This collection is located onsite.
This collection has no restrictions.
This collection represents the course bulletin holdings at the University Archives. This finding aid was created to facilitate access to the most requested volumes. There are also links to either the archived websites or the downloadable files for online access. If you cannot find the volume for the school or program you are interested in, please contact the University Archives at uarchives@columbia.edu.
Series I: Columbia College Bulletins, 1893-2023
After 2005-2006, course descriptions were no longer included in the print copies of the Columbia College Bulletins. To access the bulletin and course descriptions, please visit the archived websites (links provided below). Print copies were discontinued after 2013-2014. Links to those online-only bulletins are provided below. The College also maintains a websited with archived bulletins.) Some bulletins have also been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series II: School of Engineering Bulletins, 1863-2023
Some Engineering bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series III: School of General Studies Bulletins, 1904-2007
Starting with the 1996-1997 Bulletin, the School of General Studies lists the names of the courses offered by the different departments, but does not include the course descriptions. Starting with the 2000-2001 Bulletin, the printed Bulletins include only program information. After 2006-2007, the Bulletin was only published online. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series IV: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletins, 1885-2005
Before 1957, the Graduate Faculty bulletins were divided by Faculty. Courses taught by the Faculty of Political Science included the following disciplines: Anthropology (starting in 1946-1947, before that it was part of the Faculty of Philosophy), Economics, History, Mathematical Statistics, Public Law and Government, and Sociology. Courses taught by the Faculty of Philosophy included the following disciplines: Anthropology (until 1946, when it moved to the Faculty of Political Science), Classical Philology, Chinese, English and Comparative Literature, Germanic Languages, Indo-Iranian Languages, Japanese, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology (until 1947, when it moved to the Faculty of Pure Science), Religion, Romance Languages, Semitic Languages, and Slavic Languages. Courses taught by the Faculty of Pure Science included the following disciplines: Astronomy, Botany, Geology, Geography, Mineralogy (up to 1939), Mathematics, Physics, Psychology (starting in 1947), and Zoology. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series V: Summer Session Bulletins, 1900-2007
Columbia offered its first summer session in 1900 with 29 courses and 417 registered students, under the guidance of Director of Summer Session Nicholas Murray Butler. The following year, 1901, Columbia offered 43 courses to 581 students. In 1904, the Summer Session was granted permanent status (no longer needing the yearly Trustee renewal) and it was formally incorporated into the University statutes. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series VI: Graduate School of Business Bulletins, 1916-2000
Columbia Business School was founded in 1916, thanks in part to a generous gift from banking executive Emerson McMillin. Eleven faculty members taught the inaugural class of 61 students, which included eight women. Additional business-related courses can be found as part of the University Extension and the Summer Session. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series VII: Graduate School or Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) Bulletins, 1895-2019
A course in architecture was proposed for the School of Mines in the 1870s. The School of Architecture started as a separate and unique department within the University structure in 1902. Bulletins from the early days can be found in the School of Mines and even in the School of the Arts bulletins. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series VIII: Graduate School of Journalism Bulletins, 1912-2010
The 1943-1944 bulletin is a Wartime Announcement; there was no bulletin published for 1944-1945. There are two volumes missing: 1972-1973 and 2005. There was no bulletin published for 2008. Some bulletins have also been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series IX: School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) Bulletins, 1946-2008
The School of International Affairs was founded in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II. Emphasizing practical training, the School's mission was to foster understanding of geographic regions of vital interest and to prepare diplomats, officials, and other professionals to meet the complex needs of the postwar world. By 1967, the School was home to eight regional institutes, covering nearly every corner of the globe. In 1981, the School was renamed the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series X: School of the Arts Bulletins, 1898-2010
The departments and divisions that make up the current School of the Arts have changed over the years: with divisions merging and separating as well as course and degree offerings expanding and contracting. The Faculty of Fine Arts was originally made up of the Schools of architecture, of music and of design and published announcements from 1902 to 1914. Department of Music was established in 1896 under the Faculty of Philosophy, then organized independently in 1902. It became the School of Music in1906 by joining together with department at Teachers College. Later, there was a Division of Fine Arts, Archaeology and Music from 1923 to 1947 and eventually Music joined the Faculty of Fine Arts. The School of Dramatic Arts started in 1946 but ceased to exist independently in 1958. Starting in 1958, Program in the Arts included courses in painting, sculpture, graphic arts, theatre arts, film, radio, and television. Since 1966, the Program was renamed as the School of the Arts currently offering courses in film, music, theatre arts, visual arts and writing. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series XI: School of Library Service Bulletins, 1884-1992
The original Columbia library school, the School of Library Economy, operated from 1887 to 1889. The School then moved to Albany and became the New York State Library School. In 1926, the Albany school and the Library School of the New York Public Library merged and became the second Columbia library school, the School of Library Service. The School closed after the 1991-1992 academic year. Some bulletins have been scanned by other institutions and are available via HathiTrust. To find those links, check out the Online Bulletins under the Course Descriptions research guide.
Series XII: School of Law Bulletins, 1897-2007
This series contains the bulletins for the School of Law. For some years, there is a separate volume for the graduate studies courses. For more information, please contact the Special Collections Librarian at the Arthur W. Diamond Law Library.
Series XIII: Other Schools' Bulletins
The schools below have their own archives. While there are some of their bulletins available at the University Archives (incomplete sets), these repositories may be able to assist you in your research. The School of Social Work bulletins can be found in the School of Social Work records (UA#0099).
Series XIV: Residence Halls Bulletins, 1905-1955
The residence halls bulletins include campus maps, photos of the buildings, room rates, floor plans, and information about the Hall Council and Hall Committees. They also describe the application process and campus dining options available. In addition to the bulletins listed below, the University Archives also has some bulletins for the Barnard College dorms and Brooks Hall. For information about those additional bulletins, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.
Series XV: Seth Low Junior College Bulletins, 1928-1936
Seth Low Junior College was an extension of Columbia University, which was meant to serve the educational needs of Brooklyn. Columbia had been offering pre-med courses in Brooklyn since 1916 as part of the University Extension. The courses, using the facilities of the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, were offered during the day and were open to both men and women. In 1925 the University Extension started offering pre-law liberal arts courses in the rooms of the Brooklyn Law School to prepare students to join those professional schools. The two-year community college was named after Columbia's 11th President and former Mayor of Brooklyn Seth Low. The school had the same requirements for entry, some of the same Columbia faculty, and even charged the same price of tuition as Columbia College. While they had their own library, zoology and psychology laboratories, lecture halls and classrooms, Seth Low Junior College students still had to travel to the Morningside Heights campus for chemistry and physics courses. Students who completed the non-degree, two-year program could go on to enroll in the professional schools (such as Architecture, Business, Engineering, Journalism, Medicine, Law, Library Service, Optometry, etc.). Others could remain for three years and pursue the liberal arts at the Morningside Heights campus as "University Undergraduates" (not Columbia College students). Graduates would receive Bachelors of Science degrees in General Studies (instead of Bachelors of Arts degrees). The demographic makeup of the Seth Low Junior College student body was predominantly Jewish and Italian. With the opening of Brooklyn College in 1930 (free tuition), enrollment at Seth Low dropped off. The Junior College operated from 1928 to 1936.
Series XVI: Collegiate Course for Women Bulletins, 1883-1889
The Collegiate Course for Women was Columbia's first attempt to offer women limited access to the undergraduate program. The women students needed to pass the same entrance examinations for Columbia College as the male students and they could enroll in the same courses as the male students. However, the women were not allowed to attend the lectures with the male students. The women would meet with the professors at the beginning of the semester, receive a copy of the syllabus and the required readings, and they could then study on their own for the rest of the semester to prepare for the course examinations. Under these challenging circumstances, Mary Parsons Hankey became the first woman to receive her undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1887. From 1883 to 1889, the Collegiate Course for Women enrolled 99 students but awarded only 8 degrees. The Collegiate Course for Women was ended once Barnard College opened its doors in 1889. The information about the program is included in the Handbook for Information. The course descriptions appear in the section for the School of Arts, the men's undegraduate program.
This collection is arranged in 15 series.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located onsite.
This collection has no restrictions.
Additions are expected.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
2020-11 Added Summer Session bulletins (JR)
2021-01 Added Graduate School of Business bulletins (JR)
2021-02 Added GSAPP and Journalism bulletins (JR)
2022-05 Added SIPA bulletins (JR)
2022-06 Added School of the Arts bulletins (JR)
2022-07 Added School of Library Service bulletins (JR)
2022-08 Added School of Law bulletins (JR)
2023-12 Added Series XIII and XIV (JR)
2024-01 Added Series XV (JR)
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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