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
• F noon-1 p.m.
• 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
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Kevin Hanrahan
  Info
• 3 points

Electoral Data & Predictive Modeling

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.

• Department: Political Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Schwam-Baird
  Info
• 3 points

Figure Painting: Alternative Source Mate

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.

• Department: Visual Arts
• F 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Mickalene Thomas
  Info
• 3 points

Presence and Persuasion for Technology L

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.

• Department: Technology Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Alexis Wichowski
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 6 Info
• 3 points

Coastal Hazards & Resilience in the Twen

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).

• Department: Climate School
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Austin Chadwick
  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
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Howard N Apsan
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Law for Technology

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.

• Department: Technology Management
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 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
• 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
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Art Sedighi
  Info
• 3 points

Digital Transformation

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.

• Department: Technology Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Richard R. Ranade
  Info
• Instructor: Alexis Wichowski
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 6 Info
• 3 points

Climate Adaptation and Disaster Finance

Climate and Disaster Fina

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.

• Department: Climate School
• W 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• 3 points

SCRIPT TO SCREEN

• Department: Film
• M 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• R 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
• F 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• W 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Program Management

The execution of strategies in the changing world of work has been going through an evolution from its normal way of working. This transition is only going to be faster and more complex. Tomorrow’s leaders and program managers have not been created yet. At the heart of their creation would be developing people with the adaptive mindsets that see opportunities in chaos, connected hearts that are able to unite, and focused resilient execution that brings meaningful benefits to bear faster.  The leader we call the program manager is going to possess strategic and integration capabilities and a crystal-clear focus on value. They must be able to achieve this across a set of the moving components of change initiatives. This course addresses the systems and collaboration required to have transparency and clear visibility of all the moving parts in a program. This also means having the insight to remove execution obstacles that affect speed or weaken decision quality for realizing the strategic vision. Focus on value combines the mindset, skills, and abilities that result in the aspired-to programs benefits. 
 

The primary audience is new and aspiring program managers and project managers seeking to grow their responsibilities and perform as program managers, program coaches, or team leaders across the enterprise. Additionally, this course is for executives interested in transforming their organization’s approach to creating a portfolio of programs and projects.  This course will also help organizations keen on creating seamless working relations among their people, and support clear career path clarity, by providing a shared program management language and discipline.

This course will take a global perspective and bring life to the principles and practices of program management.  This should enable professionals and their organizations to experience the potential this discipline brings to the way people work, the cultures of organizations become more execution aligned, and enhance the experiences encountered by their customers and other stakeholders.

• Department: Project Management
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 3 points

Big Data & Political Strategy

Some experts on U.S. political campaigns have argued that big data has fundamentally changed the way politicians win elections and pursue policymaking. With the combination of massive amounts of personal data and information about individual voters and society at large, readily available processing power, sophisticated machine learning techniques, and cheap and efficient communication methods, modern political professionals are able to identify likely supporters, understand their issues of interest and concern, make direct appeals with micro-targeted messages, and mobilize these constituencies to donate, volunteer, turnout, mobilize, and vote accordingly. Without a doubt, big data has the potential to inform strategic decision-making across multiple aspects of politics.

In this course, students will learn about the range of big data sources that can be gathered and aggregated, including public data, voter file data, consumer data, and more. Students will become familiar with the ways in which data can be used to gain insights about voters’ sentiments, attitudes, and opinions and to develop strategies to predict and prompt behavior.  Most importantly, students will learn to synthesize a variety of data sources into a cohesive strategy and presentation that can be given to decision-makers, whether for electoral or advocacy purposes.

• Department: Political Analytics
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Benjamin Messner
  Info
• 3 points

Global Entrepreneurship Ecosystems

This onsite course takes students on a virtual journey through the world’s leading innovation hubs across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Students will analyze the structures, dynamics, and key stakeholders that shape entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide, including entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, policymakers, universities, accelerators, incubators, and industry associations.

• Department: Technology Management
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Katja Schroeder
  Info
• 3 points

Emerging Technologies

This required course in the M.S. in Technology Management program examines the rapidly evolving landscape of transformative technologies and their implications for organizations and society. Students will explore the concepts, applications, value creation, and risks associated with areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, blockchain, and edge computing, etc. Through case studies, critical analysis, and applied projects, the course equips students to assess the opportunities and challenges these innovations present, and to develop informed strategies for managing their adoption and impact in complex, real-world environments.

• Department: Technology Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Christopher Kuo
  Info
• Instructor: Mark Ritzmann
  Info
• Instructor: Yarik Chinskiy
  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
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: David Roselle
  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
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: John Nives
  Info
• 3 points

Painting: Color, Materials and Technique

Pntng: Color, Materials &

What does it mean to think materially? To
use
color? These are the questions that will guide this foundational course designed for painters, ranging from beginner to advanced, who want to develop their technique and material thought process.

We will begin with a focus on color, using the Albers method to learn first from experience, developing an eye for color, before we delve into color theory and color philosophy. The creative eye for color will aid us as we learn the ins and outs of acrylic painting, oil painting, the mediums, historical techniques, and associated theoretical concerns in
how
something is painted. Some of the class will be spent painting observationally, working on our ability to see creatively and translate experience into material. Many of the projects will be self-directed in subject or approach, whether you consider yourself a staunch realist or pure abstract artist, focusing mostly on the material language of the painting. Students can expect to cover the basics of a studio practice, such as stretching canvases, building a palette, developing a range of techniques, as well as gaining a critical eye for material decisions and how to realize their vision.

• Department: Visual Arts
• T 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Kelsey M Shwetz
  Info
• 3 points

Circular Cities: New York City

Cities are where materials, products, food, water, energy, buildings, infrastructure, capital, and people converge—and where many of the opportunities for a more circular economy can be seen most clearly.
Circular Cities: NYC uses New York City as a living laboratory for exploring how circular economy principles operate at the scale of an urban system.

Through field visits, case studies, guest practitioners, mapping, observation, and research, students will “read” the city by investigating the systems that make New York function: what enters the city, how resources and materials move through it, what is retained or recirculated, and what ultimately leaves as waste or emissions. The course will examine circularity at multiple scales, from everyday products and services to buildings, food systems, infrastructure, waste, water, and the policy and cultural conditions that shape them. Students will assess existing circular initiatives in New York, identify barriers and opportunities for scaling them, compare New York with approaches in other cities, and explore the roles of government, business, communities, designers, and other actors in enabling urban circularity. The semester will culminate in a collaborative vision for a more circular New York, identifying promising interventions and the conditions needed to bring them to scale. No prior coursework in the circular economy is required. The course will provide a foundation in core circularity principles while allowing students with previous experience to apply those concepts in greater depth in a real urban context.

• Department: Climate School
• F 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Sandra Goldmark
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

AI-Enabled Executive Project Leadership

AI-ENBLD EXEC PRJT LEADER

AI-Enabled Executive Project Leadership prepares graduate students to lead complex projects in environments increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, digital communication, and rapid organizational change. The course’s main topics include AI-supported project leadership and decision-making, emotional intelligence, executive presence, leadership voice, nonverbal communication, digital presence, stakeholder engagement, influence without authority, conflict management, executive storytelling, risk communication, and the ethical and responsible use of AI. Students will use the Landit.ai emotional intelligence platform to assess and strengthen their communication, self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, and leadership effectiveness. The course is designed for all students in the M.S. in Project Management program rather than for students pursuing a specialized track. It is especially valuable for current and aspiring project, program, product, and transformation leaders who must communicate credibly, build trust, influence stakeholders, and lead cross-functional teams.

• Department: Project Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Paul J Bailo
  Info
• 1.5 points

ANALYSIS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy Management is the cornerstone of any sustainability initiative. The generation, distribution, and use of energy has a profound, continuous, and global impact on natural resources, societal structure, and geopolitics. How energy is used has significant repercussions on an organizations cash flow and profitability. For these reasons, energy issues tend to be the fulcrum upon which sustainability programs hinge.

The ability to identify and articulate organizational benefits from energy savings tied to efficiency improvements and renewable energy projects is a requisite skill set for all sustainability managers.

This course will provide real-world information on energy management issues from a practitioner's perspective. Through lectures, problem sets, and readings students will learn how to manage energy audits, analyze building energy performance, and evaluate the energy use and financial impacts of potential capital and operations improvements to building systems. The class will focus on understanding energy issues from a building owner’s perspective, with discussions also examining energy issues from the perspective of utility companies, energy generators, and policy makers.

Best practice in energy management will always involve some level of complex engineering to survey existing conditions and predict energy savings from various improvement options. Sustainability managers need to understand how to manage and quality control these analyses and to translate to decision makers the opportunity they reveal. This course seeks to empower students to do that by providing an understanding of building systems and methods for quantitatively analyzing the potential benefit of various energy improvements.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Sahagian
  Info
• 3 points

IT ADVANTAGES IN CONSTRUCTION

n/a

• Department: Construction Administration
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 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
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

ELEMENTS OF GREEK PROSE STYLE

Prerequisites: at least four terms of Greek, or the equivalent. An intensive review of Greek syntax with translation of English sentences and paragraphs into Attic Greek.

• Department: Classics
• MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Elizabeth W Scharffenberger
  CULPA: 20 Info
• 4 points

Food Policy and Climate

Food systems are both a major driver of the climate crisis and one of its most effective solutions. This course examines how urban and local governments globally are uniquely taking up this challenge: designing food policy that curbs emissions while building resilience to climate shocks, supply disruptions, and market volatility.

Students will explore the practical mechanics of food policy—how municipalities use tools like public procurement and behavioral design to drive meaningful change, and how cities coordinate across agencies and through city networks to act at scale. The course pays particular attention to the narratives and communications strategies that governments use to make food policy publicly acceptable when it touches consumption, identity, and culture. 

Through case studies from New York City and municipalities across the globe, students analyze policy mechanisms and political strategies, with attention to stakeholder engagement, resistance, and tradeoffs. The course prepares students to engage with food policy as a practical governance challenge, and to pursue careers at the intersection of climate, food systems, and urban policy.

• Department: Climate School
• M 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Cognitive Bias in Decision Making

Cognitive Bias & Decision

Decision-making is a critical skill in project management, yet highly capable project managers and teams routinely make poor decisions due to reliance on faulty lenses for perceiving information, assessing risks and probabilities, evaluating alternatives, and anticipating consequences. This seven-week in-person elective examines how cognitive biases, heuristics, and other psychological influences can shape decision-making in a project management context. Students will explore foundational concepts from behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, and decision science such as bounded rationality, confirmation bias, anchoring, availability, overconfidence, the planning fallacy, and the sunk cost fallacy and consider how these can influence decisions throughout the project lifecycle. The course will also critically examine the limitations of cognitive bias theory, and it will introduce the skillful uses of heuristics in project management through concepts such as ecological rationality and the adaptive toolbox.

The course is designed for project practitioners at all levels. Cross-registrants are welcome if they work in project management.

• Department: Project Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Sustainability Science: Biodiversity and

At least $58 trillion of the global economy (55% of GDP) is “moderately or highly reliant on nature" (PwC). Learn about the ecosystem services that biodiversity provides us for free (and why a more accurate calculation would be 100% of GDP). This course familiarizes future sustainability leaders with ecosystem dynamics, water-mismanagement consequences, waste-assimilation capacity, and the basic criteria for continued resource production. There are no science pre-requisites.

We will explore the endless interconnections on land, in the atmosphere, and in the ocean to better understand both ecosystem and economic risk and resilience. We will cover water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles along with other processes critical to biodiversity analysis, valuation and reporting, and data visualization. Topics include the diversity of life on Earth, freshwater management, energy systems (from photosynthesis to fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables), food systems (
e.g
., industrial vs. regenerative agriculture, pollination, pest control, soil fertility, fertilizer use, agroecology, aquaculture), marine systems (
e.g
., eutrophication, microplastics, ‘invasive’ species, overfishing), and how climate change is the great threat multiplier. We will focus on tradeoffs but also on Nature-based Solutions such as restoring wetlands and reefs as well as technological innovations including precision agriculture and carbon dioxide removal.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jenna M Lawrence
  CULPA: 6 Info
• 3 points

Plastic Pollution and Sustainable Soluti

This course aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and address plastic pollution from a multidisciplinary perspective, encouraging innovative and sustainable solutions. The course offers a comprehensive global perspective on the current state of plastic pollution, its primary causes, and the sustainable solutions being explored worldwide. The curriculum is divided into four main areas: 1)
Formation and Environmental Behavior
- We will explore how plastic pollution is generated and how it behaves in various environmental settings; 2)
Ecological and Health Impacts
- Students will learn about the effects of plastic pollution on ecosystems and human health, including the toxicity and potential targets of microplastics and nanoplastics; 3)
Sustainable Solutions
- The focus will be on the life cycle of plastics, emphasizing sustainable practices and technologies aimed at reducing plastic waste and pollution; 4)
Policy and Regulation
-

We will analyze existing policies and regulations, assessing their effectiveness and limitations in combating plastic pollution. We will also review the status of the International Plastic Treaty spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Program, discussing its strengths and limitations. Additionally, students will gain foundational knowledge in methodologies for measuring plastic pollution, laboratory procedures, and the evaluation of the toxicological impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on various organisms.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Beizhan Yan
  h-index: 31 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
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Allan Gonzalez
  Info
• Instructor: Bandar Alturkmani
  Info
• 3 points

Food Production, the Environment, and th

Food, Environment & Net Z

Changing climate, population growth, and changing diets make managing agricultural production one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. Agricultural production is highly vulnerable to changes in climate and climate variability; it is also a principal driver of global environmental change: it is a major driver of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), emissions of air pollutants and pollutant precursors, land-use change, and nutrient pollution of aquatic and marine ecosystems.  These environmental impacts can be influenced by changes in diet, food demand, socio-economic context, and policy. As a sector, agriculture is a “hard-to-abate” source of GHG emissions and poses a serious challenge to achieving net zero emissions.

With a focus on the production side of food systems, this half-semester (7-week) graduate course investigates agricultural production and the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen, which mediate many of the complex interactions between climate, agricultural systems, and the environment.  These cycles also underlie emerging efforts to address the challenges posed by these interactions, such as regenerative agriculture, carbon capture & storage, Nitrogen 2.0, and innovations in livestock methane mitigation.  

Students will: 


Explore the challenges of agricultural impacts on climate.

Understand the underlying biogeochemistry of food production systems.

Analyze regional variations in management and mitigation potential.

Critically evaluate proposed mitigation solutions and obstacles to their success.

• Department: Climate School
• M 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Legal Primer: Contracts and Dispute Reso

Projects operate within a legal and contractual framework that shapes how risk is allocated, decisions are made, and disputes are avoided or resolved. This course provides project managers with a practical introduction to that framework, with an emphasis on understanding and applying legal principles rather than training students to practice law. Topics include the foundations of contract law; contract formation, interpretation, and enforcement; allocation of project risk; scope and changes; schedule, delay, and performance issues; documentation and claims; and the principal methods of dispute resolution, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Through real-world contracts, case law, and dispute-resolution scenarios, students will examine how legal and contractual issues arise throughout the project life cycle and affect day-to-day project management and decision-making. Students will also participate in mock mediation and arbitration presentations that require them to analyze disputes, develop positions, and advocate for practical resolutions. The course is designed for project management students across industries and does not require prior legal training.

• Department: Project Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Tim Hegarty
  Info
• 3 points

Financing the Energy Transition

Financing Energy Transiti

This is a modeling course in quantitative policy planning for the clean-energy transition. Over seven weeks, students working in teams of four build a twenty-five year energy transition plan for a single country, set within its regional energy system, and identify the public and private investments required and the timing of those investments. Students work throughout in a country model supplied at the start of the course, together with data instructions. The model runs annually and covers demography, output, energy demand by sector, vehicle fleet turnover, the existing fossil fleet and its retirement, renewable resource supply curves, cross-border trade, and the resulting generation, capacity and emissions path. Students populate this model for their assigned country and then build on top of it the financial layer that converts a physical build path into a financing plan: capital expenditure by year, the capital stack, the debt schedule, the tariff path, and the fiscal account. The final product is a country transition and investment plan, assembled from the weekly deliverables, together with the completed workbook.

• Department: Climate School
• F 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Jeffrey D Sachs
  CULPA: 15 Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 points

INTEGRATED TALENT MGMT STRATEGIES

As organizations face opportunities and challenges brought on by increased globalization, competition, technology and other factors, they require an integrated talent management approach.  This includes a clearer understanding of business objectives, associated talent needs, the information necessary to plan for the future and the ability to build and connect Human Capital Management programs and processes.  

In this core course students will examine how connected organizational processes are designed to attract, manage, develop, motivate and retain key people. Through investigations of key talent processes—such as performance management, career management, succession management, leadership development, learning and capability development, total rewards, and talent acquisition—students will apply these insights in an industry-based exercise designed to demonstrate how an organization’s overall capabilities are more effective when integrated through a common strategy and set of assumptions about key motivators and management approaches.

This course serves the following programmatic goals:


Develop integrated workforce strategies and talent solutions that are responsive to a diverse and dynamic marketplace, sustainable, and aligned to organizational goals.

Analyze the role HRIS plays in achieving organizational priorities and simplifying operations and support.

Demonstrate leadership competencies required to serve as a trusted and agile advisor on human capital implications relating to the talent lifecycle and to organizational opportunities and challenges.

• Department: Human Capital Management
• W 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Steven I Safier
  Info
• 3 points

THE BUSINESS OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAG

BUSI OF PROF SPORTS LEAGU

• Department: Sports Management
• M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• 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
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

ENERGY MARKETS & INNOVATION

Existing energy sources and the infrastructures that deliver them to users around the world are undergoing a period of rapid change. Limits to growth, rapidly fluctuating raw material prices, and the emergence of new technology options all contribute to heightened risk and opportunity in the energy sector. The purpose of this course is to establish a core energy skill set for energy students and prepare them for more advanced energy courses by providing a basic language and toolset for understanding energy issues.

Using theoretical and practical understanding of the process by which energy technologies are developed, financed, and deployed, this course seeks to highlight the root drivers for change in the energy industry, the technologies that are emerging, and the factors that will determine success in their commercialization. Understanding these market dynamics also informs good policy design and implementation to meet a broad range of social welfare goals.

Upon completing the course, students should not only understand the nature of conventional and emerging energy generation and delivery, but also the tools for determining potential winners and losers and the innovative pathways to drive their further deployment.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Travis Bradford
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

DATA MODELING

DATA MODELING ONLINE

• Department: Applied Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Steven Hoberman
  Info
• 3 points

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & DECISION MAKING

• Department: Human Capital Management
• T 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Aaron S Wallen
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

Sust Metrics: Data, Construction and Use

Sustainability Metrics

The urgency to tackle sustainability-related global problems has revealed the growing need to create, maintain and analyze data on environmental and social issues with robust methodologies. The availability of nascent sustainability datasets and advanced data tools such as GIS, machine learning, and blockchain has expanded our capabilities for quick and agile decision-making in the sustainability space. However, compared to real-time economic data, timely and reliable environmental and social data are very much lacking. Sustainability indicators are able to transform a vast amount of information about our complex environment into concise, policy-applicable and manageable information. There is a very large universe of indicators to measure the sustainability performance of an entity, but the critical question is what to use and how many indicators should be evaluated. Sustainability indicators are either presented in a structured framework that can be used to isolate and report on relevant indicators, or aggregated towards a composite index or score/rating. The number of indicators used for assessing sustainability have proliferated, with hundreds of sustainability related indices around the world, including the Ecological Footprint, the Human Development Index, green accounting, Sustainable Development Goals, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) co-developed by Columbia University and Yale University, the Urban Sustainability Ranking System that I helped develop, and various carbon indices.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Sonay Aykan
  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
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Assaf Kedem
  Info
• 3 points

PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

PUB/PRIV PARTNERSHIPS

No one organization or sector has the full suite of capabilities, relationships or assets to tackle persistent and escalating social problems such as poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, equitable access to education and health care, among others. As public resources dedicated to societal benefit become scarcer and calls for accountability become more urgent, the public sector increasingly is turning to public-private partnership (P3) models. Consequently, these models and approaches are becoming as multi-faceted, systemic and global as the challenges they aim to address, with increased opportunities for philanthropy and the non-profit sector.

 

The term “public-private partnership” is often misused to identify mostly a shifting of risk from government to a private partner in exchange for an up-front payment. A true or “authentic” P3s generates collective benefits that exceed what individual partners could achieve on their own. This course will examine, through readings and case histories, P3 partnerships that involve the sharing of risks and rewards between public, private and nonprofit partners, where the sector-specific expertise and assets of multiple stakeholders are tapped and valued for innovation in the design, delivery and management of cross-sector projects and services. The emphasis will be on the role of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector as equal partners in all aspects of these shared-value partnerships. Students will consider questions about entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, and service: How should core public services be financed? What is the most effective way to manage day-to-day operations of public services? What does it mean to be accountable to the public? Examples are drawn from public health, education, international development, urban renewal, and others. 

 

This is an elective that builds on the Nonprofit Management Program’s core curriculum and is designed for all Nonprofit Management Program students and, space permitting, is open to cross-registrants from other fields and/or Columbia University programs (other SPS programs; Teachers College; Business School; Mailman School of Public Health; SIPA). Students should have a strong understanding of the nonprofit development sector in the US; familiarity with international fundraising practices also is welcome.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 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
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 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
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Catarina Carvalho
  Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO PROGRAMMING USING JAVA

INTRO TO PROGRAMMING - JA

This course introduces students to the foundational principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) using Java, a robust, platform-independent language widely used in industry for building scalable and secure applications. Through hands-on experience and instruction, students will explore core OOP concepts, including abstraction,
encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, while gaining practical experience with modular code design and reusability. Java’s extensive libraries and frameworks will be introduced to demonstrate its applications to the real-world use cases.

This course is designed for students without prior programming experience in programming. While not required, familiarity with based computing concepts (variables, loops, functions,) is recommended.

• Department: Applied Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Feyzi Bagirov
  Info
• 1.5 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
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

WRITING ABOUT GLOBAL SCIENCE FOR INTERNA

This is an interdisciplinary workshop for scientists, future NGO workers and journalists seeking skills in communicating 21st-century global science to the public. Scientists will be given journalism skills; journalists will learn how to use science as the basis of their story-telling. The course is designed to give students exercises and real-world experiences in producing feature stories on global science topics. While most scientists and international affairs professionals have been trained to write in the style of peer-reviewed journals, we will focus on journalism techniques, learning how to translate global science into accessible true stories that reach wide audiences.

Science is performed by passionate individuals who use their intelligence and determination to seek answers from nature. By telling their histories and uncovering the drama of discovery, we believe that there are ways for science to be successfully communicated to readers who might otherwise fear it.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Claudia Dreifus
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia Info
• 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
• U 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Instructor: Jesse L Scinto
  Info
• 3 points

REMOTE SENSING FOR AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS

Aquatic systems are critical for provisioning ecosystem services that have sustained human civilization as evidenced by the establishment of the earliest civilizations on banks of rivers or along a coast.  Apart from regulating climate, aquatic systems provide food and transportation services, fresh water lakes and reservoirs provide water for consumption and irrigation, and coastal systems offer recreational services.  But growing human population, especially along the coast, has endangered the quality of ecosystem services.  The primary finding of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was that 15 out 24 ecosystem services examined are being degraded or being used unsustainably (MEA 2005).  Monitoring the aquatic ecosystem and understanding how to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural variability is an essential aspect of sustainability science. This course will provide an introduction to the use of remote sensing techniques that can be used to study the aquatic environment. There are several space-based sensors that provide information relevant to sustainable management of aquatic resources.  Depending on the sensor, observations are made as frequently as every day and spatially covering the entire globe.  Understanding the spatial and temporal context around an issue can help discriminate between local and far field effects and time series of remote sensing data can be constructed to investigate causes and consequences of environmental events.  Thus knowledge of the basic science of remote sensing, understanding how to select the appropriate sensor to answer a question, where to find the data and how to analyze this data could be critical tools for anyone interested in oceanic, coastal, and freshwater resource management. The course will follow active learning techniques and will consist of a lecture to introduce concepts followed by a discussion and lab time for hands on activities to learn and use tools for analysis of remote sensing data.  After the introduction of the basic principles of remote sensing, a series of case studies will be used to explore concepts in sustainability such as water quality, nutrient loading and hypoxia, coral reefs.  Remote sensing tools that are used to investigate and address environmental questions such as the effects of shutting down a sewage treatment plant, mapping of suspended sediment concentrations will be demonstrated and used by the students.  Each case study will be briefly introduced at the end of the pre

• Department: Sustainability Science
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Ajit Subramaniam
  Info
• 3 points

Core Data Science Concepts for Sustainab

The course introduces practitioners of sustainability management to the data analysis techniques and statistical methods which are indispensable to their work. The class teaches how to build statistical substantiation and to critically evaluate it in the context of sustainability problems. The statistics topics and examples have been chosen for their special relevance to sustainability problems, including applications in environmental monitoring, impact assessment, and econometric analyses of sustainable development. Students are assumed to have had no previous exposure to statistics.

This course demonstrates how to conduct a quantitative analysis of an organization’s work processes and operations, resource utilization, and environmental impact necessary to create a rationale for implementing sustainability initiatives. Statistical topics, including probability and random variables, will be discussed in both theory and in their practical applications for sustainability managers. This course will provide students with the skills to conduct regression analysis, to conduct hypothesis and estimation testing, to design surveys, and to prepare statistics packages. These quantitative skills are necessary for a professional manager responsible for the management of people, finances and operations toward sustainability goals.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Bruce Kahn
  Info
• 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
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Brad Schwartz
  Info
• 3 points

Nonprofits in the Digital and AI Age

NOPM: Digital and AI Age

This graduate-level elective course examines how technology, particularly digital and social platforms, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), are reshaping nonprofit management strategies, operations, governance, and stakeholder engagement. The course is situated within a broader debate about the role of nonprofits to drive sustainability and social impact goals. Students will evaluate how emerging technologies create new opportunities, but also challenges, such as a rising AI divide.  Students will critically assess how nonprofits adopt, adapt, or resist technologies. They will also explore how technological tools influence strategic decision-making, program delivery and evaluation. This includes discussions about fundraising, advocacy building via digital channels, and governance systems.

Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship from nonprofit studies, technology management, sociology, and public administration, the course balances practical managerial considerations with critical analysis. Students will engage with real-world cases, academic research, and applied tools to develop both conceptual frameworks and strategic competencies for leading nonprofits in a technology-saturated environment.

An elective of the M.S. Nonprofit Management program, this course is open to graduate level SPS and Columbia students with a focus on nonprofits and/or civil society. It was designed to help students evaluate and apply technology to drive change as a nonprofit. There are no prerequisites to enroll for this course for graduate students.

• Department: Non Profit Management
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Erwin Vincent S de Leon
  Info
• 3 points

Nonprofit Strategy and the Public Policy

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
• W 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
  Info
• 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
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Curtis S Probst
  Info
• Instructor: Barbara Chapman
  Info
• 3 points

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING I

APPLD MACHINE LEARNING I

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING I

• Department: Applied Analytics
• M 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: David Shilane
  Info
• 3 points

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING I

APP MACHINE LEARN I ONLIN

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING I

• Department: Applied Analytics
• R 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: David Shilane
  Info
• 3 points

TRADITIONAL ERM PRACTICES

This course provides an overview of the traditional ERM frameworks used to identify, assess, manage, and disclose key organizational risks. The traditional ERM frameworks are those that are more commonly in use and include COSO ERM, ISO 31000, and the Basel Accords. This course also provides an understanding of the methods, tools, techniques, and terminology most organizations use to manage their key risks, presented in the context of the foundational elements of an ERM process. This will enable students to navigate the ERM landscape within most organizations, and, along with the second-semester course Value-Based ERM, evaluate opportunities to enhance the existing ERM practices and evolve their ERM programs over time.

• Department: Enterprise Risk Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Marianna Belyavskiy
  Info
• Instructor: H.S. Bob Kostakopoulos
  Info
• 3 points

FINANCE FOR EFFECTIVE HCM

• Department: Human Capital Management
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Solange Charas
  h-index: 4 Info
• 3 points

UNDERWRITING

• Department: Insurance Management
• Instructor: Mary Ann Susavidge
  Info
• 3 points

INTEGRATIVE CAPSTONE WORKSHOP

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Kizzy M Charles-Guzman
  Info
• 3 points

CERAMICS I

• Department: Visual Arts
• M 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Global Economic Environment

• Department: Business Economics
• Instructor: Kristina Manysheva
  Info
• Instructor: Conor Walsh
  Info
• Instructor: Faculty
  h-index: 37 Info
• 1.5 points

CERAMICS II

This course will focus on using ceramics as a primary art making machine by breaking out of the constraints wedded to this traditional material. Building on the foundation set in Ceramics1, this course will delve further into the technical and historical aspects of the ceramic process as well as into the conceptual ideas in artmaking.

Students will use a self-directed working process to facilitate the incorporation of ceramic materials into their existing art making while also being allowed room to go in their own conceptual direction. Rigorous group and individual critiques will be held on a regular basis.

Content is a priority in this class, along with the further understanding of ceramic processes and materials. The goal is for the student to be proficient in producing their ideas without the obstruction of technical difficulties.

• Department: Visual Arts
• R 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Quantitative Methods - LAB

Lab section corresponding to CLMT 5002 Quantitative Methods for Climate Applications

• Department: Climate School
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 0 points

PROBABILITY

Prerequisites: At least one semester of calculus. A calculus-based introduction to probability theory. Topics covered include random variables, conditional probability, expectation, independence, Bayes rule, important distributions, joint distributions, moment generating functions, central limit theorem, laws of large numbers and Markovs inequality.

• Department: Statistics
• MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Jingchen Liu
  CULPA: 2 h-index: 19 Info
• 3 points

STATISTICAL INFERENCE

Prerequisites: STAT GR5203 or the equivalent, and two semesters of calculus. Calculus-based introduction to the theory of statistics. Useful distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, point estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, maximum likelihood, likelihood ratio tests, nonparametric procedures, theory of least squares and analysis of variance.

• Department: Statistics
• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Yuqi Gu
  h-index: 6 Info
• 3 points

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING II

APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING II

• Department: Applied Analytics
• T 8:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• T 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• M 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• F 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• R 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Kitty K Chan
  Info
• Instructor: Vishal Lala
  Info
• Instructor: Birol Emir
  CULPA: 14 Info
• Instructor: Andrew Assing
  Info
• Instructor: Evgeniya Reshetnyak
  Info
• Instructor: Vinay P Mahadeo
  Info
• Instructor: Vishal Lala
  Info
• Instructor: Zachary Kurtz
  Info
• 3 points

COLLECTIVE ACTION: MOBILIZING FOR CHANGE

Collective Action: Mobilizing for Change
examines how communication operates as a strategic force in the formation, activation, and coordination of collective action. The course moves beyond individual-level persuasion to focus on how messages, narratives, identities, and infrastructures mobilize groups, networks, and publics. Core topics include theories of collective action and mobilization; strategic communication and audience segmentation; narrative, framing, and collective identity; digital platforms and algorithmic mediation; power, ethics, and accessibility in mobilization; and comparative case studies drawn from social movements, advocacy campaigns, organizational mobilization, and civic action. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to connect strategic communication practices to broader social, political, and technological contexts.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• W 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Devo Probol
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• 3 points

LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS

Prerequisites: STAT GR5203 and GR5204 or the equivalent. Theory and practice of regression analysis, Simple and multiple regression, including testing, estimation, and confidence procedures, modeling, regression diagnostics and plots, polynomial regression, colinearity and confounding, model selection, geometry of least squares. Extensive use of the computer to analyse data.

• Department: Statistics
• TR 6:10 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Yisha Yao
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• 3 points