FICTION WORKSHOP

• Department: Writing
• Instructor: David M Gordon
  Info
• Instructor: Laura V Green
  Info
• Instructor: Heidi S Julavits
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Victor D Lavalle
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Hilary J Leichter
  Info
• Instructor: Samuel Lipsyte
  CULPA: 5 Info
• Instructor: Benjamin Marcus
  Info
• Instructor: Cleyvis Natera
  Info
• Instructor: Kat Tang
  Info
• 6 points

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING FOR THE CONSTRUCT

FIN & ACTG FOR CONSTR IND

.

• Department: Construction Administration
• Instructor: William Fischer
  Info
• 3 points

Insurance Management Student Community C

IMGT SCC

Insurance Management Student Community Center helps facilitate remote pre-residency requirements and preparatory activities to preserve the limited in-person time we have during the residency for other activities. Given that we are a remote program, this is the most effective way to introduce, assign, inform and track new student activity prior to starting the core courses. The use of a dedicated site helps the students practice using the LMS, in addition to acclimating to Columbia, the faculty and the resources. The activities in which the students participate for the residency are critical to their success in the 16-months of remote learning in which they engage. Recordings and other materials are provided to students in continuity with completed activities and the site is also used as a general communications tool with the students outside of the dedicated Canvas courses.

• Department: Insurance Management
• 0 points

UNDERSTAND CONFLICT & COOPERATION

UNDERSTAND CONFL & COOPER

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Instructor: Pedro D Franco
  Info
• 3 points

Histology & Pathology

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• 0 points

HISTOLOGY & PATHOLOGY

• Department: Pathology
• 0 points

PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• 0 points

PAINTING II

• Department: Visual Arts
• 3 points

Wealth Management Student Community Cent

WMGT Student Community Ce

The Wealth Management Student Community Center helps facilitate remote pre-residency requirements and preparatory activities to preserve the limited in-person time we have during the residency for other activities. Given that we are a remote program, this is the most effective way to introduce, assign, inform and track new student activity prior to starting the core courses. The use of a dedicated site helps them practice using the LMS, in addition to acclimating to Columbia, the faculty and the resources. The activities in which the students participate for the residency are critical to their success in the 16-months of remote learning in which they engage. Recordings and other materials are provided to students in continuity with completed activities and the site is also used as a general communications tool with the students outside of the dedicated Canvas courses.

• Department: Wealth Management
• 0 points

SAFETY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

SAFETY IN THE CONSTR INDU

.

• Department: Construction Administration
• Instructor: Joseph Schwed
  Info
• 3 points

Molecular Mechanisms

MOLECULAR MECHANISM HLTH/DISEA

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• Instructor: Jonathan M Barasch
  Info
• 0 points

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS HEALTH & DISEASE

• Department: Pathology
• 0 points

Wealth Management Student Community Cent

WMGT Student Community Ce

The Wealth Management Student Community Center helps facilitate remote pre-residency requirements and preparatory activities to preserve the limited in-person time we have during the residency for other activities. Given that we are a remote program, this is the most effective way to introduce, assign, inform and track student activity prior to starting the core courses. The activities in which the students participate for the residency are critical to their success in the 16-months of remote learning in which they engage. Recordings and other materials are provided to students in continuity with completed activities and the site is also used as a general communications tool with the students outside of the dedicated Canvas courses.

• Department: Wealth Management
• 0 points

LEGAL ISSUES IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

• Department: Construction Administration
• Instructor: Tim Hegarty
  Info
• 3 points

CLINICAL GROSS ANATOMY

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• 0 points

CLINICAL GROSS ANATOMY

• Department: Pathology
• 0 points

INTRODUCTION TO NEGOTIATION

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Instructor: Bodi Regan
  Info
• 3 points

Project Management Fundamentals: Analyti

PMGT FUNDAMENTALS: ANALYT

This core course introduces students to the quantitative, and analytical foundations of project management, with emphasis on the application of mathematical, and systems-based methods to the planning, execution, and control of complex projects. The course is designed for projects in quantitatively intensive environments such as engineering, technology, construction, consulting, and related sectors where structured planning, measurement, and optimization are essential.

Students develop practical skills in project selection and initiation, scope definition, network-based scheduling, resource allocation, cost and budget modeling, and performance measurement using established analytical techniques. Core topics include work breakdown structures, logic networks, critical path and PERT analysis, resource loading and leveling, financial and life-cycle cost analysis, earned value management, and probabilistic risk assessment, including Monte Carlo–based uncertainty analysis.

Through computational exercises, analytical simulations, and applied projects, students learn to model constraints, evaluate trade-offs, and interpret performance data to support decision-making throughout the project life cycle. By emphasizing structured methodologies and analytical rigor, the course prepares students to manage technically complex, data-rich projects across a range of industries.

• Department: Project Management
• Instructor: Evangelia Ieronymaki
  Info
• Instructor: Howard N Apsan
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

FOUNDATIONS OF CLINICAL MEDICINE I

• Department: Medicine
• 0 points

Organizational Conflict and Mediation

Org. Conflict & Meditatio

Organizations have adopted formal approaches, such as establishing grievance committees and ombudsman's offices, to mediate conflicts in the workplace setting and, on occasion, hire outside, independent mediators to handle escalated conflicts and public-facing disputes. Attempts to mediate conflict, though, are much more widespread in organizations than these formal approaches would suggest and are often undertaken by professionals from a wide variety of disciplines who have no formal training in mediation. Increasingly, such professionals are tasked to manage conflicts — whether their field is finance, marketing, social media or human resources — and are evaluated in performance reviews on their ability to perform this task. Professionals today must be prepared to acquire the knowledge and skills of a mediator to meet the expectations of the organization. 

With that end in mind, this course is designed for professionals who find themselves frequently having to intervene in conflicts between or among others. Although these professionals may choose to become full-time mediators, they are more likely to use mediation principles and techniques as additional tools to help them within their chosen fields of work, be it in public policy, social media, human resources, international development, peace-building or law. This course will aid professionals who wish to become skilled conflict practitioners, constructively managing conflict between or among people or groups with whom they engage.

This course is an elective in the NECR Program. It is open, space permitting, to cross-registrants from other fields and Columbia University schools and programs. There is no prerequisite knowledge or coursework to register for the course; however, if you have not taken a course in negotiation or studied that field, please contact the instructor. The course is delivered in-person on campus; participation by Zoom is not permitted. The course is semi-intensive and delivered over a partial semester.

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Instructor: Michele Riley
  Info
• 3 points

THE BODY IN HEALTH & DISEASE I

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• 0 points

Negotiation for Everyday Use

In this course, we will explore negotiation from several points of view and approaches. We will also look at characteristics that impact the quality of our negotiations and the outcomes, such as the role of emotions, cultural considerations, effectiveness of our communication, and opportunities to seek out negotiation to transform relationships. The course will be a blend of concepts and skills, theory and practice. On some occasions, you will be introduced to a concept and then asked to apply those concepts in an experiential activity. At other times, you will be asked to engage the activity or simulation and then the concepts will be elicited based on your experience. You will have several opportunities to practice developing your skills throughout the course, in terms of enhancing your practice and honing your analytical and conceptual understanding.

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Instructor: Clarence D Jr. Coaxum
  Info
• 3 points

Fieldwork Course in Economics

This course provides an opportunity for students in the Economics Master of Arts Program to engage in off-campus internships for academic credit that will count towards their requirements for the degree. The internships will facilitate the application of economic skills that students have developed in the program and prepare them for future work in the field.

• Department: Economics
• 1 points

Project Planning, Scheduling and Control

PRJCT PLANNING, SCHED, CN

This course provides graduate students with an in-depth exploration of project controls and schedule-based decision support with the project schedule treated as a management and control model rather than as a technical output. The course emphasizes deterministic and analytical modeling methods, including Critical Path Method (CPM), network-based optimization, schedule performance metrics, earned value analytics, and quantitative forecasting techniques, positioning the project schedule as a formal analytical model rather than a descriptive artifact. Primavera is used as an implementation and analysis tool to support schedule development, updating, performance measurement, and forecasting across diverse industries. The course equips students with the analytical, technical, and control-oriented skills, methodologies, and frameworks needed to manage projects effectively, ensuring completion on time, within budget, and according to specifications. Through a combination of standards-based analysis, software application, case studies, and practical assignments, students will develop the ability to build, baseline, update, interpret, and communicate schedules to monitor performance through KPIs, evaluate progress, and make informed decisions across the project lifecycle. Throughout the course, students are required to interpret what the schedule communicates to management, including the meaning of variances, implications of forecasts, and recommended corrective actions, rather than solely producing technical files or reports.

Designed for students pursuing advanced studies in project management, engineering management, construction management, and related professional tracks, this course is particularly valuable for those seeking careers that require deep expertise in planning, scheduling, and project controls. Emphasis is placed on developing mastery of schedule development, critical path analysis, resource and cost loading, progress measurement, forecasting, and schedule risk and change analysis as a component of an integrated project controls function, using industry-standard tools and methods. Building on foundational project management concepts, the course provides specialized training in schedule-centric project controls and equips students with the analytical, technical, and communication skills needed to design, manage, analyze, and govern complex project schedules as decision-support instruments across diverse industries.

This course prepares students for professional roles such as project cont

• Department: Project Management
• Instructor: Muriel Rachid Campomizzi
  Info
• 3 points

Campaign Finance & Fundraising Analytics

Campaign Fin & Fund Analy

Billions of dollars are raised and spent during U.S. presidential and congressional races each election cycle. Campaign expenditures play a critical role in election outcomes and political donations are used by corporations, unions, advocacy groups, and individuals to influence elected officials and public policy. Whether they are working for campaigns, advocacy groups, or consultants, political analysts need to have a sound understanding of campaign finance law and regulations, the chief strategies that contributors and recipients use to pursue their interests, and the incredibly rich data that is available to analyze and study campaign giving in the United States.

In this course, students will learn about the history and current state of campaign finance regulation, what motivates donors to give and what they may (or may not) receive in return, and how campaigns themselves fundraise and spend their billions. Students will become familiar with the ways data analytics have influenced how modern campaigns approach fundraising and the strategies used by candidates to finance a run for office. Finally, students will engage with the potential benefits and pitfalls of campaign finance reforms which, along with technological change, promise to keep political fundraising in a state of flux.

• Department: Political Analytics
• Instructor: Michael Schwam-Baird
  Info
• 3 points

Earth Ethics: Moral, Spiritual and Cultu

Earth Ethics is a framework for examining the ways in which human societies interrelate with natural systems, and the implications for our collective decision-making and behavior. This includes queries such as: how do we respond to the reality that those hurt first and worst by the modern megatrends of pollution and depletion are generally those least responsible for causing them? What are the laws, policies and social norms that undergird those megatrends? What are our responsibilities to future generations? What values shape our relationships with other species? In the pursuit of sustainability, what exactly are we sustaining and why? How does social change happen? Drawing from faith and wisdom traditions as well as science and history, this course will explore the moral, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of our global ecological circumstances and discern the principles and framing questions that should guide our response.

• Department: Climate School
• 1.5 points

Technology Integration in Project Manage

TECH INTEGRATION IN PMGT

Technology Integration in Project Management
explores the real-world adoption of digital transformation within complex project environments, moving beyond theoretical frameworks to provide a fully immersive and experiential learning environment. The course is uniquely structured as
Scrum sprints
, where students operate within standard agile events, roles, and artifacts to analyze and compare industry-leading Project Management Information Systems (PMIS). We will also explore waterfall and/or hybrid approaches throughout the course. Students will gain hands-on proficiency in platforms such as
Jira, Asana, Smartsheet, and Trello
, while simultaneously integrating data analytics tools like
Power BI
to monitor performance and enhance decision-making accuracy in Project, Program and Portfolio Management.

As an elective within the Master of Science in Project Management program, this course is designed for practitioners who wish to lead digitally driven organizations with efficiency and innovation. It serves a critical programmatic goal by bridging the gap between foundational project management methodologies and the high-tech execution required in the modern workforce. Another distinctive feature of this course is the mandatory and continuous evaluation of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies
; students are required to leverage generative AI and automation tools to streamline project delivery, simulating the real-world evolution of value delivery.

The course is a three-credit, full-semester elective delivered in an
in-person modality
. While tailored for Project Management students, it is open to cross-registrants from other Columbia University graduate programs, provided space is available. There are no formal prerequisites; however, students are expected to have a basic understanding of project lifecycles and a willingness to engage in an open and collaborative environment where rapid and iterative technical learning occurs. All technology platforms required for the sprint cycles will be accessible through university licenses or open-access academic versions.

• Department: Project Management
• 3 points

Finance for Technology Leaders

An exploration of the central concepts of corporate finance for those who already have some basic knowledge of finance and accounting. This case-based course considers project valuation; cost of capital; capital structure; firm valuation; the interplay between financial decisions, strategic consideration, and economic analyses; and the provision and acquisition of funds. These concepts are analyzed in relation to agency problems: market domination, risk profile, and risk resolution; and market efficiency or the lack thereof. The validity of analytic tools is tested on issues such as highly leveraged transactions, hybrid securities, volatility in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, acquisition and control premiums, corporate restructurings, and sustainable and unsustainable market inefficiencies.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Hsing-Hsing Li
  Info
• 3 points

Settler Colonialism

This course examines the relationship between colonialism, settlement and anthropology and the specific ways in which these processes have been engaged in the broader literature and locally in North America. We aim to understand colonialism as a theory of political legitimacy, as a set of governmental practices and as a subject of inquiry. Thus, we will re-imagine North America in light of the colonial project and its technologies of rule such as education, law and policy that worked to transform Indigenous notions of gender, property and territory. Our case studies will dwell in several specific areas of inquiry, among them: the Indian Act in Canada and its transformations of gender relations, governance and property; the residential and boarding school systems in the US and Canada, the murdered and missing women in Juarez and Canada and the politics of allotment in the US. Although this course will be comparative in scope, it will be grounded heavily within the literature from Native North America.

• Department: Anthropology
• Instructor: Audra Simpson
  CULPA: 5 Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

Annie Ernaux: Writing as a Knife

This course offers a deep dive into French contemporary novelist Annie Ernaux’s auto-sociobiographical fiction. It does so through close readings of some of her major works, organized
thematically and across Ernaux’s oeuvre. Close readings of texts will be paired with recent film/theatre adaptations, sociological and theoretical work that has inspired Ernaux, her work’s
growing critical reception (amplified by her Nobel prize last year), as well as other writers that have been inspired by hers. Themes covered include: writing impersonally in the first person;
what is auto-socio-biography; exploring women’s desire and sexuality; Ernaux’s feminism and other kinds of militancy; ethnographies of contemporary France and the baby-boomer
generation. Throughout, we will consider what kind of genre Ernaux’s writing is, and what writing as a knife can do.

• Department: French
• Instructor: Thomas Dodman
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

Full-Stack Products and Practices

Full-Stack Products & Pra

This course provides a comprehensive examination of modern software product development, focusing on creating solutions that address clear user needs and challenges. A “product” in this context refers to a software program that instructs computer hardware to operate, solve problems, and manage tasks effectively.

Modern product development benefits from systematic practices that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and continuity. These practices, including flexibility, iterative development, customer feedback, and efficient project management, are essential for adapting quickly to rapidly evolving market and technology landscapes.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Anthony J Duhaime Candeias
  Info
• 3 points

Research in Economics

This is a required course that facilitates the capstone research paper writing process for second-year students enrolled in the M.A. Program in Economics. The research paper provides an opportunity to write a substantial piece of academic work in which the student is expected to demonstrate mastery of a field, along with the ability to think originally and to convey results clearly in writing.

• Department: Economics
• Instructor: Seyhan Erden
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 1 points

METHODS: CLOSE READING & CREATIVE WRITIN

METHODS: CLOSE RDNG & CRT

TBA

• Department: Narrative Medicine
• 3 points

METHODS: CLOSE READING & CREATIVE WRITIN

METHODS: CLOSE RDNG & CRT

TBA

• Department: Narrative Medicine
• 3 points

Leadership & Professional Development fo

NOPM Professional Develop

Investing in professional growth is essential to building strong, adaptive, and innovative nonprofit organizations. Columbia University's M.S. in Nonprofit Management Professional Development Series is an online, bi-weekly, zero-credit seminar class that helps students stay current with best practices, navigate complex challenges, improve organizational sustainability, and enhance their impact in the communities they serve. Students will increase their networks and connect with potential mentors and employers while hearing how they can leverage the M.S. in Nonprofit Management degree in their own careers.

The course, which is a co-registration requirement for NOPM students taking Capstone, is open to all NOPM students and for cross-registration.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
  Info
• 0 points

Finance and Accounting for Project Manag

FIN & ACCOUNTING PROJ MAN

This course is designed for Project Management professionals looking to understand how the management of a project affects the overall accounting and financing functions of an organization.  This course will also provide an understanding of interpreting financial information that is generated by an organization and being able to compare, contrast and benchmark against similar types of companies.

This course will allow participants in the program to understand the importance of the finance and accounting functions of an organization by teaching them how to read financial statements and related footnotes, obtain an understanding of basic accounting functions and terminology and introduce the participant on how to create and analyze budgets for individual project metrics and as well as overall company metrics.  The course is also designed to integrate the participants with the program disciplines of project management including project design, project delivery and legal aspects.  The course will also promote ideology of working in teams as the final assignment will be group presentations of a multi-faceted development project anchored by a minor league baseball facility, surrounding commercial and hospitality space and multi-unit residential subdivision.  Teams will develop project budgets for each phase of the project. The teams will address how each aspect of the project will benefit the owner of the sports entertainment facility, address sustainability management and how technology and AI from the design and planning phase through the utilization and maintenance phase effects the financing of the project.  Each group will customize their presentations from a case study provided by the instructor.

This is a required core class of the degree program and can be offered to other degree programs and certificates related to the development or investment in ground up and or rehabilitation projects.  There is no prerequisite knowledge required to take this course.  The course is a full semester in person/on campus class but will have an online and historical recording of all classes for those unable to attend any given class session or lecture.

• Department: Project Management
• 3 points

THE TECHNOLOGY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Students are expected to have completed a year of high school physics and chemistry.  It would be best to have also taken college level physics and chemistry.

Renewable energy is generated from natural processes that are continuously replenished.  Aside from geothermal and tidal power, solar radiation is the ultimate source of renewable energy.  In order to have a sustainable environment and economy, CO2 emissions must be reduced (and eventually stopped).  This requires that the fossil fuel based technologies underlying our present electricity generation and transportation systems be replaced by renewable energy.  In addition, the transition to renewable technologies will move nations closer to energy independence and thereby reduce geopolitical tensions associated with energy trading. This course begins with a review of the basics of electricity generation and the heat engines that are the foundation of our current energy systems.  This course will emphasize the inherent inefficiency associated with the conversion of thermal energy to electrical and mechanical energy. The course then covers the most important technologies employed to generate renewable energy.  These are hydroelectric, wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, biomass/biofuel, tidal and wave power. The course ends with a description of energy storage technologies, energy markets and possible pathways to a renewable energy future.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• Instructor: Jonathan Hollander
  Info
• 3 points

Technology for Good and Civic Technology

Tech for Good and Civic T

This course equips the next generation of technologists with the skills, strategies, and savvy needed to secure systemic and lasting change for social good. These topics are examined in three units: 1. Intrapreneurship: how to guide responsible technology within and by multinationals and other large-scale, risk-averse institutions; 2. Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits: how to balance market pressures with values-based missions within startups, nonprofits, and other social-good tech enterprises; and 3. Civic Tech: how to navigate policy, politics, and bureaucracies in delivering citizen-facing technologies within local, regional, and national government bodies.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

POPULAR & HISTORICAL GESTURES: FIGURE DR

POP. & HIST. GESTURES: FI

Popular and Historical Gestures explores the fundamental properties of figure drawing and portraiture through the lens of pop culture and historical gestures and poses. Students examine the figure in painting, documentary photography, art history, and literature, and then use these examples as sources for live model sessions, studio practice, and discussions. Students will work on self-directed projects and from live models. There are one-on-one and group discussions, as well as individual critiques with the instructor. Class time will include image presentations, discussions, museum trips, individual and group critiques, and in-class independent work time. Each class will begin with a homework critique and a discussion, lecture, or demonstration structured around a specific goal. Students will then work individually. Each class will end with brief individual and group critiques to allow students to see and discuss each other's work.

• Department: Visual Arts
• Instructor: David A Cruz
  Info
• 3 points

INTRAPERSONAL DYNAMICS & CONFLICT

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• Instructor: Barry Sommer
  Info
• 3 points

Project Management Capstone Project

PMGT CAPSTONE PROJECT

The Capstone Project is the culminating integrative experience of the MS in Project Management program. Students are expected to enter the course prepared to apply quantitative reasoning, structured planning methods, and financial analysis to complex project environments.

Working in teams, students engage in a complex real or realistic project scenario and design an integrated project strategy or applied analytical study that addresses a significant real world challenge in project management. Capstone projects are organized around the concentrations offered within the program, including Construction, Technology, Sports, and Sustainability. Students enrolled in a specific concentration will work on a project aligned with their track. Students in the General track may elect to participate in one of the concentration based projects or may be assigned to a cross sector project depending on availability and enrollment distribution.

Projects may be sourced from industry partners when available. When industry collaboration exists, it may include document access, advisory input, or structured feedback. When no external sponsor is involved, faculty curated materials and case documentation will be provided.

The course emphasizes rigorous problem definition, stakeholder analysis, structured evaluation, and evidence based decision making. Students are expected to integrate quantitative and qualitative reasoning, financial and operational considerations, risk awareness, governance design, and performance evaluation into a coherent and defensible strategy. Through faculty mentorship and peer collaboration, students progressively develop their work into a final written deliverable and executive level presentation that demonstrate professional readiness, analytical maturity, and leadership capacity in complex project environments.

• Department: Project Management
• 3 points

Strategic Advocacy

Today, leaders must confront a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It demands that we strengthen how we lead change. We are all being stretched to learn, unlearn, relearn, and this is especially true for technology leaders – who operate in the ‘eye of the storm’ of relentless change. 

In this context, strategic advocacy -- achieving support for change to address the challenges that confront an organization and the opportunities they provide – requires knowing and applying useful skills, behavior, and practices to win commitment to new, even unanticipated directions.

This is a full-semester core course in the MS in Technology Management executive program designed to expose students to practices, tools, frameworks, concepts, and real-world examples that will help you move from a technical/functional role to a senior executive orientation. Everyone’s journey is unique. As you apply the course content in real life you will be expected to choose, experiment with, and adapt the relevant approaches most meaningful to your situation.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Amy Radin
  Info
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Shahryar Shaghaghi
  Info
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

Essentials for Technology Management and

Essentials for Tech Mgmt.

This 3-credit core course in the M.S. in Technology Management program provides an overview of the strategic role of the technology function to improve business processes, drive transformations, and fuel innovation. Through lectures and applied case study work, students will learn how to develop and keep technology strategies aligned with business goals, navigate governance, regulatory, and budgetary frameworks, and evaluate risks to protect the organization’s IT investments.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Kathy Cage
  Info
• 3 points

Water and Soil Monitoring to Protect Pub

The course will provide students with the methods and tools to understand, monitor, and analyze current environmental health threats in water and soil, and explore strategies for solving these complex challenges. Students will leave the course with a stronger sense of the power, and limitations, of environmental data and will be better equipped to evaluate and communicate the effectiveness of environmentally responsible policies. After completing the course, students will be able to apply basic scientific principles to evaluate and address public health challenges posed by water and soil pollution.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• Instructor: Lex Van Geen
  Info
• 3 points

Technology Marketing

This class provides students with a deep dive into marketing and communication strategies and channels for tech company, product, and services launches. Students will work on customer personas for B2B and B2C technologies and reflect upon sustainability guidelines to shape their marketing strategy. They will analyze the different elements that make a soft and hard launch successful, such customer testimonials and industry analyst relations. The course will also discuss how AI is changing the marketing of  companies, products and services.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Katja Schroeder
  Info
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

User-Centric Design and Innovation

Everything we encounter in society (products, services, brands, processes, events, spaces, systems, even politics) was designed to a lesser or greater degree to optimize a particular quality and create a specific experience. Design can be applied to any offering and the design process can be applied to the evaluation, development, and delivery of offerings within any industry or in response to many challenges. This makes it particularly critical and integral for most kinds of innovation.

This course will explore a broad range of design topics, including the design process, nearly always in a business context. It will be hands-on, learning by building design solutions. We will look at procedural issues that describe how to integrate the design process into other business operations as well as contemporary and future challenges facing design and strengths of design as a user-based process and perspective.

Participants in this semester-long elective will emerge with a proficient understanding of the design process, how it relates to business on many levels, what to expect of design work products, and how to evaluate design solutions in larger contexts. Participants won’t necessarily become design experts or expert designers, but will be capable of critiquing design and evaluating how it can add value to their own endeavors.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Nathan Shedroff
  Info
• 3 points

Digital Analytics: Driving Growth throug

Digital Analytics: Data a

This elective course integrates analytic methodology with technology application to prepare students to lead data-informed decision-making in digital environments. Students learn how to convert digital signals into accountable, value-creating decisions, and move systematically from signal to insight to decision to value.

This course emphasizes decision architecture, executive translation, and value creation in digital ecosystems. Students develop the ability to interpret digital signals, assess analytic maturity, evaluate methodological rigor, and design actionable analytics roadmaps aligned to organizational strategy and governance.

The course combines conceptual frameworks, peer-reviewed research, hands-on demonstrations of leading digital analytics and AI tools, and applied exercises grounded in real organizational contexts.

This 3-credit elective was developed for the M.S. in Technology Management (TMGT) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. The course supports the program’s mission to bridge theory and practice by equipping students with applied analytical frameworks grounded in research and industry practice, preparing them to lead digital transformation initiatives with strategic, ethical, and organizational awareness. Space permitting, the course is open to cross-registrants from other Columbia graduate programs whose academic or professional interests involve analytics-informed decision-making. No advanced programming or data engineering background is required; however, students are expected to have foundational business literacy and a strong interest in applying analytics to real-world organizational challenges.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: John Nives
  Info
• 3 points

Medieval to Contemporary Painting Techni

Medieval to Contemporary Painting Techniques explores the fundamental properties of paint materials by studying the paint-making techniques used by old masters of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods up through the contemporary era. Through hands-on work and experimentation, including preparing paint materials themselves, students will gain experience making and working with egg tempera, oil paint, and synthetic materials such as acrylics. They will develop a stronger understanding of how these materials function and how their uses fit into historical traditions and cultural contexts.

Students will participate in weekly material and technique-building workshops. They will be given select open-ended assignments for which they can choose a particular approach to explore. Students will learn how to handle traditional and contemporary materials in compliance with high material safety standards.

• Department: Visual Arts
• Instructor: Naomi Safran-Hon
  Info
• 3 points

Cybersecurity

With the advent of generative AI and the impending arrival of quantum computing, risks to organizations and individuals have grown exponentially. Innovation in offensive and defensive tools and technologies continues to increase. How does a leader keep up? Leaders must know how to work with internal experts and to manage these issues internally, with Boards, and for the public. Proficiency in strategies and principles, some of which date back to the ancient Greeks and Chinese, prevail over tools.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Corey Hirsch
  Info
• 3 points

Mastering Consulting: Strategy, Influenc

The field of management consulting is dedicated to delivering increased value to client organizations by effectively diagnosing complex challenges and crafting tailored, strategic solutions that drive meaningful change, ultimately improving organizational performance, agility, and long-term success. Moreover, mastering consulting skills strengthens leadership and stakeholder management, enabling consultants to build trust and foster collaboration that maximizes client impact in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

This course addresses a critical need by providing students with a comprehensive and integrated approach to mastering the essential skills required of advisors and consultants. Recognizing the complexities inherent in these roles, the program immerses students in realistic, end-to-end client scenarios from initial sales engagements through to project execution, equipping them to navigate complex and challenging situations with confidence.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of management consulting, this course was developed through a unique partnership between the Technology Management and Human Capital Management graduate programs at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. Designed by senior consulting partners from top-tier firms, and taught by deeply experienced practitioners, this course offers a comprehensive toolkit that students can apply in both consulting and industry roles. It uniquely integrates practical consulting tools with leadership development to prepare students for the multifaceted challenges of the ‘trusted advisor’ role to clients and leaders.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

Mastering Consulting: Strategy, Influenc

The field of management consulting is dedicated to delivering increased value to client organizations by effectively diagnosing complex challenges and crafting tailored, strategic solutions that drive meaningful change, ultimately improving organizational performance, agility, and long-term success. Moreover, mastering consulting skills strengthens leadership and stakeholder management, enabling consultants to build trust and foster collaboration that maximizes client impact in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

This course addresses a critical need by providing students with a comprehensive and integrated approach to mastering the essential skills required of advisors and consultants. Recognizing the complexities inherent in these roles, the program immerses students in realistic, end-to-end client scenarios from initial sales engagements through to project execution, equipping them to navigate complex and challenging situations with confidence.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of management consulting, this course was developed through a unique partnership between the Technology Management and Human Capital Management graduate programs at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. Designed by senior consulting partners from top-tier firms, and taught by deeply experienced practitioners, this course offers a comprehensive toolkit that students can apply in both consulting and industry roles. It uniquely integrates practical consulting tools with leadership development to prepare students for the multifaceted challenges of the ‘trusted advisor’ role to clients and leaders.

• Department: Technology Management
• 3 points

ELEMENTS LATIN PROSE STYLE

Prerequisites: at least four semesters of Latin, or the equivalent. Intensive review of Latin syntax with translation of English sentences and paragraphs into Latin.

• Department: Classics @Barnard
• Instructor: Kristina Milnor
  CULPA: 21 Wikipedia h-index: 10 Info
• 4 points

SOCIAL PURPOSE BUSINESSES: AT THE INTERS

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: John Tyler
  h-index: 3 Info
• 3 points

SUSTAINABLE FINANCE

This course is an introduction to how sustainability issues (commonly referred to as ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance) have become financially material to the global equity, credit, underwriting, insurance, risk management, venture capital, and asset management capital markets. These issues have a direct impact on risk exposure and the quality of public, private and government debt/equity investments. The course will devote significant time to fundamental principles of finance including valuation, financial statements, time-value of money, capital markets, and asset management. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively communicate sustainability/ ESG issues to a financial professional.

This course gives students a foundation in how sustainability issues affect the various sectors of finance and an understanding of how integrating sustainability principles and practices into finance can be used to make a business become more efficient, effective, reduce risks, create opportunities and provide competitive advantage, for both companies and financial firms alike. The course will provide a framework for how sustainable investing has subcategories for socially responsible investing (SRI), ESG integration, ESG thematics, and Impact Investing. The alignment and tradeoffs of sustainability issues and their impact on management and investors will also be addressed.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Bruce Kahn
  Info
• 3 points

Technology Product Management

In this course, students will explore the full product lifecycle from discovery and user research to agile execution, stakeholder engagement, and go-to-market planning. But beyond the tools and tactics, this course invites students to step into the mindset of a product leader: someone who doesn’t just manage ideas, but brings them to life with courage, conviction, and collaboration. Whether you’re refining an existing solution, launching something new, or championing someone else’s vision, you’ll learn how to lead from wherever you are navigating complexity, earning influence without authority, and making impactful decisions even when the destination is unclear.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Allan Gonzalez
  Info
• 3 points

Special Topics: Pathways to the C-Suite:

This course is an advanced leadership studio for early- and mid-career technology and business professionals seeking a practical, decade-long roadmap to CIO, CTO, or CISO roles. Grounded in Columbia SPS’s scholar-practitioner model, the course guides students to design their own route to the C-suite through disciplined, operator-grade leadership practice. Each week blends real-world operator narratives with frameworks in decision science, systems thinking, risk, and culture, paired with studios where students create authentic CxO artifacts—entry plans, audits, governance schemes, and comms strategies. The “Path to CxO” framework connects every concept to concrete habits, exposures, and role moves students can act on now. By term’s end, participants synthesize a first-year CIO operating model and build a personal Path to CxO portfolio—charting their capability gaps, next steps, and evolution toward running technology at scale.

• Department: Technology Management
• Instructor: Hood Qaim-Maqami
  Info
• 3 points

INTEGRATED TALENT MGMT STRATEGIES

• Department: Human Capital Management
• Instructor: Steven I Safier
  Info
• 3 points

FAMILY BUSINESS AND CONFLICT

Conflicts that arise in family businesses are informed by long family histories and patterns of behavior, multiple identities, and are often characterized by communication breakdowns and emotional upheaval.  Conflicts in these contexts are costly emotionally, financially and relationally to family members and also to non-family employees and ultimately to the longevity of the business organization itself.  When conflict arises within these contexts it can be difficult to separate the personal relationships from the business relationships.  Because these types of business disputes can be especially emotional, how can we most effectively engage with this type of conflict?  

This course builds theoretical knowledge by introducing some context specific theories, models, and frameworks. We will build on existing NECR coursework introducing the Three Circle Model of Family Business (Tagiuri and Davis); Founders’s Value Categories Framework (Liebowitz);  Dynamical Systems Theory (Coleman, et.al.) as it applies to a family businesses; Family Systems Theory (Bowen; Minuchin) and family dynamics as a subsystem; Sustaining Cycles of Trust Model (Sundaramurthy)  and communications in family businesses (Astrachan and McMillan); discuss EQi-2.0 360 version (MHS) and its usefulness in the family business workplace; introduce and administer the Neethling Brain Instrument (Dr. Kobus Neethling & Paul Torrance) (NBI) as a tool for understanding more about individual thinking styles and how this knowledge informs group dynamics.  

Case studies will be a primary focus throughout the course, providing examples that address a spectrum of classic family business conflicts. We will use tools to analyze and develop intervention strategies in small and large group activities. This elective course is designed for NECR degree candidates, or any SPS graduate student with an interest in the topic, space permitting.  If you are a student outside the NECR program, please contact instructors for additional readings to inform course materials.  NECR students will be required to have taken Introduction to Mediation NECR PS5107, Understanding Conflict and Cooperation NECR PS5101, Skills Practicum: Self as Instrument NECR PS5880, Intrapersonal Dynamics NECR PS5124.

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• 3 points

ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

ENERGY AND SUST DEVELOPMENT

This course addresses the relationship of energy production and use to human development and sustainability. It explores “sustainable development” as both an ideal and practical challenge, a global concern but a specific local consideration in energy production and use.

The focus of Energy & Sustainable Development is the planning and implementation of energy projects, programs, businesses and policies (collectively "energy enterprises") in frontier markets; that is, smaller, less developed countries, as well as niche opportunities within larger settings and more developed economies. 

Students should consider this course if they wish to:


Examine the interconnections of energy to the major issues that comprise sustainable development, such as health, poverty, economic opportunity, social and environmental conditions, climate and weather, and energy ethics and justice.

Explore established and cutting-edge options for delivering modern energy in developing countries and other frontier markets; and,

Prepare market analysis, and energy for development proposals. It is helpful but not essential for students to be comfortable with rudimentary financial analysis and feasibility tools.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• 3 points

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT OF NONPROFITS

LEADERSHIP&MGMT OF NONPRO

Leadership & Management of Nonprofits is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of how nonprofit organizations function, including ways in which the various functional areas of a nonprofit interconnect to achieve its mission and vision. We will address the skills and knowledge needed to lead and manage the operations and programs of an organization as well as work effectively with organizational stakeholders including governing boards, staff, partners and program recipients.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: Kimberly A McCall
  Info
• 3 points

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT OF NONPROFITS

LEADERSHIP&MGMT OF NONPRO

Leadership & Management of Nonprofits is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of how nonprofit organizations function, including ways in which the various functional areas of a nonprofit interconnect to achieve its mission and vision. We will address the skills and knowledge needed to lead and manage the operations and programs of an organization as well as work effectively with organizational stakeholders including governing boards, staff, partners and program recipients.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• 3 points

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT OF NONPROFITS

LEADERSHIP&MGMT OF NONPRO

Leadership & Management of Nonprofits is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of how nonprofit organizations function, including ways in which the various functional areas of a nonprofit interconnect to achieve its mission and vision. We will address the skills and knowledge needed to lead and manage the operations and programs of an organization as well as work effectively with organizational stakeholders including governing boards, staff, partners and program recipients.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: Elizabeth Angeles
  Info
• 3 points

SUMA PS5157 Carbon Markets and Global Cl

Carbon markets have become a central tool in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This course explores the economics, institutions, and pricing mechanisms that shape these markets, providing students with a fundamental description and analysis of emissions trading systems (ETS), carbon taxes, voluntary carbon markets, internal carbon transfer pricing and emerging financial instruments. Beginning with microeconomic foundations such as externalities and market-based climate policies, students will analyze the role of international organizations and regulatory frameworks, including the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, and regional policies like the EU Green Deal, the California carbon market and RGGI. Through real-world case studies, students will evaluate carbon pricing mechanisms across jurisdictions and industries, gaining the analytical skills necessary to assess policy effectiveness and market integrity. Designed for graduate students in environmental economics, public policy, sustainability, and finance, this course is particularly relevant for those pursuing careers in climate policy, carbon finance, and international development.

This course serves as a critical component of the environmental policy and sustainability curriculum, bridging economic theory with practical policy implementation. By integrating key concepts from environmental economics, climate governance, and financial markets, it reinforces students’ understanding of how carbon pricing aligns with broader sustainability goals. Additionally, the course supports programmatic objectives by equipping students with the technical expertise and policy fluency needed to navigate and shape carbon markets. Whether students aim to work in governmental agencies, international organizations, or private-sector sustainability roles, this course provides the necessary foundation to engage with one of the most dynamic areas of climate policy.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou
  Info
• 3 points

DATA MODELING

DATA MODELING ONLINE

• Department: Applied Analytics
• Instructor: Steven Hoberman
  Info
• 3 points

PROJECT CONTROLS IN CONSTRUCTION

• Department: Construction Administration
• Instructor: Sadia I Janjua
  Info
• 3 points

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & DECISION MAKING

• Department: Human Capital Management
• Instructor: Aaron S Wallen
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING FOR NONPROFIT

COMM & MRKTNG FOR NONPROFITS

This introductory core course examines the central role of marketing and communications in fulfilling the mission of nonprofit institutions of all types and at all stages of development. The programmatic objective of this course is to build a shared set of competencies and understandings around the power, practices, ethical applications, and desired outcomes of nonprofit marketing and communications.

Dramatic changes across civil society in recent years, including the evolving role of nonprofits in democratic discourse and the rise of new forms of communications technologies, means that nonprofit leaders today must have a fundamental understanding of the principles of marketing and communications in order to ensure organizational success both internally and externally. While outreach technologies and trends change rapidly in our era, true excellence in the field is based upon a core group of basic skills that are hardly novel: strong writing and analysis, strategic planning, and the ability to connect disparate individuals across a wide range of disciplines and diverse backgrounds to build an inclusive community around shared goals.

This course is designed to help students gain these skills through engaging with the strategic frameworks and tactical applications needed to create and leverage a range of communications and marketing activities. The course will introduce students to multiple communications and marketing practices designed to engage key stakeholders, including donors, the media, volunteers and advocates, and additional internal and external influencers and sector leaders. Throughout the semester, the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all forms of outreach (written and oral; digital and print) will be foregrounded.

No prior marketing or communications experience is necessary.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
  Info
• 3 points

Climate Finance and Sustainable Developm

Climate Finance & Sust De

The course provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges of transnational financing from public and private sources that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation investments intended to address climate change. Although there is increased and widespread commitment to taking climate action on the part of corporations, financial institutions, countries and sub-national actors, there remains a paucity of examples where a just transition has been furthered. The conditions engendered by the advent of widespread pandemics have exacerbated global differences in capacity and access to solutions. Nevertheless, the emergence of new financial mechanisms and global cooperative responses to the pandemic have revealed potential methods to finance enhancements in mitigation and adaptation in the regions where these are most lacking. We examine current capital and trade flows and their relationship to flows of embedded carbon, methods of carbon pricing and the implementation of low-carbon pathways, with an evaluation of decentralized co-benefits that can advance sustainable development. We combine analysis of carbon accounting and financial structuring to design potential investments in example decarbonization projects which integrate additionality in mitigation and adaptation, co-benefits and poverty alleviation.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Satyajit Bose
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

RESPONSIVENESS AND RESILIENCE IN THE BUI

RESPONSIVENESS & RESILIENCE

Urban Systems and their Sites
There are general, consensual definitions and practices that accrue to resilience, and we will consider these in our readings and lectures. But when considering a specific place and its hazards, specificity is necessary. This semester, we are considering how one city, Providence, deals with its flows of materials and wastes; how its systems can be improved for lesser climate impact (mitigation); how the locations and means of flows can help to respond to climate change challenges (adaptation and resilience); and how to realize potentials of urban systems for their capacity to deliver on promises to the people who depend on them.

This course will ask you to engage actively as well as providing information through lectures and readings. The work includes class discussion, student presentations, longer-term group research projects, in-class lab time, and an elective weekend design workshop conducted with the Department of Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design. Outside experts will occasionally lecture. All that you learn will be leveraged in your final group design project for Providence, RI.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Lynnette Widder
  Info
• 3 points

Sustainability Metrics: Driving Urban an

SUSTAINABILITY METRICS

Over the past two decades, public and private institutions have set clear targets for environmental, economic, and social performance and they are increasingly using analytical tools to assess problems and measure progress.  The advent of “Big Data” has accelerated this work – and opened up new possibilities and challenges. This course will examine the use of data and metrics to shape and implement sustainability policies and programs and to assess and communicate their outcomes.

The course will survey a range of real-world sustainability challenges and evaluate the choices confronting public officials, private companies, NGO’s, advocates, and citizens – and the data that can be used to diagnose problems, develop solutions, and measure success. Particular focus will be given to urban sustainability efforts and corporate sustainability.  We will explore how data can be used and misused in each of these domains.  Throughout we will emphasize the importance of context, comparability, and completeness of information. 

Students will be required to critically evaluate what they read and hear. In addition, the course will give students an opportunity to learn how to express their ideas verbally and in written form and conduct a critical analysis of how environmental data is used to develop and implement public policy. Assignments will give students the opportunity to use their technical and analytical skills while understanding the real-world applications that will be important to their future work as planners, policymakers, advocates, architects, environmentalists, or other professions. The course will feature guest lectures from speakers who are leaders in their fields. Lecture topics may be moved to accommodate speaker travel and availability. Notice will be provided to students in advance of any schedule changes.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Adam Freed
  Info
• 3 points

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

This course covers the basic elements of crisis communication and the procedures for creating crisis communications plans and for reacting to crises when they occur. How best to develop various plans for different critical audiences and understand the most effective strategies for communicating your organization’s message during a crisis is explored. The course examines various types of crises that can occur with corporations and nonprofit organizations and the differences and similarities among them. How to avoid the classic and common pitfalls of crisis communication are addressed, as are ethical issues that arise during crises. Numerous case studies are discussed in class and exercises both in and outside of class are assigned so students gain experience in crisis communication situations.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• Instructor: Andrew Whitehouse
  Info
• 3 points

Sustainable Operations - Corporate Value

Leading and advancing sustainability within an organization’s operations requires a strategic and balanced approach. Focusing on the integration of a wide range of today’s sustainability drivers, in a manner consistent with the organization’s culture and business objectives, optimizes the chances for long term success and impact. To that end, this course takes a broad high level approach at systematically analyzing both risks & opportunities to integrate sustainability at each step along a complex value chain. Specifically, students will be asked to assume the role of a sustainability professional within a private sector company, tasked with integrating various sustainability strategies, initiatives and tools into the fabric of the business.

Throughout the semester, the entire end-to-end value chain will be examined, however it is not the intent to conduct full in-depth technical analyses of each value chain area, rather we will look at sustainable operations from a high-level strategic management viewpoint, discussing integration opportunities and intersections related to: product design, procurement, logistics, physical operations, stakeholder engagement, product/service use and end-of-life disposition.

By considering the organization holistically, we will discuss analytical concepts and industry tools related to life cycle thinking, cost/benefit analyses, corporate sustainability strategies, and risk assessments. In addition to technical sustainability considerations such as climate change, energy, water and waste, students will learn to implement practical sustainability initiatives within operating organizations by carefully considering key stakeholder expectations and overall materiality. Finally, the intersection of sustainability and brand purpose will be explored, helping to find the sweet spot between sustainability science and creative/marketing communication.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Vance Merolla
  Info
• 3 points

Sustainable Operations - Supply Chain Ma

In an era of growing environmental and social awareness, supply chains have emerged as a powerful lever for driving
sustainability in operations. Supply chain emissions are, on average, 11.4 times higher than operational emissions (1)
making them a critical focal point for impactful change in operations. This course explores the essential role of supply
chains in achieving sustainable outcomes and equips students with the tools and insights needed to transform
conventional practices into innovative, responsible, and efficient systems. This course is part of a broader curriculum
aimed at cultivating leaders who can integrate sustainability into the heart of business strategy. It is designed for
students from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, no prior experience in operations or supply chain
management is required to excel in this course.

Through this interdisciplinary journey, students will gain a robust foundation in supply chain management, learning
to integrate sustainability principles across operations. The course balances analytical skills with creative problem-
solving, preparing students to address real-world challenges. Upon completing this course, students will gain a
comprehensive skillset to analyze, design, and implement sustainable operations solutions in their future careers.
Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategic role of supply chains in modern economies,
including their critical impact in decarbonization efforts. Students will also learn to apply key analytical tools such as
demand forecasting and risk assessment, while mastering strategies for sourcing, supplier management, and logistics
optimization.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Catarina Carvalho
  Info
• 3 points

ADVANCED WRITING PROJECT

In this advanced professional writing workshop, students are guided through the process of crafting a significant publication-ready piece of writing, applying principles of journalism and strategic communication. Whether a book chapter, in-depth feature article, white paper, or policy proposal, each student’s unique project will require mastering a range of communication tools—including storytelling, data presentation, observation, and analysis.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• Instructor: Edith Hill Updike
  Info
• 3 points

RESOLVING URBAN CONFLICT

This course explores and applies insights from a variety of academic disciplines to social conflict in urban areas. In addition, in this course we will treat the urban experience as the stage where social conflicts (family, corporate, political, etc.) are experienced and transformed collectively. 

Analyzing and Resolving Urban Conflict explores the contribution that the fields of conflict resolution, human geography, urban studies, and peace and conflict studies can offer to support efforts in lowering violence. This course also seeks to identify and resolve the underlying issues and patterns causing the outbreak and proliferation of violence in cities.

Specifically, the entire world is facing dramatic demographic changes due to the massive movement of people within and across national territories. According to the United Nations, by 2050, two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities or other urban centers. Domestically and internationally, cities are already becoming settings of new social and violent conflicts. We are already witnessing less rural insurgency and more urban insurgency, fewer guerrillas and more gangs and urban militias. In fact, urban areas are becoming the hubs of the transnational flow of commodities and people, of both licit and illicit markets. Cities around the world are increasingly stages where social problems, such as income inequality, racism, and gender-based violence are manifesting and being politically addressed via social movements.   

The course will have an interdisciplinary approach and will draw especially from the fields of anthropology, human geography, and peace and conflict studies. Throughout the course, these disciplines will be in dialogue with systems thinking approaches to analyze and transform social conflicts. In particular, students will also have an opportunity to apply the concepts learned by mapping and analyzing a case study of urban conflict.

Furthermore, the instructor will provide insights, principles and notions he has gained over the years while working as both a practitioner and a scholar in challenging urban environments such as Medellin and Bogotá, Colombia.

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• 3 points

CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS

Effective dialogue is one of the single most important activities of leaders today. Whether you are confronting a team member who is not keeping commitments, critiquing a colleague’s work, disagreeing with a spouse about financial decisions, or telling someone no, critical conversations are often avoided or handled in clumsy ways. This course will provide the theory underpinning these conversations, diagram their structure, and provide specific strategies for approaching them successfully.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• Instructor: Jesse L Scinto
  Info
• 3 points

BUSINESS FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT

THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE NFL

In this course, students will critically analyze and consider the successes and challenges facing the NFL. Specifically, students will be tasked with identifying what accounts for its success as both a corporate and cultural institution; what lessons can be drawn from the success of the NFL that could pertain to other industries, whether in professional sports or elsewhere; and importantly, how the NFL is actually run as a business. Students will take a deep dive into a variety of subjects within the business of the NFL have first-hand access to NFL insiders from a variety of sectors within the league, and be tasked with cultivating business, marketing, leadership and general decision-making skills drawn from real-world experiences within the NFL.

• Department: Sports Management
• 3 points

ACCOUNTING, FINANCE, AND MODELING OF SUS

ACCT FIN & MOD OF SUS INV

This course is designed to provide students with working knowledge on how to make successful investments in sustainable companies and to prepare students to be conversationally literate in financial reporting. As you leave the school and become leaders of organizations financial literacy will be a skill set that will be vital to success no matter what career path you go down. It starts with a strong foundation in accounting and corporate finance, then moves on to ESG/Impact screening of potential investments, along with valuation techniques used to arrive at a purchase price. It will explore financial models that can aggregate multiple variables used to drive investment decisions.

To understand and lead a transition to a sustainability-aware business, managers must first be familiar with the terminology, practices and consequences of traditional accounting and finance. Students will learn traditional financial and accounting methods and tools. We will examine how these methods and tools are changing to improve product and service design, resource efficiency and allocation, employee productivity and sustainability performance outcomes. Students will learn how value is created in a company and the different methods employed to create that value, conduct due diligence, discuss optimal capital structure to finance a transaction, execute a transaction, and implement a Sustainability-based value-added operating plan to the target company. The course will conclude with students preparing a persuasive investment memo and accompanying financial model to the investment committee of an impact investing asset management firm. The course also provides a practical introduction to selected non-financial accounting topics including sustainability reporting standards, ESG corporate performance indicators and corporate social responsibility report (CSR Reporting).

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Brad Schwartz
  Info
• 3 points

Special Topics: Nonprofit Strategy and t

NOPM Public Policy Proces

This course explores the role of nonprofit organizations in the formation and implementation of public policy in the United States. As the influence and scope of the nonprofit sector continue to grow, nonprofit organizations increasingly shape policy debates, represent community perspectives, and contribute to the development and implementation of public policy. Understanding how nonprofits engage in the policy process has broad implications for future public sector professionals and those working to advance the common good.

The course provides students with an introduction to the public policy process and examines the ways nonprofit organizations participate in it. Topics include lobbying and advocacy, government regulation of nonprofit organizations, ballot initiatives, grantmaking for public policy, ethics in public interest lobbying, and the challenges facing nonprofit advocacy. Students will also explore how nonprofit organizations build the organizational capacity to engage in policy work and how public policy affects nonprofit operations and mission.

Through applied analysis and case studies, students will develop essential skills in lobbying, policy analysis, strategic advocacy campaign design, and—crucially—coalition building. The course emphasizes how ideas and insights from nonprofit practice can inform policy development and implementation, and how organizations can translate community needs into effective policy strategies.

More broadly, the course situates nonprofit advocacy within the social, political, economic, and philanthropic factors that shape the nonprofit sector. By examining the relationship between nonprofits and the public sector, students will gain practical insight into the challenges facing public institutions and communities. The course supports professional preparation for careers in public service, policy, and administration, and provides a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing graduate study in fields such as law, public administration, public policy, and other areas focused on public affairs.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
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• 3 points

FINANCING THE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY

FINANCING CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY

We need to transition toward a more environmentally sustainable society given both pollution and its health effects, and the impacts of extreme weather and climate change. The production and consumption of energy is the largest contributor to these concerns, and so the transition to a clean energy economy is essential. The increasing energy needs of the world’s growing population make this an ongoing challenge. At the same time, energy security and affordability, and social and economic inequities, must also be considered. New technologies and effective policies are needed to help drive increased deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Finance is also a key lever to drive the implementation of clean energy. The availability and cost of capital is a key determinant in scaling renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

This course focuses on the finance and market aspects of the clean energy economy, and integrates technology, policy, and finance to evaluate both the opportunities and challenges. There is a focus on renewable energy generation, as mass electrification using cleaner generation sources is necessary to sustain our energy-dependent lives and economies. The course also looks at energy efficiency, including specific end-uses of energy that are responsible for the majority of emissions (e.g., personal vehicles, buildings). Throughout the course, finance will be analyzed as a barrier to, or enabler of, greater adoption of clean energy, particularly as we think about the allocation of capital.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• 3 points

The Sustainable Transportation Economy

Course Overview

Transportation accounts for about 25% of global GHG emissions.  Significantly reducing emissions in this sector is fundamental for addressing climate change.  Historically, the technical and commercial tools for tackling emissions in this sector have lagged other sectors (for example, electricity production).  But over the last several years, this dynamic has changed and there is now unprecedented capital and brainpower focused on transportation decarbonization. The course focuses on capturing the key elements that will speed the scale-up to low- and no- carbon transportation (“sustainable transportation”) across the breadth of transportation sectors.  In doing so, this scale-up will create new industries and business models – and has the potential to benefit a wide group of people, including those who in the past have been disproportionally affected by poor air quality caused by existing transportation sources.  The course is designed for any student who wishes to understand these elements in a deeper way.

 

The course will explore the decarbonization opportunities and challenges across the various transportation sectors, including light duty, commercial fleets, public transportation, aviation, and marine sectors – as well as areas that cut across all sectors, such as battery adoption, the supply chain for materials, fueling/charging. and the impact of hydrogen.  Because the carbon content of propulsion fuels is dependent on other sectors (for example, the transition to renewable electricity), the course will examine the energy transition in transportation in the context of broader decarbonization trends.  In exploring each transportation sub-sector, the course will focus mainly from the commercial perspective, but will incorporate the external factors (e.g., innovation, policy, macro-factors) that affect commercial success.

 

The course is intended for anyone wishing to further their knowledge or their career in the areas of sustainable transportation – especially in areas related to electric transportation.  The course will rely on lectures and discussions, both led by the professor and guest lecturers.  There are no prerequisites for the course.  The course assignments will include a combination of problem sets, financial modeling, and case studies/written assignments.  No previous financial modeling experience is required; the professor and/or TA will provid

• Department: Sustainability Management
• Instructor: Scott Fisher
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• 3 points