Combined Plan Program General Information

Founded in 1864 as the School of Mines, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science’s curriculum provides an education that is a combination of instruction in scientific and engineering fundamentals at the highest level supported by a solid liberal arts base. As Combined Plan students take classes, for example, in the dynamics of complex fluids or classical nonlinear optics, they may also take courses in literature, philosophy, music, and art. The Combined Plan results in not only a B.S. and a B.A. dual degree, but, as one alumnus put it, in “a more complete and true engineer.”

Columbia maintains cooperative program relationships with institutions nationwide and with the other Columbia University undergraduate divisions. Please visit the Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities webpage for a full listing of affiliated liberal arts colleges and universities.

New Combined Plan Program, Transfer, and First-Year students officially become Columbians together by attending the New Student Orientation Program in August.

Columbia Engineering’s 3-2 Combined Plan Program for the B.A. and B.S. is designed to provide students with the opportunity to receive both a B.A. degree from an affiliated liberal arts college and a B.S. degree from Columbia Engineering in five years. Students complete the requirements for the liberal arts degree along with a pre-engineering course of study in three years at their college and then complete two years at Columbia. Admission to Columbia Engineering at the end of the junior year is possible for those students who have an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or better; a math and science pre-requisite grade-point average of 3.0 or better, are recommended by the liaison officer, and members of the math and science faculty; and have completed the appropriate preparation successfully including the pre-engineering requirements and the affiliate school requirements and major.

Another available option is the 4-2 B.A/B.S. degree program. This is designed to allow students to graduate from their liberal arts college with a B.A. degree and then transfer to Columbia Engineering to complete a B.S. degree in two years. Students should have followed a related course of study at their liberal arts college.