Courses (#)
Class Search
There's the Directory of Classes that's public and Vergil that's private. I started with the former to see a full listing of classes by department for a certain semester (here's BINF and COMS).
Pequod is an unofficial class directory that scrapes official sources and has a nicer interface 💫
Plans within Plans within Plans
Not all classes will be available; have backup options! COMS ones are really popular1 and will lead to waitlists and other minor inconveniences.
Cross-Registration
For when you're taking classes at other departments (e.g. Biostatistics) and not other schools (e.g. GSAS or SIPA). You'll find all forms on this page.
If not Mailman, you will need a Registration Adjustment Form (RAF) that's signed by the instructor to enroll in classes in other departments. Email the signed form to the registration office.
If Mailman, you'll need a different form. Here it is.
Course Reviews
See CULPA.
Course Designations
| Prefix | School | Level / Notes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Architecture, Planning & Preservation | Grad / professional | A4041 |
| B | Business School | MBA / PhD | B8221 |
| C | Columbia College | Undergraduate | C1101 |
| E | Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) | UG & Grad | COMS E1006 |
| F | Journalism | Graduate | F3005 |
| G | Graduate School of Arts & Sciences | Graduate (MA/PhD) | BINF G4008 |
| M | School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) | Graduate | INAF M6005 |
| N | Nursing | Doctoral-level | NURS N9352 |
| P | Public Health | MPH / DrPH | EPID P8450 |
| S | Social Work | MSW / Doctoral | SSW S6601 |
| U | School of General Studies | Undergraduate (returning / nontrad) | HIST U2010 |
| V | Barnard College | Undergraduate | BIOL V2005 |
| W | School of Professional Studies (cross-listed “wildcard”) | UG/Grad cross-listed | COMS W4170 |
| X / Y / Z | Summer Session / Special | Special programs | ECON X1201 |
| UN | Undergraduate course prefix | Undergraduate only | ECON UN1105 |
| GU | Graduate/Undergraduate prefix | Mixed enrollment | STAT GU4203 |
| GR | Graduate-only prefix | Graduate only | HIST GR6300 |
And some number ranges.
| Range | Audience |
|---|---|
| 1000–1999 | Intro undergraduate |
| 2000–2999 | Intermediate undergraduate |
| 3000–3999 | Advanced undergraduate |
| 4000–4999 | Upper-level undergrad / entry grad |
| 5000–5999 | Master’s level |
| 6000–6999 | Advanced grad / PhD seminars |
| 8000–8999 | Doctoral / professional |
Residence Units (RUs)
A single Residence Unit ("RU") comes in these flavors
- One (1)
Flat bill. Up to 20 points of classes. Anything above 20 will be assessed at ~$2,500 per credit. That's the ceiling and beyond.
And what's the floor? You can take just one class. That's right, boo. - Half (½) - 3 or fewer classes
- Quarter (¼) - 2 or fewer classes
- Extended
As an MA student, you will need 30 credits and 2 RU's to graduate. You can mix and match the RU flavors. E.g. A four-term path to your graduation would be (1 + ½ + ¼ + ¼ = 2) RUs.
Now let's say you satisfy the 2 RU requirement by (a) Registering for 1 RU and (b) taking three 3-point classes over Fall and Spring. You've satisfied the RU requirement but still have 12 credits to go. This is where you'd register for an Extended RU. It's significantly less tuition (about half) than the full one. You'd take as many of these as needed to fulfill graduation requirements.
Registering for an RU
Don't forget to do this! Here's how I registered for mine on Vergil. Search by Call Number (10158 for a full RU).
Footnotes
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Because anybody's who's anybody would like to make Machines Learn in a solemn and serious bid to amplify Shareholder Value™ (which is the point of Life itself). ↩