Columbia Business School

Beginning in the second term, students select from one of the largest and most innovative slates of electives at any business school.

Columbia’s more than 325 offerings allow students to immerse themselves in specialized topics with faculty members who are at the forefront of innovation in their fields and practitioners who bring real-world, real-time experience to the classroom. The School also encourages students to take advantage of the more than 4,000 graduate-level classes available across the University, as well as the School’s many dual-degree programs. Students may assemble their own elective sequences or select from the School’s recommended courses for common career paths, such as entrepreneurship, healthcare, marketing, media, real estate, value investing, and social enterprise.

• Applied Value Investing
• Family Business Management
• Foundations of Entrepreneurship
• The Future of Financial Services
• Global Immersion
• Healthcare Industry in the 21st Century
• Impact Investing
• Immersion Seminars
• Lean Launchpad
• Managerial Negotiations
• Managing Brands, Identity, and Experiences
• Master Classes

August-entry scholarship applications and related materials are due by mid-January or three weeks from the date of admission, whichever is later. Decision notifications begin in February and continue on a rolling basis. The date of admission is defined as the date on which the Admissions Office notifies the candidate via e-mail.

Award amounts range from $7,500–$30,000 for those who qualify and based on funds available (amounts can sometimes be higher in certain circumstances). Of those who apply, about half receive a need-based scholarship and the average award is approximately $20,000. Although the percentage of recipients is high, students should not assume they will be awarded a need-based scholarship as these awards are not guaranteed. Awards are generally renewed for the second year of study.

Career Management Center (CMC) at Columbia is dedicated to helping you learn the building blocks of career management, preparing you not only for your first job after graduation, but for a lifetime of success in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

The CMC offers a range of resources to aid in your searches for internships and full-time employment. By taking advantage of one-on-one sessions with advisors to formulate individual job-search strategies, as well as workshops and events that provide tactical advice, you’ll be well-prepared to navigate the job-search process.

First-time applications require two recommendations unless applying for the Deferred Enrollment Program.

Reapplicants are required to submit one new recommendation.

• If you have been working full-time for at least six months, one recommendation should be from your current supervisor.
• If you are unable to secure a recommendation from your direct supervisor, please submit a statement of explanation in the Employment section of your application. The second recommendation should be from either a former direct supervisor or from another professional associate, senior to you, who can share their insights on your candidacy.
• If you have worked full-time for fewer than six months, at least one, but preferably both, of your recommendations should be from a person who can comment on your managerial abilities.

The B-School ask recommenders to consider the following guidelines when writing their recommendations (recommended limit – 1000 words)

Full-Time Program:

How do the candidate’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.

Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.

Deferred Enrollment Program:

Please share how you feel the applicant will contribute to the Columbia Business School classroom and community.