and CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
EEEB UN1010
 - EEEB UN1011
HUMAN ORIGINS & EVOLUTION
and BEHAVIOR BIOL-LIVING PRIMATES
Electrical Engineering
ELEN E1101THE DIGITAL INFORMATION AGE
Food Studies
FSEB UN1020Food and the Body
FSPH UN1100FOOD, PUBLIC HEALTH & PUBLIC POLICY
Philosophy
PHIL UN3411SYMBOLIC LOGIC
PHIL GU4424MODAL LOGIC
Physics
PHYS UN1001PHYSICS FOR POETS
PHYS UN1018WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Recommended Sequences:
PHYS UN1001
 - PHYS C1002
PHYSICS FOR POETS
and Physics for Poets
Psychology**
Columbia Department only:
PSYC UN1001THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC UN1010Mind, Brain and Behavior ((Effective Fall 2018, this course will no longer be offered. For students who took this course before Fall 2018, it may be used to partially satisfy the Science Requirement.)
PSYC UN1021Science of Psychology: Explorations and Applications (Effective beginning Spring 2021)
Science
SCNC UN1212Foundations of Science
SCNC UN1800ENERGY & ENERGY CONSERVATION
Statistics
STAT UN1001INTRO TO STATISTICAL REASONING
STAT UN1010Statistical Thinking For Data Science
*

Note: Students electing to take Human Origins and Evolution (EEEB UN1010) and Behavioral Biology of the Living Primates (EEEB UN1011) as a sequence are recommended, but not required, to take EEEB UN1010 before EEEB UN1011.

**

 Note: 2600-, 3600-, or 4600-level psychology courses may not be used to fulfill the science requirement.

***

Note: The Science of Psychology (PSYC UN1001) or an equivalent introductory course approved by the Psychology Department must be taken as a prerequisite to any psychology course numbered 22xx or 24xx.

****

Students may not receive credit for both PSYC BC 1101 and PSYC UN 1001. Psychology majors should consult the Psychology department for additional restrictions on overlapping courses.

Additional Courses Approved for the Science Requirement

Most of the following courses have required prerequisites and/or require instructor approval. Prerequisite and instructor approval requirements can be found in the course descriptions for each course or on the department website.

Astronomy
Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher
Biology
Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher
Chemistry
CHEM UN1403GENERAL CHEMISTRY I-LECTURES
CHEM UN1404GENERAL CHEMISTRY II-LECTURES
CHEM UN1500GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
CHEM UN16042ND TERM GEN CHEM (INTENSIVE)
CHEM UN2507Intensive General Chemistry Laboratory
Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher
Computer Science
COMS W1004Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Java
COMS W1005Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in MATLAB
ENGI E1006INTRO TO COMP FOR ENG/APP SCI
COMS W1007
Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher
Computing Science - Philosophy (CSPH)
CSPH G4801Mathematical Logic I
CSPH G4802Math Logic II: Incompletness
Earth and Environmental Sciences
EESC UN2100EARTH'S ENVIRO SYST: CLIM SYST
EESC UN2200EARTH'S ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS: THE SOLID EARTH
EESC UN2300EARTH'S ENVIRO SYST: LIFE SYST
Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher
Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
EEEB UN2001ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY I
EEEB UN2002ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY II
EEEB UN3087CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher except EEEB GU4321 or EEEB GU4700)
History-Applied Math
HSAM UN2901DATA:PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Mathematics
Any 3-point course numbered 1100 or higher
Physics
PHYS UN1201GENERAL PHYSICS I
PHYS UN1202GENERAL PHYSICS II
PHYS UN1401INTRO TO MECHANICS & THERMO
PHYS UN1402INTRO ELEC/MAGNETSM & OPTCS
PHYS UN1403INTRO-CLASSCL & QUANTUM WAVES
PHYS UN1601PHYSICS I:MECHANICS/RELATIVITY
PHYS UN1602PHYSICS II: THERMO, ELEC & MAG
Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher
Psychology*
Any 3-point course numbered 22xx, 24xx, 32xx, 34xx, 42xx, or 44xx **
Statistics
Any 3-point course except STAT W3997
*

 Note: 2600-, 3600-, or 4600-level psychology courses may not be used to fulfill the science requirement.

**

 Note: These courses may serve as a second term of a recommended sequence starting with The Science of Psychology (PSYC UN1001).

Special Summer Program

The following special program fulfills two of the three terms of the science requirement.

Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability [EICES]