Home » How to Apply » Program of Study Proposal Guidelines
"In the Revson program and in these classes, I’ve had the opportunity to think about my work, how I as a “medium” shape the message, and learn new ways to analyze these things and better express them in new ways to people I’ve never met before."
Noah Budnick (2008 - 2009)
Deputy Director
Transportation Alternatives
Successful program of study proposals try to be as specific as possible in areas of study, possible courses, etc. We advise you to do some research on faculty, courses, and seminars that might address your interests. Wherever possible, you should integrate university resources (link to resources section of Revson Experience) into your program of study in order to give the selection committee an idea of how you will spend your time at Columbia.
Columbia has many different schools and programs, and Fellows may choose courses in almost any of the disciplines offered. Fellows are not limited to any one school or department and are encouraged to take a multidisciplinary approach to their studies.
Revson Fellows take at least two courses per semester so your proposal should contain at least four courses that you would like to take.
The University does not offer complete course listings for upcoming years, so applicants must base their descriptions of their course programs on the University’s current and past course offerings. You do not need to take into account course meeting dates or times, since this changes from semester to semester.
To search current course offerings, use Columbia’s course directory. To use the directory, simply choose a department from the alphabetical list, or enter a professor’s name or a keyword (i.e. urban), and search current listings. The directory provides information for the current semester and applicants are encouraged to base their course programs on current course offerings or on the lists provided on department web sites.
You will notice that the Course Directory does not provide descriptions of classes and professors. These can most often be found by visiting the department homepages. Almost all department homepages provide links to faculty profiles and course descriptions. It is often useful to browse through the many departments to get a sense of the variety of approaches you can take.
Several schools do not list their courses through the main course directory. You can view their courses using the following links:
In addition to the variety of academic departments, Columbia houses hundreds of Research Centers and Institutes. Many of them offer weekly workshops or seminar series that Fellows are encouraged to attend. Others offer lectures or events throughout the year. Browsing through the websites of the various centers is also a useful way to identify faculty who might be of interest to you.
The course search process is illustrated in this flowchart.
Once selected, fellows develop their study programs further with the aid of program staff, alumni, and Columbia faculty. We ask that applicants refrain from contacting professors and departments during the application process.
Sample academic programs that former Fellows have designed can be viewed here.
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