Guidelines
Finding Courses
The QMSS Program will accept classes taken at the 4000-level or above in Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Computer Science, Statistics, or SIPA towards the general elective category and minimum credit requirements of your degree progress. HOWEVER, we cannot guarantee enrollment in any non-QMSS classes not listed on the Degree Requirements Worksheet corresponding to your curricular track.
Different schools within the University use different course bulletin formats, most courses offered within the University can be accessed using one of the following:
Directory of Classes: The directory lists all classes for GSAS, SIPA, and the School of Social Work. QMSS classes can be found under "Q" in Subjects. (MOST UP TO DATE)
Vergil: Includes more detailed course descriptions. (NOT ALWAYS UP TO DATE)
Mailman School of Public Health Course Listings
Teachers College Course Listings
*Business School courses available to QMSS students will be sent directly to current students a few weeks before registration for the upcoming term.
Cross Registering OUT of QMSS Department (For QMSS Students)
For students who wish to take elective courses in other Departments within GSAS or other schools within Columbia, please be aware that each has a distinct cross-registration process.
QMSS cannot guarantee enrollment in any non-QMSS classes not listed on the Degree Requirements Worksheet corresponding to your curricular track.
Other GSAS Depatments
- Statistics: The GU42XX "shadow course" versions of the 500-level electives should are open to QMSS students pending space.
- Economics: 4000-level econ courses are open to QMSS Students pending space, EXCEPT for 49XX-level courses, which are rnot open to non-ECON students. The 5000-level econ courses are NOT open to non-ECON students. 6000-level courses require satisfactory completion of the Math Exam at the beginning of the Fall Semester. For more information on the Math Exam, contact Meghan McCarter at mdm2222@columbia.edu.
- Math: Math classes are generally not open to non-Math students until the last week of registration, at which point they open to the rest of GSAS.
School of Engineering
- Computer Science: COMS courses should now be open to non-CS students to add themselves to the waitlist. We are managing the CS Waitlists internally and will move students into classes as space allows.
- Industrial Engineering and Operations Research: "The IEOR department has a cross-registration process for all non-IEOR students. If the student is interested in taking IEOR courses, they are welcome to apply through HERE.
- Electrical Engineering: TBA
School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA): Non-SIPA students are permitted to register for a maximum of 9 credits per semester. The courses listed below are open for registration to non-SIPA students for Spring 2018. Additional courses will be added to this list throughout the change of program period, beginning January 16, 2018. Please continue to check the site for newly added courses. Note that some courses below have pre-requisites. All other SIPA courses are closed to cross-registrants. SIPA core courses are never available for cross-registration. Please visit THIS PAGE for a list of classes approved for on-SIPA cross-registration.
Columbia Business School: QMSS Students may register for select MBA, EMBA, and PhD courses through the business school. These classes must be approved on a one-off basis by the Program Director <qmss@columbia.edu> in order to be counted towards the QMSS degree. The business school runs on a DIFFERENT REGISTRATION schedule than the rest of Columbia. All cross-registration must be done through the MBA, EMBA, and PhD websites respectively. Please read their timeline and policies closely before beginning the process.
Teachers College: Complete the Columbia University Registration Adjustment Form (RAF) and have it signed by your instructor. Submit the form to the GSAS Dean's Office at 109 Low Library before 5:00 PM on the last day of the add/drop period.
School of Social Work: Complete the Columbia University Registration Adjustment Form (RAF) and have it signed by your instructor. Submit the form to the GSAS Dean's Office at 109 Low Library before 5:00 PM on the last day of the add/drop period.
Mailman School of Public Health: QMSS students are limited to cross-registering for two courses per semester and no more than twelve credits. Once a student receives permission from the instructor, the student must officially register and pay the full tuition rate for the class. Submit THIS FORM to the Mailman School of Public Health department offering the course to request permission, and obtain the signature of the Department Coordinator/Academic Liaison. Take the signed form to the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) for a final approval signature. OSA is located at 722 West 168 Street, Suite 1014. You must then ALSO submit the Registration Adjustment Form (RAF) to the GSAS Dean's Office at 109 Low Library before 5:00 PM on the last day of the add/drop period.
Students with questions or concerns should contact the Office of Students Affairs <msph-osa@columbia.edu>, (212-342-3128) for assistance.
Columbia Law School: The cross-registration form can be found on their website HERE. Please note that only full-time students are allowed to enroll in law school courses.
Cross Registering INTO QMSS Department (For Non-QMSS Students)
Students from all Columbia schools should be able to add themselves to the waitlist for all QMSS classes EXCEPT QMSS GR5999, GMSS GR5021, and QMSS GR5022.
We will maintain an external waitlist and will add non-QMSS students to the roster once all QMSS students have had a chance to enroll. This will during the last week of the GSAS add/drop period. Please note that it may take up to 48 hours for waitlist approvals to appear in your schedule.
Those with a particularly vested interest in taking a specific QMSS class should reach out to the instructor AND CC <QMSS@COLUMIA.EDU>. Those with instructor permission will be prioritized. An email from the instructor may be submitted along with the form in lieu of a signature.
NOTE: Cross-registrants from schools that do NOT use SSOL will need to complete the Registration Adjustment Form (RAF) and submit it to <QMSS@COLUMBIA.EDU>. Those with instructor permission will be prioritized. An email from the instructor may be submitted along with the form in lieu of a signature.
Grading Policies
All students are expected to maintain a 3.0 average while studying at QMSS. Students may, however, register for one course as Pass/Fail or "R" credit though this will not count toward their GPA nor will this count towards their graduation requirements. Students must take for a grade any course they wish to count towards fulfillment of their graduation requirement. Please note that only graduate level courses (level 4000 and above) count towards the QMSS degree.
Incomplete Policy - The mark of IN is given to a student who has satisfactorily met all the requirements of a course except for the completion of certain assigned papers or reports or the final examination, which the student has been compelled to postpone for reasons that are 1) beyond his or her control and 2) satisfactory to the instructor. For a course in the Arts and Sciences, if the student does not submit the outstanding work by the deadline specified below, the mark of IN will be changed to an F, which will not be subject to change at a later date. Beginning in Fall 2014: For Incompletes earned in the fall semester, the deadline for students to submit their outstanding work is the June 30 that immediately follows. For Incompletes earned in the spring semester or summer term, the deadline for students to submit their outstanding work is the December 31 that immediately follows. Departments and instructors may set an earlier deadline for completion of the outstanding work; in such cases, that deadline will supersede the GSAS deadline. In order to maintain good academic standing, students may carry only one Incomplete at a time. Students who carry two or more Incompletes simultaneously will be permitted to register in their programs, but they will receive a message from GSAS, copying the DGS or program director, alerting them that they are not making satisfactory academic progress and are therefore not in good academic standing until they hold fewer than two Incompletes.
Leaves of absence approved by GSAS stop the clock on Incomplete deadlines. If a student is granted a Leave of Absence from the University during the grace period of an Incomplete, the grade of Incomplete will remain on the student's transcript while the student is not enrolled, and the time of the leave will not count against the student's grace period. (The new deadline to submit outstanding work will be the original deadline—June 30 or December 31—plus the length of time of the leave.) A grade of Incomplete received by a student who does not register but is not granted an approved Leave of Absence from the University will be changed to an F after the original deadline has passed.
Pass/Fail credit are awarded up to a date determined by the University registrar and are approved by the Program Staff. Students must submit a pass/fail grade change form to the registrar by the date indicated on the academic calendar for that year to receive Pass/Fail. Faculty are not notified of this change though program staff will be--please consult program staff before activating this option.
R credit is a unique Columbia University system designed to indicate a special arrangement between student and professor. More like auditing than Pass/Fail, it reflects is most often as a result of special circumstances (usually in the form of a need for maternity leave, sick leave, etc.).
Please also take note of the academic calendar (be sure you've selected the appropriate school and year!) for information about add/drop and pass/fail deadlines. Please note that withdrawal/leave of absence deadlines are different.
Extension Requests for Academic Reasons
Full-time students are expected to complete the program in two semesters and should make every attempt to do so. The program can make exceptions for students to allow them to continue in the program for additional semesters with proper academic justification. Full-time students must complete all core required classes with the possible exception of the thesis seminar within the first 2 semesters in the program. Students seeking extensions must submit a formal request to Meghan McCarter(mdm2222@columbia.edu), QMSS Program Coordinator, by December 1st of their first semester at QMSS. Failure to meet the deadline for submission will have negative consequences for the approval of the request.
The petition for extension should include:
- An explanation as to why two semesters is an insufficient time period for the student to complete program requirements.
- A list of the courses the student has already taken and plans to take during their time in the program, broken down by semester. Keep in mind that generally during the extension semester, students may select one or more QMSS classes and up to two non-QMSS classes during fall or spring extension semesters. Only if the extension semester falls during the summer semester, students may take up to 3 non-QMSS classes.
The program staff will review petitions and respond promptly with their approval and/or concerns. Please keep in mind that petitions that do not have sufficient academic justifications will not be approved.
If the extension request is approved by the program, students will register for Extended Residence Units beyond their second semester.
Students seeking program extensions should note that University Housing beyond the first two semesters of the program is not guaranteed. Please contact University Housing or the GSAS Office of Student Affairsfor more information on available housing options.
In addition, international students must be mindful of their I-20 status. For all questions regarding I-20 status, please contact the ISSO.
Please contact the Program Coordinator if you have any question about the process if requesting a program extension.
Leave of Absence
Occasionally students need to take a leave of absence from the program for various reasons and some even find it necessary to withdraw from the program. If you find yourself in this situation, before taking any action please:
- Consult with the program coordinators or director about your options.
- Visit the Registrar's website for more information about the timing and finances of Withdrawal/Leave of Absence.
- Visit GSAS website to see what the school policies are for Withdrawal/Leave of Absence.
- Notify the QMSS staff of your final decision.
We hope that QMSS students won't need to use this information but if you do please know we will do our best to help you through the process.
