Studying Away from Columbia

Completing Coursework at Other Institutions

GSAS students can utilize Columbia's agreements and partnerships with other universities to further their academic interests by completing coursework or conducting research at other institutions.

Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar Program

The Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar Program allows PhD students to study at one of a select few institutions for a limited period of time:

  • Brown
  • Cornell
  • Harvard
  • MIT
  • Princeton
  • Stanford
  • UC Berkeley
  • UChicago
  • UPenn
  • Yale

Inter-University Doctoral Consortium

The Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC) allows PhD students to cross-register at other area universities:

  • CUNY Graduate Center
  • Fordham
  • New School for Social Research
  • NYU (including the Institute of Fine Arts)Princeton
  • Rutgers
  • Stony Brook

​​Additional Affiliates

Students may also take courses at the following affiliated institutions:

Joint-Degree Programs

GSAS participates in joint-degree programs with the following institutions:

Conducting Research at Other Institutions

To conduct research, students may request letters of introduction from their programs to gain entrée to libraries, archives, museums, and other such institutions. In addition, Columbia's Global Centers facilitate student and faculty research at eight locations around the world.

Columbia students conducting research abroad must register with International SOS, an emergency services program that helps with unexpected medical or security issues. Students may also consult with the Columbia Health Travel Medicine Program, which offers information and immunizations for international travel.

GSAS students who will be visiting scholars at another institution to conduct dissertation research must give a copy of their letter of invitation to their department and to GSAS Financial Aid.

GSAS students can utilize Columbia's agreements and partnerships to further their academic interests at the institutions or programs listed below:

  • Alliance (École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, Paris Pantheon Sorbonne)
  • École Polytechnique (Earth and Environmental Sciences)
  • European University Institute (History)
  • Instituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (Art History)
  • International Max Planck Research School (Political Science or Sociology)
  • King's College London (English)
  • London School of Economics (Anthropology or History)
  • Minzu School of Tibetan Studies (EALAC)
  • Partnership PhD Mobility Program (London School of Economics, National University of Singapore, Sciences Po Paris)
  • Sciences Po (Social Sciences departments)
  • Trilateral Agreement (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Freie Universität) (Humanities departments)
  • University of London-Birkbeck (Classics or History)
  • University of Mainz (English)
  • University of Warwick (Philosophy)
  • Waseda University (EALAC)

All Departments

Alliance Call for Doctoral Mobility
Term of Study: One to three months
Website: http://alliance.columbia.edu/alliance-call-doctoral-mobility
Contact: Alessia Lefebure, [email protected]
Doctoral students in all disciplines may pursue research projects under the supervision of a host faculty member at École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, or Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

Partnership PhD Mobility Program
Term of Study: Two to three months
Contact: Andrea Solomon, [email protected]
The Partnership PhD Mobility Program offers doctoral students the opportunity to conduct research at the London School of Economics, the National University of Singapore, or Sciences Po.

Anthropology

London School of Economics
Term of Study: Up to one year
Website: http://anthropology.columbia.edu/graduate/applications-and-admissions/related-programs
Contact: DGS in Anthropology Department
The London School of Economics accepts Columbia Anthropology doctoral students for research visits of up to one year. The exchange offers the opportunity to work informally with one or more advisors at LSE on final thesis revision, publications, and presentations, and to attend conferences and workshops both within the School and in the UK and Europe.

Art History

Instituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia
Term of Study: One semester
Contact: DGS in Art History Department
The Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia accepts doctoral students in Art History and Archaeology for one semester research visits. Students must demonstrate an adequate knowledge of Italian. 

Classics

Birkbeck, University of London
Term of Study: At least two terms
Contact: DGS in Classics Department
Birkbeck, University of London, accepts Classics doctoral students who have completed their MPhil Requirements for research visits lasting a minimum of two terms.

Earth and Environmental Sciences

École Polytechnique
Term of Study: One semester or summer
Contact: DGS in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
École Polytechnique accepts doctoral students in Earth and Environmental Sciences for one-semester research visits and for the Fluid Dynamics of Sustainability and the Environment summer school.

East Asian Languages and Cultures

Minzu School of Tibetan Studies, Beijing
Term of Study: 
One year 
Contact: DGS in East Asian Languages and Cultures Department
The Minzu School of Tibetan Studies in Beijing accepts doctoral students who have completed their MPhil requirements for up to one year for research projects in East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Term of Study: One year
Contact: Professor Tomi Suzuki [email protected]
Waseda University acceptsdoctoral students in Japanese literature for one-year research visits.

English and Comparative Literature

University of Mainz
Term of Study: One year 
Contact: DGS in English Department
The University of Mainz accepts doctoral students for one year visits for the purpose of research and collaboration in English and Comparative Literature. Students receive a generous stipend and design and teach two undergraduate seminars at Mainz. 

King's College London
Term of Study: At least two terms
Contact: DGS in English Department 
King's College London accepts English and Comparative Literature doctoral students for research visits of up to one year.

History

European University Institute, Florence, Italy
Term of Study: One semester
Website: http://europe.columbia.edu/study/bei-eui-exchange/
Contact: Tess Drahman at the Blinken European Institute, [email protected]
The European University Institute accepts History doctoral students for one-semester research visits.

London School of Economics
Term of Study: Up to one year
Website: http://history.columbia.edu/graduate/doctoral/exchange.html
Contact: DGS in History Department
The London School of Economics accepts History doctoral students for research visits of up to one year. The exchange offers the opportunity to work informally with one or more advisors at LSE on final thesis revision, publications, and presentations, and to attend conferences and workshops both within the School and in the UK and Europe.

Birkbeck, University of London
Term of Study: At least two terms
Website: http://history.columbia.edu/graduate/doctoral/exchange.html
Contact: DGS in History Department
Birkbeck, University of London, accepts History doctoral students who have completed their MPhil requirements for research visits lasting a minimum of two terms. The exchange offers PhD students an opportunity to participate in workshops, seminars and discussions at Birkbeck and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

Humanities Departments

Trilateral Agreement between École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Freie Universität, and Columbia
Term of Study: One semester
Requirements: Students must have completed the MPhil 
Contact: Sharon Marcus [email protected] / Dean of the Humanities, Dorothea von Mücke [email protected] 
A trilateral agreement between Columbia University and the École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris) and the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies, Freie Universitat (Berlin) allows students with doctoral research intests in literature, literary theory, poetics, and aethetics to attend either institution for one semester.

Philosophy

University of Warwick
Term of Study: Up to one year
Contact: DGS in Philosophy Department
The University of Warwick accepts Philosophy doctoral students for research visits of up to one year. The exchange offers PhD students the opportunity to participate in workshops, seminars and discussions in the interdisciplinary Project on Consciousness and Self-Consciousness at Warwick, to attend relevant project meetings in Oxford and London, and to receive supervision on their thesis from members of the Philosophy Department.

Social Sciences Departments

Sciences Po, Paris, France
Term of Study: 
One semester or one academic year 
Contact: DGS in Student's Department
Sciences Po in Paris accepts doctoral students who have completed their MPhil requirements for one-semester or one-year research projects in Economics, History, Political Science, and Sociology, putting at their disposal the varied resources of its world-class research centers.

International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy, Cologne, Germany
Term of Study: One semester
Contact: DGS in Sociology Department
The International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy invites doctoral students in the fields of Political Science and Sociology for research visits of six months.