Nearly all subdisciplines in climate now rely on aspects of data science to understand problems and evaluate solutions. Climate science is generating “big data” including petabytes of observations from sources such as NASA and even more from climate models. With this big, complex data burden comes the need for advanced data science techniques such that scientists can better understand our climate system and explore possible solutions to the challenge of climate change.
This course is a broad introduction to research computing and data science drawing from examples in climate science. Students will learn how to work with, analyze, and visualize big datasets. The course will utilize the scientific python ecosystem, Unix/Linux, shell scripting, terminal commands, git/github, and other techniques.
This practicum will mimic the typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a
large data-intense institution. The practicum will focus on four core elements involved in most
internships:
• developing the intuition and skills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas;
• practicing organizing and accessing a variety of large-scale data sources and formats;
• conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and
• communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things
like dashboards, reports, interactive graphics, or apps.
The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, and how it would best
translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.
The ability of many emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) countries to meet their climate financing objectives depends to a large extent on their cost of capital, which in turn is impacted by the actual and perceived risks of their sovereign debt. According to the Jubilee Report published in June 2025 by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Columbia University Initiative for Policy Dialogue, 54 countries spend over ten percent of their revenues on interest payments, and 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest than healthcare. EMDE countries need workable tools to reduce financing costs and manage sovereign debt in order to fund their development needs and to achieve the climate objectives set out in their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement.
This course will explore the roots of the problem, including the pro-cyclical nature of sovereign financing and refinancing; the role of international financial institutions and credit rating agencies; and the main obstacles to resolving sovereign debt distress in an orderly and timely way, contrasting resolution tools for sovereign debt with those available in the private sector. Drawing on real-world case studies, we will look at structural innovations that could help debottleneck climate finance, and how effective they can be. We will consider several prominent proposals to reorient the global financial architecture, focusing on whether and to what extent they can reduce EMDE funding costs and unlock financing for sustainable development and climate investment.
Students enrolled in the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences M.A. program have a number of opportunities for internships with various organizations in New York City. Over the past three years, representatives from a number of different organizations – including ABC News, Pfizer, the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, Merrill Lynch, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – have approached students and faculty in QMSS about the possibility of having QMSS students work as interns. Many of these internships require students to receive some sort of course credit for their work. All internships will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
This course is a core course for all Climate School students in the MA in Climate and Society and MS in Climate 1.5 credits in the fall and 1.5 credits in the spring. It is a practicum-style course focused on the application of classroom learnings in a range of professional and real-world situations.
At the beginning of the fall semesters, students will be grouped in teams and assigned a previous years’ Capstone project (a summer project that former CS students have produced in partnership with an external partner). Students will use this previous capstone project to practice skills including: stakeholder engagement strategies, communication and presentation skills, systems thinking, and project planning.
The fall will be focused on grounding in the topic and challenge of the capstone project, stakeholder discovery and mock engagement, and evaluating its application to the New York City context. The spring will be focused on evaluation of problem definition of the client, work planning and project planning, learning from the client and/or alumni about the outcomes and contemporary challenges/applications of the project, and producing a final project as a team. By the end, students will be prepared to fully engage with their own capstone projects in future semesters, will have honed critical skills to support successful professional applications of their Climate School courses, and will have a ‘mission and values statement’ to guide their future practice as professionals.
This course is a core course for all Climate School students in the MA in Climate and Society and MS in Climate 1.5 credits in the fall and 1.5 credits in the spring. It is a practicum-style course focused on the application of classroom learnings in a range of professional and real-world situations.
At the beginning of the fall semesters, students will be grouped in teams and assigned a previous years’ Capstone project (a summer project that former CS students have produced in partnership with an external partner). Students will use this previous capstone project to practice skills including: stakeholder engagement strategies, communication and presentation skills, systems thinking, and project planning.
The fall will be focused on grounding in the topic and challenge of the capstone project, stakeholder discovery and mock engagement, and evaluating its application to the New York City context. The spring will be focused on evaluation of problem definition of the client, work planning and project planning, learning from the client and/or alumni about the outcomes and contemporary challenges/applications of the project, and producing a final project as a team. By the end, students will be prepared to fully engage with their own capstone projects in future semesters, will have honed critical skills to support successful professional applications of their Climate School courses, and will have a ‘mission and values statement’ to guide their future practice as professionals.
This practicum course is meant to offer valuable training to students. Specifically, this practicum will mimicthe typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a large data-intense institution. Thepracticum will focus on four core elements involved in most internships: (1) Developing the intuition andskills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas; (2) practicing organizing and accessing a variety oflarge-scale data sources and formats; (3) conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and (4)communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things like dashboards,reports, interactive graphics, or apps. The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, andhow it would best translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.
This practicum course is meant to offer valuable training to students. Specifically, this practicum will mimicthe typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a large data-intense institution. The practicum will focus on four core elements involved in most internships: (1) Developing the intuition andskills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas; (2) practicing organizing and accessing a variety oflarge-scale data sources and formats; (3) conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and (4)communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things like dashboards,reports, interactive graphics, or apps. The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, andhow it would best translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.
Water is widely recognized as the most essential natural resource for both society and Earth’s ecosystems. Yet the relationship between society and water is complex. While water is critical for livelihoods, it is also frequently a hazard. Floods, droughts, and contaminated water are formidable threats to human well-being. To deal with this dual nature of water, people have long modified the water cycle through engineering schemes like dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and interbasin transfer systems as well as through land use and land-cover change.
We need more than just technical solutions. Society needs a clear and robust plan to manage and govern water given its intertwined relationship with this critical resource. In Water Governance, we will explore the political, social, economic, and administrative systems that affect the use, development, and management of water resources. You will be introduced to current themes that influence water governance including sustainable development, integrated water resource management, water rights and pricing, corruption, and equity for marginal groups. These themes will be explored at the local, national, and international levels to provide you with a broad understanding of water governance issues.
Climate change is overwhelming the world’s capacity to manage climate risk. Index insurance and other financial risk transfer tools, such as derivatives, cat-bonds, and humanitarian disaster funds are being increasingly looked to as solutions to address year to year climate risk to support climate adaptation. However, success is mixed, with experiences of inadequate performance, opaqueness, exploitation, incentivization of mal-adaptation, and approaches that undermine sovereignty and governance. Co-generation and governance tools are not yet developed enough to assure that those who the financing is intended to benefit have an adequate voice in design, or understand critical limitations. There are no easy solutions, with many difficult trade-offs, unsolved problems, and justice challenges.
In the class, students work to understand the relationship between academic research and project level challenges. The course will be an insider view of practical real world case studies. Students will use real world project materials, data, and software tools to work through the evolution of thought over time, exploring issues such as incentivization of adaptation through community driven strategies, avoiding potential pitfalls, and responsibly implementing financial solutions for large numbers of low-income people. Students will use interactive software tools, quantitative games, and project workflows to analyze case studies and cumulatively develop their own real world case study, guided by academic debates and their own insights to build their own interactive tools and finance solutions.
The course is designed to teach students the foundations of network analysis including how to manipulate, analyze and visualize network data themselves using statistical software. We will focus on using the statistical program R for most of the work. Topics will include measures of network size, density, and tie strength, measures of network diversity, sampling issues, making ego-nets from whole networks, distance, dyads, homophily, balance and transitivity, structural holes, brokerage, measures of centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness, eigenvector, beta/Bonacich), statistical inference using network data, community detection, affiliation/bipartite networks, clustering and small worlds; positions, roles and equivalence; visualization, simulation, and network evolution over time.
This course is designed to the interdisciplinary and emerging field of data science. It will cover techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science to enhance the understanding of complex data. Students will be required to complete several scripting, data analysis and visualization design assignments as well as a final project. Topics include: data and image models, social and interactive visualizations, principles and designs, perception and attention, mapping and cartography, network visualization. Computational methods are emphasized and students will be expected to program in R, Javascript, D3, HTML and CSS and will be expected to submit and peer review work through Github. Students will be expected to write up the results of the project in the form of a conference paper submission.
An introduction to Bayesian statistical methods with applications to the social sciences. Considerable emphasis will be placed on regression modeling and model checking. The primary software used will be Stan, which students do not need to be familiar with in advance. Students in the course will access the Stan library via R, so some experience with R is necessary. Any QMSS student is presumed to have sufficient background. Any non-QMSS students interested in taking this course should have a comparable background to a QMSS student in basic probability. Topics to be covered are a review of calculus and probability, Bayesian principles, prediction and model checking, linear regression models, Bayesian calculations with Stan, hierarchical linear models, nonlinear regression models, missing data, and decision theory.
Social scientists need to engage with natural language processing (NLP) approaches that are found in computer science, engineering, AI, tech and in industry. This course will provide an overview of natural language processing as it is applied in a number of domains. The goal is to gain familiarity with a number of critical topics and techniques that use text as data, and then to see how those NLP techniques can be used to produce social science research and insights. This course will be hands-on, with several large-scale exercises. The course will start with an introduction to Python and associated key NLP packages and github. The course will then cover topics like language modeling; part of speech tagging; parsing; information extraction; tokenizing; topic modeling; machine translation; sentiment analysis; summarization; supervised machine learning; and hidden Markov models. Prerequisites are basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra and calculus. The course will use Python, and so if students have programmed in at least one software language, that will make it easier to keep up with the course.
Social scientists need to engage with natural language processing (NLP) approaches that are found in computer science, engineering, AI, tech and in industry. This course will provide an overview of natural language processing as it is applied in a number of domains. The goal is to gain familiarity with a number of critical topics and techniques that use text as data, and then to see how those NLP techniques can be used to produce social science research and insights. This course will be hands-on, with several large-scale exercises. The course will start with an introduction to Python and associated key NLP packages and github. The course will then cover topics like language modeling; part of speech tagging; parsing; information extraction; tokenizing; topic modeling; machine translation; sentiment analysis; summarization; supervised machine learning; and hidden Markov models. Prerequisites are basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra and calculus. The course will use Python, and so if students have programmed in at least one software language, that will make it easier to keep up with the course.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate Statistics This course introduces students to basic spatial analytic skills. It covers introductory concepts and tools in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and database management. As well, the course introduces students to the process of developing and writing an original spatial research project. Topics to be covered include: social theories involving space, place and reflexive relationships; social demography concepts and databases; visualizing social data using geographic information systems; exploratory spatial data analysis of social data and spatially weighted regression models, spatial regression models of social data, and space-time models. Use of open-source software (primarily the R software package) will be taught as well.
This course is for students who wish to participate in a hands-on, project-based, exploration of how machine learning (ML) can be harnessed to tackle challenges in sustainability science. Students will work collaboratively on a semester-long coding project, applying ML techniques to real sustainability problems in data analysis and visualization. Along the way, they will sharpen their skills in AI-assisted coding with tools such as ChatGPT, using these technologies not just to write and debug code more efficiently, but also to enhance creativity, streamline collaboration, and bring complex ideas to life. By the end of the course, students will have experienced the full arc of designing, building, and refining an ML solution with direct relevance to the future of our planet.
This course equips students with experience using advanced scientific and computational tools for tackling environmental and sustainability challenges. Through AI-assisted coding of ML solutions, students develop creative approaches to analyzing, modeling, and interpreting state-of-the-art observations of Earth systems using rigorous, quantitative methods. Guided readings and discussion will help students achieve mastery of the subject. The class takes place in a project-based setting where students collaborate on a semester-long project, requiring them to plan together, manage tasks, and integrate diverse skills in applying scientific principles to real-world problems. In doing so, the course not only deepens technical expertise but also strengthens students’ ability to provide data-driven insights that inform sustainability decision-making.
This course is intended to provide a detailed tour on how to access, clean, “munge” and organize data, both big and small. (It should also give students a flavor of what would be expected of them in a typical data science interview.) Each week will have simple, moderate and complex examples in class, with code to follow. Students will then practice additional exercises at home. The end point of each project would be to get the data organized and cleaned enough so that it is in a data-frame, ready for subsequent analysis and graphing. Therefore, no analysis or visualization (beyond just basic tables and plots to make sure everything was correctly organized) will be taught; and this will free up substantial time for the “nitty-gritty” of all of this data wrangling.
Prerequisites: basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra, and calculus This course will provide a comprehensive overview of machine learning as it is applied in a number of domains. Comparisons and contrasts will be drawn between this machine learning approach and more traditional regression-based approaches used in the social sciences. Emphasis will also be placed on opportunities to synthesize these two approaches. The course will start with an introduction to Python, the scikit-learn package and GitHub. After that, there will be some discussion of data exploration, visualization in matplotlib, preprocessing, feature engineering, variable imputation, and feature selection. Supervised learning methods will be considered, including OLS models, linear models for classification, support vector machines, decision trees and random forests, and gradient boosting. Calibration, model evaluation and strategies for dealing with imbalanced datasets, n on-negative matrix factorization, and outlier detection will be considered next. This will be followed by unsupervised techniques: PCA, discriminant analysis, manifold learning, clustering, mixture models, cluster evaluation. Lastly, we will consider neural networks, convolutional neural networks for image classification and recurrent neural networks. This course will primarily us Python. Previous programming experience will be helpful but not requisite. Prerequisites: basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra, and calculus.
Machine learning algorithms continue to advance in their capacity to predict outcomes and rival human judgment in a variety of settings. This course is designed to offer insight into advanced machine learning models, including Deep Learning, Recurrent Neural Networks, Adversarial Neural Networks, Time Series models and others. Students are expected to have familiarity with using Python, the scikit-learn package, and github. The other half of the course will be devoted to students working in key substantive areas, where advanced machine learning will prove helpful -- areas like computer vision and images, text and natural language processing, and tabular data. Students will be tasked to develop team projects in these areas and they will develop a public portfolio of three (or four) meaningful projects. By the end of the course, students will be able to show their work by launching their models in live REST APIs and web-applications.
Key scientific concepts related to sustainable fuels, energy carriers, emissions management technologies, and the role of subsurface resources in meeting our energy needs in a sustainable manner are discussed. Students will apply the fundamentals of material and energy conversions and recovery to better establish the technological basis of harnessing natural resources in a responsible manner. Students will also evaluate the impacts of existing and emerging energy technologies on the environment.
From a global perspective, many of the earth’s most important environments and resources for global sustainability are located in marine and estuarine areas. This class will explore open-ocean and estuarine processes, reviewing what is known about the temporal variability and interconnectedness of these physical and biologic systems.. A few examples include; 1.) oceanic environments were incompletely understood processes regulate the exchange of heat, water and carbon dioxide gas with the atmosphere, 2.) the relationship between nutrients and primary production and fisheries in open ocean, estuarine and coral reef environments and climatic phenomenon such as El Niño South Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). 3.) For estuaries, current sea level and urbanization stresses on the coastal environments will be discussed. Professionals working in the environmental and engineering fields will benefit from a wide-ranging discussion of the multi-scaled processes influencing estuaries. Knowledge of the processes operating in these environments will lead to a more thorough understanding of the complex issues that may influence infrastructure and coastal development in and around estuarine environments in the near-future. Throughout the class we will explore marine and estuarine processes by studying regional and local responses to broader scale climatic forcing. Reading of textbook chapters and journal articles will supplement in-class lectures and discussion. Grading will be based on class participation, a two exams and a research paper. At the end of the course, students will have a strong scientific understanding about the impacts made on marine and estuary systems through physical, chemical, and biological processes. The course will prepare students to be well-trained in the core features of these systems and the relationship between natural and human processes, and equip them with the skills needed to explore marine and estuary systems in diverse scales and functions in the future.
The “Quantum Simulation and Computing Lab” will give students in the Quantum Masters program hands-on experience in quantum optics, quantum simulation and quantum computing. The course combines lectures, tutorials, and two lab sections. In one lab section, students will do experiments with entangled photons. In the second lab section, students will program quantum computers and run algorithms on them using the IBM Qiskit platform.
The course starts with a recap of linear algebra and quantum mechanics, followed by an introduction to quantum optics and quantum information. Two-level systems, Bloch sphere, quantum gates, and elementary quantum algorithms will be discussed. Quantum teleportation and quantum key distribution will be introduced as applications of entanglement. The lecture content will be directly applied in experiments with entangled photons. In the following, state-of-the-art quantum algorithms will be discussed, related to cutting-edge research results in quantum computing. This includes quantum Fourier transform, quantum simulation of the Schroedinger equation, and the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm. During the course students will do one experimental project with entangled photons and one quantum programming project. Students will be guided to implement a quantum algorithm of their choice and run it on a quantum computer (IBM, IonQ, QuEra).
Better climate communications have become a priority across sectors as the impacts of climate change continue to shift daily lives for individuals, communities, and organizations. Whether it be exploring more effective ways to communicate science, navigating difficult conversations stemming from different viewpoints, or connecting more meaningfully with individuals and groups in a changing world, at the center of climate communication is the convergence of science and the dynamics of human behavior. This course invites participants to explore how to apply research from psychology, adult learning theory, cognitive science, and social neuroscience to improve climate change communications and support meaningful change in their specific contexts.
This course is designed for students who are, or will be, tasked with communicating climate change–related information in a range of settings, from professional and policy environments to community engagement, education, and everyday encounters. Every context and audience is unique; for that reason, the course emphasizes tailoring climate communication strategies to specific audiences, institutional settings, and decision-making environments. Using an applied, action-learning approach, the course follows a structured developmental arc in which students move from analyzing climate communication challenges, to modeling cognitive and systemic dynamics, to developing and refining a practicum proposal, and ultimately to designing a final applied climate communication strategy.
The course combines short lectures, guest speakers from the field, and applied, in-class activities focused on mental modeling, systems thinking, and decision-making under uncertainty. Students will complete a practicum project that allows them to generate localized, evidence-informed communication strategies addressing an ongoing or emerging climate communication challenge relevant to their work, research, or community context.
Digital media opens new opportunities for increasingly targeted communications across a variety of channels, which rapidly expands the importance of analytics in tracking and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs). This course prepares students to work within data- and model-driven environments with an emphasis on using analytics to develop insights and support strategic decisions.
This is a practice-based course designed to introduce students to ombuds work, and to help students develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to succeed in the role of an organizational ombuds. Underlying theory will be explored in the context of practice. This course will emphasize the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics put forth by the International Ombudsman Association (IOA). Upon successful completion of the course, students will be fundamentally prepared to apply for entry-level positions in the field of organizational ombuds and should have the requisite knowledge base to sit for the IOA’s Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner exam.
Note for NECR Students
: This course is offered as an elective in the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (NECR) program. The course builds upon students’ negotiation and mediation skills and self-awareness as a practitioner. It is highly recommended that students complete PS5105, PS5107 and PS5124 prior to enrolling in this course.
Foundational ERM course. Addresses all major ERM activities: risk framework; risk governance; risk identification; risk quantification; risk decision making; and risk messaging. Introduces an advanced yet practical ERM approach based on the integration of ERM and value-based management that supports integration of ERM into decision making. Provides a context to understand the differences between (a) value-based ERM; (b) traditional ERM; and (c) traditional "silo" risk management.
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This course provides a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and management of the components of a philanthropic program and its relationship to the financial sustainability of the nonprofit organization. It introduces the philosophical, ethical and historical underpinnings of fundraising practice, also providing the nomenclature, characteristics, and methods of gift generation and their sources, and the management and stewardship of those sources. Additionally, it examines the relationship of the organization’s mission to its strategic vision and the planning, management and impact of fundraising to the organization’s advancement and sustainability.
This course introduces students to the core principles of effective leadership and collaborative team performance in organizational settings. Through a practical, evidence-based approach, the course examines how leaders influence outcomes, foster engagement, and navigate challenges in dynamic, multidisciplinary environments. Students will explore leadership qualifications, strategic decision-making, ethical considerations, and performance development frameworks. Emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamics of team formation, multicultural collaboration, communication, conflict management, and high-performance team practices.
As a central component of the Project Management curriculum, this course supports the program’s larger goal of preparing graduates to lead effectively in diverse and evolving organizational contexts. By grounding students in evidence-based leadership concepts and team effectiveness frameworks, the course advances the discipline’s primary principles of organizational performance, collaboration, and responsible decision-making. The course aligns closely with other program requirements by complementing technical project management competencies with the interpersonal and strategic skills necessary for successful project execution. In doing so, it bridges technical expertise with leadership acumen, equipping students with a holistic foundation for professional growth.
This is a required core course for all Project Management students and is delivered in person on campus in a full-semester format. Space permitting, the course may also be open to cross-registrants from other Columbia University graduate programs where leadership, management, and teamwork skills are relevant, such as programs in management, public administration, and engineering. There are no formal prerequisites, though prior exposure to management or organizational behavior may be helpful in engaging with course materials. Students will participate in selected readings, interactive discussions, and team-based exercises, as well as hear from guest lecturers with extensive leadership experience. By the end of the course, students will have strengthened their ability to lead ethically, communicate clearly, manage team dynamics, and contribute meaningfully to organizational goals.
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.
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.
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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
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.
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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.
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.
One of the best ways to predict the future is to study the past. A dizzying amount of data is available to study elections and politics, including survey and polling data on individual preferences, beliefs, demographics, and choices; data on aggregate conditions and outcomes; and, for more recent years, a wide range of social media data. From polling analysts and pundits to campaign managers and career journalists, making sense of this data can create a competitive advantage for professionals working in the field of politics. By analyzing the results of previous elections, insights can be gleaned to enhance understanding of the factors that contributed to electoral wins and be used to build statistical models or to create machine learning models that can predict future outcomes. Students will curate various types of data and work with starter code to build their data wrangling and computational skills. Students will learn how to explore data with these techniques, understand how they work, and derive insights and knowledge based on the analysis results.
This class is designed to introduce you not only to the subject of painting the human figure and its expressive potential, but also to focus on the art and craft of Painting. We will be painting the figure from secondary source material that can include photos, other artworks, clay models etc. The focus will be on figurative narration. We will be learning to see color, and use paint in response to that. Painting is a way to account for, express and communicate what you have seen with your eyes, mind or in your imagination. You will be introduced to different approaches to the craft of painting, and will by the end of the semester be more free and confident in interpreting your inner and outer vision. We will also be looking at paintings made in different times and places and discuss how and why they look the way they do. You will also be designing and carrying out your own independent project to be completed by the final critique.
This course teaches students how to get through to any audience for any reason. Technology leaders, more than in any other industry, must be equally comfortable as public speakers for vastly different audiences, from software developers and sales teams to politicians and the general public. Through exercises in speaker and audience analysis, studies in public speaking techniques, and an exploration of behavioral psychology principles influencing audience receptivity, students will gain tangible skills to increase their impact as public speakers. Specifically, this course will equip students to: 1. identify how impactful speakers prepare for, present to, and pivot for maximum impact according to audience type, size, and receptivity; 2. learn strategies on how to “read the room” and adapt both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques in real-time; and 3. gain hands-on experience in public speaking through exercises designed to develop public speaking skills across a range of tech-sector specific experiences, circumstances, audiences.
This course provides a comprehensive, quantitative, and solutions-oriented view of coastal hazards and resilience in the twenty-first century. Covered topics include the importance of coastal zones for human livelihoods, history, resources, economies, and ecosystem services; the hazards coastal communities face in the realm of flooding, salinization, water security, and agricultural productivity; the forms of mitigation and/or adaptation to these hazards (e.g. embankments, groundwater recharge, buffer zones, migration); and the basic geography of coastal environments (e.g., deltas, estuaries, beaches) and environment-specific hazards and resilience strategies. Emphasis will be placed on how resilience strategies for the twenty-first-century need consider interactions between extreme events (e.g., the 100-year storm) and more gradual changes (e.g., 100 years of climatic sea level rise); and the impact of these cascading hazards on the physical, ecological, economic, and social systems of densely populated coastal zones. The course will spotlight several case studies including the Hudson Estuary (NYC) and the Mississippi Delta (LA).
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.
Law is infused into every part of business, especially through the lens of technology. Fluency in business and legal frameworks, risk/benefit principles, from idea to exit, is essential for any innovation leader. This course offers a deep dive into the critical phases of technology companies and their journey through growth, scaling, and eventual market exit. Topics include capital formation, contracts, intellectual property, human capital, and business transactions.
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.
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.
This course explores the principles, strategies, and challenges of technology-driven transformation in organizations. Students will examine emerging technologies, digital disruption, and frameworks for implementing large-scale change. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of digital transformation, focusing on how businesses leverage technology to drive transformation based on various drivers including efficiency, productivity, competitive advantage, and compliance. Students will explore key topics such as product development, systems development lifecycle, enterprise architecture, IT capabilities, and automation. Through case studies, research, and hands-on projects, students will develop the skills needed to lead strategic and technical skills necessary to lead and manage digital transformation initiatives.
Climate impacts and unsustainable development are leading to increasing impacts from disasters. As a result, the impacts of disasters are measured in increasing costs, as well as in the overall number of billion-dollar disasters. Paying for disasters requires accessing resources from government, private, and humanitarian sectors, with varying economic consequences in the short and long term based on pre-disaster resilience. Additionally, as climate disasters increase, new mechanisms for climate adaptation and disaster resilience financing are being developed and implemented.
This course provides an overview of how money flows before, during, and after disasters through readings, analyses, and case studies. Students will learn to quantify disaster risk using the core metrics that drive pricing and decision-making, and to assemble layered portfolios of financial instruments. Students then apply this knowledge in analyzing country-level disaster finance risk and opportunities, in developing novel approaches to climate adaptation and disaster financing through a group pitch, and in a capstone simulation that requires teams to manage the resilience finances of a city over time.