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. It offers students the opportunity to learn the foundations of scientific knowledge and the fundamentals of scientific inquiry. Students learn how scientific hypotheses are formulated and evaluated against the findings of empirical and theoretical research. An overarching theme is for students to appreciate how scientific research informs our understanding of the natural world, from the history of our Universe to the continued survival of our own species.
Science Requirement
To fulfill the science requirement, students must successfully complete three courses in total. At least one must be an approved course from the following Columbia departments; the others can be selected from the list of departments or from the list of approved courses below:
- Astronomy
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
- Physics
- Psychology (Columbia department only; only certain courses can be counted, typically those numbered 22xx, 24xx, 32xx, 34xx, 42xx, and 44xx)
No more than two science core courses can be from the same department.
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.
Students who matriculated 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 quantitative reasoning (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.
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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. On Mondays throughout the semester, some of Columbia’s leading scientists present a mini-series of lectures. During the rest of the week, senior faculty and Columbia postdoctoral science fellows lead seminar sections to discuss the lecture and its associated readings, and to debate the implications of the most recent scientific discoveries.
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. Students should also contact Professor Ivana Hughes (ih2194@columbia.edu) before or during the first week of classes to discuss their previous experience with related coursework.
Courses Designed For Nonscience Majors
| Code | Title | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Astronomy | ||
| ASTR UN1234 | UNIVERSAL TIMEKEEPER | |
| ASTR UN1403 | EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS | |
| ASTR UN1404 | STARS, GALAXIES ＆ COSMOLOGY | |
| ASTR UN1420 | Galaxies and Cosmology | |
| ASTR UN1453 | ANOTHER EARTH | |
| ASTR UN1610 | THEOR-UNIVERS:BABYLON-BIG BANG | |
| ASTR UN1836 | STARS AND ATOMS | |
| ASTR BC1753 | LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE | |
| ASTR BC1754 | Stars, 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 UN1002 | Theory and Practice of Science: Biology | |
| BIOL UN1130 | GENES AND DEVELOPMENT | |
| SCNC UN1700 | Science for Future Leaders | |
| BIOL UN2300 | Interpreting Scientific Evidence | |
| Computer Science | ||
| COMS W1001 | INTRO TO INFORMATION SCIENCE | |
| COMS W1002 | COMPUTING IN CONTEXT | |
| COMS W2702 | AI in Context | |
| Earth and Environmental Engineering | ||
| EAEE E2100 | A BETTER PLANET BY DESIGN | |
| Earth and Environmental Sciences | ||
| EESC UN1001 | DINOSAURS AND HISTORY OF LIFE | |
| EESC UN1003 | Climate and Society: Case Studies | |
| EESC UN1011 | Earth: Origin, Evolution, Processes, Future | |
| EESC UN1030 | OCEANOGRAPHY | |
| EESC UN1053 | Planet Earth | |
| EESC UN1201 | Environmental Risks and Disasters | |
| EESC UN1401 | DINOSAUR ＆ HISTORY OF LIFE-LEC | |
| EESC UN1411 | Earth: Origin, Evolution, Processes, Future: Lectures | |
| EESC UN2330 | SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVPT | |
| Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology | ||
| EEEB W1001 | Biodiversity | |
| EEEB UN1010 | HUMAN ORIGINS ＆ EVOLUTION | |
| EEEB UN1011 | BEHAVIOR BIOL-LIVING PRIMATES | |
| EEEB S1115S | The 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 E1101 | THE DIGITAL INFORMATION AGE | |
| Food Studies | ||
| FSEB UN1020 | Food and the Body | |
| FSPH UN1100 | FOOD, PUBLIC HEALTH ＆ PUBLIC POLICY | |
| Philosophy | ||
| PHIL UN3411 | SYMBOLIC LOGIC | |
| PHIL GU4424 | MODAL LOGIC | |
| Physics | ||
| PHYS UN1001 | PHYSICS FOR POETS | |
| PHYS UN1018 | WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION | |
Recommended Sequences: | ||
| PHYS UN1001 & PHYS C1002 | PHYSICS FOR POETS and Physics for Poets | |
| Psychology** | ||
| Columbia Department only: | ||
| PSYC UN1001 | THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY | |
| PSYC UN1010 | Mind, Brain and Behavior (Effective Fall 2018, this course is no longer offered. For students who took this course before Fall 2018, it may be used to partially satisfy the Science Requirement.) | |
| PSYC UN1021 | Science of Psychology: Explorations and Applications | |
| Science | ||
| SCNC UN1212 | Foundations of Science | |
| SCNC UN1800 | ENERGY ＆ ENERGY CONSERVATION | |
| Statistics | ||
| STAT UN1001 | INTRO TO STATISTICAL REASONING | |
| STAT UN1010 | STATISTICAL THINKING FOR DATA SCIENCE | |
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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.
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Note: Any PSYC course at the 22xx or 24xx level may be used to partially the fulfill the science requirement. All 3 and 4 point psychology courses numbered at the 32xx, 34xx, 42xx, and 44xx level may partially fulfill the science requirement. Other courses -- including those numbered 26xx, 36xx, and 46xx -- may not be used to fulfill the science requirement. PSYC BC1001 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY and other Barnard psychology courses, may not be used to fulfill the science requirement
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Note: Science of Psychology (PSYC UN1001) or an equivalent introductory course approved by the Psychology Department is a prerequisite.
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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.
| Code | Title | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Astronomy | ||
| Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher | ||
| Biology | ||
| Any 3-point course numbered 2000 or higher | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| CHEM UN1403 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I-LECTURES | |
| CHEM UN1404 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II-LECTURES | |
| CHEM UN1500 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | |
| CHEM UN1604 | 2ND TERM GEN CHEM (INTENSIVE) | |
| CHEM UN2507 | Intensive General Chemistry Laboratory | |
| Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher | ||
| Computer Science | ||
| COMS W1004 | PROGRAMMING IN JAVA | |
| COMS W1005 | INTRO-COMPUT SCI/PROG-MATLAB | |
| ENGI E1006 | INTRO TO COMP FOR ENG/APP SCI | |
| COMS W1007 | ||
| COMS W2132 | Intermediate Computing in Python | |
| Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher | ||
| Computing Science - Philosophy (CSPH) | ||
| CSPH GU4801 | MATH LOGIC I | |
| CSPH G4802 | Math Logic II: Incompletness | |
| Earth and Environmental Sciences | ||
| EESC UN2100 | EARTH'S ENVIRO SYST: CLIM SYST | |
| EESC UN2200 | EARTH'S ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS: THE SOLID EARTH | |
| EESC UN2300 | EARTH'S ENVIRO SYST: LIFE SYST | |
| Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher | ||
| Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology | ||
| EEEB UN2001 | ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY I | |
| EEEB UN2002 | ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY II | |
| EEEB OC2201 | Venice Ecology and Sustainability | |
| EEEB UN3087 | CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (Any 3-point course numbered 3000 or higher except EEEB UN3919, EEEB GU4321, and EEEB GU4700) | |
| History-Applied Math | ||
| HSAM UN2901 | DATA:PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE | |
| Linguistics | ||
| LING UN3103 | Language, Brain and Mind | |
| Mathematics | ||
| Any 3-point course numbered 1100 or higher | ||
| Physics | ||
| PHYS UN1201 | GENERAL PHYSICS I | |
| PHYS UN1202 | GENERAL PHYSICS II | |
| PHYS UN1401 | INTRO TO MECHANICS ＆ THERMO | |
| PHYS UN1402 | INTRO ELEC/MAGNETSM ＆ OPTCS | |
| PHYS UN1403 | INTRO-CLASSCL ＆ QUANTUM WAVES | |
| PHYS UN1601 | PHYSICS I:MECHANICS/RELATIVITY | |
| PHYS UN1602 | PHYSICS 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 | ||
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Note: Courses numbered 22xx, 24xx, 32xx, 34xx, 42xx or 44xx may be used to fulfill the science requirement. Other PSYC courses -- including those numbered 26xx, 36xx, and 46xx -- generally do not count for the science requirement.
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Note: The Science of Psychology (PSYC UN1001) or equivalent introductory psychology course is a prerequisite.