The Core Curriculum is the heart of undergraduate education at Columbia. It consists of five courses that all students at the College are required to take:
Literature Humanities
Contemporary Civilization
Art Humanities
Music Humanities
Frontiers of Science
These courses cultivate key academic competencies through the study of stories, ideas, art, music, and scientific research.
In addition to these courses, students at the College take University Writing, two Global Core courses, and fulfill general education requirements in a foreign language, the sciences, and physical education. Engineering students take either Literature Humanities or Contemporary Civilization; Art Humanities or Music Humanities; University Writing; and the Art of Engineering.
Created in 1919 at a moment of global crisis, the Core was a bold experiment in progressive education and the first academic program of its kind. For over a century, the Core has prompted students to grapple with the persistent problems of the present by considering the stories, ideas, images, and sounds that have shaped their world, while also honing academic skills such as critical analysis and verbal and written communication.
The Core experience is not about developing expertise. The purpose is for you to explore ideas, stories, art, music, and scientific discoveries while examining your own personal responses to them and listening to the perspectives of others. The habits of mind developed in the Core cultivate a critical and creative intellectual capacity that students employ long after college.
We encourage you to attend the summer webinar on Academics at Columbia – Friday, August 11, 10:00 a.m. EDT and learn how to prepare for what lies ahead as you add your voice to this vibrant academic tradition.