Academic Year 2020-2021

Columbia Public Health students have available to them multiple options for finding individual study space suitable to their needs. Columbia University Libraries remain available to students for individual study space (use of tables, desk, chairs, and computers) for up to three hours per day in both the Health Sciences Library Knowledge Center (Hammer Lobby) and Lower Level 1 Room LL104. The Butler Library also remains available to CUIMC students. Students should be sure to follow all guidelines for using the space.

Public Health students may also utilize designated space in the Mailman School of Public Health Allan Rosenfield Building when library spaces may not fit their specific needs. Use cases to consider would be longer reservation times, spaces where speaking out loud (like participating in class) is permissible, additional privacy, and more. Interested students should send an email by 4:00 pm ET the day prior indicating: 

- Desired date
- Start time
-Reservation duration (ie 1 hr, 3 hours, etc.)
-Any equipment needs (Some rooms are equipped with laptop docs, extra monitors, printer access, etc.)
-Note: You can reserve a desk up to 1 week in advance
-Please visit our Student Desk Reservations page

Requests including the above mentioned details should be submitted to msph-robin@cumc.columbia.edu. As a reminder, all visiting students must complete all six steps indicated in the Required Protocal for Returning to Campus. Failure to complete any step may result in a student being denied entry to campus buildings.

For Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, students will have more flexibility in utilizing the Pass/Fail option for up to 9 cumulative credits during their degree program. View information on the updated policy here.

Should a student opt to change a Spring 2021 course to pass/fail after the initial course registration, they should utilize a Registration Form and follow the usual change of grading option timeline as noted on the academic calendar. Under the amended policy for Academic Year 20201-2021, students do not need a department or advisor signature. The previously linked form only requires student and course information – no approval signature. Please remember to keep in mind the 9-credit, cumulative limit for a students degree program. Copmleted forms can be submitted to the Student Academic Records and Standards team at msph-osa@cumc.columbia.edu for processing. 

To address students’ needs amidst the pandemic, we are making an exception to our credit cap policy for flat-rate MPH and MHA students scheduled to graduate either Spring 2021 or Fall 2021 (May or October degree conferral). Eligible students may elect to enroll in up to an additional 3-credits above their degree program’s cumulative cap without incurring additional costs.  Please note the per semester credit caps remain unchanged.  

All prerequisites and enrollment priorities apply to any requested courses. 

Applicable degree programs include: 

Students who believe they would benefit from enrolling in up to an additional 3 credits above the cumulative credit maximums of their programs will need to complete a registration form - with appropriate department approval – and submit to the Student Academic Records and Standards team at msph-osa@cumc.columbia.edu for processing. Requests must be received by of the end of Change of Program period, January 22, as noted in the academic calendar. 

Students with questions may contact the Student Academic Records and Standards team at msph-osa@cumc.columbia.edu. 

Student Health on Haven is your primary resource for all your health care needs while you are a student at CUIMC. You can find extensive information for medical, mental, and your overall well-being needs at: https://www.studenthealth.cuimc.columbia.edu.

Columbia Libraries is dedicated to providing students and faculty a safe and productive onsite library services.

Information for spring 2021 has been updated for the Hammer Health Sciences library. CUIMC students can also reserve space at Butler Library at the Morningside campus.

While most campus Computing Areas are currently closed some Pharos printers are available for use in student housing areas and on the first floor for the Hammer Health Science Center. Information for on-campus printing can be found here.

Students interested in acquiring their Columbia Public Health ID should contact the Office of Student Affairs and msph-osa@cumc.columbia.edu. Additional pick-up opportunities in the lead-up to Spring 2021 will also be available. These plans will be communicated via email.

The Columbia University Travel policy states that all University sponsored travel for students is currently suspended. Students are urged to postpone travel except for personal or family emergencies. If travel must happen, follow all NYS guidance. 

View the Student Health on Haven website for helpful information on the protocol and personal travel.

All members of the Columbia University Community will be asked to sign the Columbia University Health Compact before returning to campus. Please know that the University, the Medical Center and the School of Public Health have intensively modified all dimensions of our campus to support preventing infection from COVID-19. For those students who are on-campus, we are dedicated to providing the safest possible working environment, including the adoption of physical distancing and low population density requirements; mandatory ID scanning; enhanced custodial care of facilities; and regular PPE distribution, among other efforts.  For more information on the adoption and enforcement of the University’s COVID-19 monitoring protocols, please visit:

• COVID-19 Testing
• COVID-19 Symptom self-check app
• Masks, Face Coverings, and PPE

All members of the Columbia University are required to review and sign the Compact before returning to campus.

The University is implementing a Student Accountability Plan for any Compact violations. Details can be found here.

The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) remains available to advise and support our international student community. Please consult their ISSO COVID-19 Student FAQs or contact them by email at cumc-intl-students@columbia.edu.

Our team of online learning experts are incorporating student feedback and working closely with faculty to create state-of-the-art online learning experiences that facilitate community building. In general, the courses will be a blend of interactive, live sessions, combined with asynchronous lectures and activities. This will optimize discussions with faculty and your classmates. We are excited about the opportunities that this will provide for our courses to acknowledge and embrace the diverse locations and communities in which our students reside.

Professors will provide office hours similarly to how they have provided them in the past; either virtually or while exercising physical distancing guidelines depending on their course. It is important to remember that some faculty might be in a higher risk category and may be more inclined to meet with you via Zoom. This is also subject to social distancing guidelines set down by the state, city, and campus dictating how much personnel we can have on campus at a given time.

We fully expect that our students will be able to continue to do Practica and all Certificates at Mailman are available at this time. Currently, the majority of our first-year students are conducting exciting and critically important Practica remotely on important public health concerns, including COVID-19 response projects.

A wide range of domestic and international organizations have wonderful opportunities for students to be involved with remote projects that include research, program evaluation, health education, policy analysis, and more.  Certificates that traditionally require international travel (Global Health; Public Health and Humanitarian Action) have adapted their requirements to include remote Practica.  

When travel restrictions are lifted we aim to return to supporting students’ on-site engagement in hundreds of sites around the globe.  Mailman’s Field Practice team stands ready to assist all students in locating a remote (and, in future, on-site) Practicum. 

Much of the programming we are offering and planning this semester are similar to programs and events offered throughout the fall semester: Student Life events, meeting your Deans, office hours, Public Health seminars and workshops; opportunities to meet our faculty and learn about the work they are doing...some events are school specific; others will be university-wide or campus-wide, thereby introducing you to the Mailman and larger Columbia community. Current students can check the weekly newsletter from the Office of Education for upcoming events, as well as the Mailman School Calendar and Engage.

The Office of Careers Practice, in collaboration with Alumni Relations and the Mailman School and the Columbia Alumni Association more broadly, offer a new alumni-student mentoring platform/online community, “Columbia Mailman Connect”, which allows students to search for alumni in their fields of interest, geographic location, area of study, and many other variables, and to engage via mentoring and networking conversations. This is an exciting and significant expansion on our existing alumni networking resources.

Yes! When the COVID19 crisis started in NYC, over 1600 students across the Columbia University Irving Medical Campus participated in remote, virtual volunteering opportunities not only in the City, but also State wide in connection with the Governor's office. The  Office of Careers & Professional Practice consistently shares opportunities through multiple channels.

In addition, the Office of University Life is inviting all students to help keep our community healthy during COVID-19 by becoming a student ambassador. Student ambassadors will receive specialized training about the Columbia Community Health Compact, COVID-19 prevention and bystander intervention methods, along with an opportunity to engage with campus experts. They will also participate in resource development, programs and peer-to-peer support and education, and our upcoming Keep Our Community Healthy marketing campaign. Interested students can complete this short form to share their interest in being an ambassador.

Our student organizations will be active and offering a variety of virtual programming until social distancing guidelines allow our in-person, large events to resume. Many are currently planning events this summer and preparing for the fall. Incoming students will soon receive access to the student engagement portal, Engage, where all student-led events can be found. If you are interested in serving as an officer in a student organization or starting a new organization, please contact Christina Ferrari at cmf2198@cumc.columbia.edu.

While moving to, or within, the New York metropolitan area is a decision that will need to be made independently, all students can expect to be able to fully engage in their coursework despite their physical location.

New Students

Incoming students who have not yet matriculated may request to defer their admission by emailing ph-admit@columbia.edu to inform the Admissions Team of their decision. Requests to defer must be received by August 1. Students requesting deferrals will be notified as soon as possible after the request is made and will be evaluated on a rolling basis. Please note that deferrals are not guaranteed.  For students who defer, scholarships are not guaranteed but you can be reconsidered in your year of enrollment. 

Continuing

Continuing students who need, to delay their degree programs should speak to the Office of Student Affairs regarding a leave of absence (LOA). Continuing students may request to take a LOA at any time prior to the end of the 2020 Fall semester Change of Program Period.

Students placement is guaranteed if they defer. However, scholarships cannot be guaranteed across deferrals as the budget constraints for that funding changes from year to year.

We understand that recent circumstances have caused a variety of financial stressors for students and their families. Unfortunately, although we are exploring ways to increase financial aid, at the moment we don’t have enough aid to meet the financial need of all students.  If you have concerns or questions about your funding, please contact sphfinaid@columbia.edu to schedule a meeting to discuss your current financial circumstances and discuss the resources or loan options that may be available to you.

Students enrolled with Columbia University at full-time are required to maintain health insurance. Students wishing to waive out of the university offered insurance plan can find information here.