Important Academic Updates for Columbia GS Undergraduates Regarding Minors and Concentrations

On Thursday, August 29, Columbia GS Dean of Academic Affairs Caroline Marvin and Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch shared the following message via email with the Columbia GS student community regarding academic updates to the undergraduate curriculum beginning with the fall 2024 semester.

As we prepare for a successful start of the fall term, we are writing to highlight important updates regarding the curricular structure for Columbia undergraduates. Last year, the CC-GS Committee on Instruction affirmed two significant changes to the undergraduate curriculum for Columbia School of General Studies and Columbia College, which are going into effect this fall: 

• Columbia College and Columbia School of General Studies will recognize minors as an optional secondary course of study, which students may choose to pursue with their elective credits toward their degrees. Minors will, in most cases, be smaller in size than current concentrations. 
• The concentration as a program of study will be phased out of the undergraduate curriculum over the course of the next year. Columbia College students, like GS students, will be required to complete a major in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. 

This new curricular structure of majors and minors will create greater distinction between the two programs of study than previously existed between the major and the concentration. The major will continue to be the part of the undergraduate curriculum that provides the study of advanced knowledge, disciplinary methods, and specialized research. The minor will be a smaller and often more flexible academic program, which will allow students to explore a second area of academic interest in a way that is proportional within their overall academic studies.

What are minors? 

Minors are designed as smaller, secondary programs of study, typically requiring 5-6 courses. 
They are optional programs of study that can enable students to complement their major coursework with coursework in another field. Some minors provide an introduction to a discipline. Some enable students to explore a particular topic through a variety of academic and intellectual lenses. Some offer advanced, complementary programs of study for students who have foundational knowledge in a related discipline. Some offer students the opportunity to engage in a course of study using an interdisciplinary approach. 

Minors will be offered in many—but not all—programs that offer majors, and there will also be several new interdisciplinary minors offered. The full list of minors is available on the 
Majors, Minors, and Other Programs of Study page in the GS Academic Bulletin. More departments and programs may begin to offer minors in the coming years as well. We encourage you to consult the GS Academic Bulletin and department/program websites and to reach out to Directors of Undergraduate Studies to learn more about individual programs of study. 

Our hope is that the introduction of minors will make more programs of study more accessible to students. Minors are designed to be smaller, more flexible programs of study, so students will be able to pursue minors in fields of interest without feeling that they are overburdened or that they are unable to pursue other elective courses, in addition to their major and Core requirements. 

What are academic policies to be aware of in this new curricular structure? 

With the introduction of minors, students will now be able to pursue a maximum of three programs of study. Students must declare one major and may declare no more than two majors. 

There will continue to be limits on double counting courses, transfer credits, etc. More information on specific policies is available on the Degree Fulfillment page in the GS Academic Bulletin. 

What will happen with concentrations and special concentrations? 

Concentrations and special concentrations will be phased out of the curriculum in the coming year. Students who enrolled prior to the Fall 2024 term will still be able to complete a concentration or special concentration if they were on track to do so prior to Fall 2024; however, those students may instead opt into the changed curricular structure and complete a minor if they wish to do so.

Several special concentrations will now be offered as minors. Special concentrations designed to provide professionally oriented training in a specific discipline, e.g., Business Management and Public Health, will be renamed special programs. 

How do these changes affect students who matriculated before Fall 2024? 

Students who started their studies at Columbia prior to Fall 2024, including students who are part of our international dual-degree programs and started their studies at our partner institutions prior to Fall 2024, will have the option to continue to pursue the previous curricular structure or opt into the changed curricular structure and complete a minor, if they wish to do so. Continuing students who have already declared a concentration or special concentration will still be able to pursue that program of study, though some may opt to pursue a minor instead, which will typically be smaller in size than a concentration. 

Continuing students who have not yet declared a concentration or special concentration but would like to do so must declare the concentration or special concentration during the 2024-25 academic year. After May 2025, continuing students will no longer be eligible to declare concentrations or special concentrations.   

How do these changes affect students who matriculated in Fall 2024 or after? 

Students who begin their studies at Columbia in this term or any subsequent term will follow this new curriculum of majors and minors (and special programs) and will not be eligible to declare concentrations or special concentrations. Some programs of study that previously offered majors and concentrations have opted not to offer minors at the present time. In such cases, students will only have the option to pursue majors in those fields. 

If you are interested in exploring your options within this new curricular structure, we encourage you to reach out to your academic advisors and to the Directors of Undergraduate Studies for the majors and minors. 

We wish you a successful fall term.

Sincerely,

Caroline Marvin
Dean of Academic Affairs
Columbia University School of General Studies

Lisa Rosen-Metsch
Dean, Columbia University School of General Studies
Professor of Sociomedical Sciences