2011-2012 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

30
the graduate programs
Graduate programs of study
in The Fu Foundation School
of Engineering and Applied
Science are not formally prescribed, but
are planned to meet the particular needs
and interests of each individual student.
Departmental requirements for each
degree, which supplement the general
requirements given below, appear in
the sections on individual graduate
programs.
Applicants for a graduate program
are required to have completed an
undergraduate degree and to furnish
an official transcript as part of the
admissions application. Ordinarily the
candidate for a graduate degree will
have completed an undergraduate
course in the same field of engineering
in which he or she seeks a graduate
degree. However, if the student’s
interests have changed, it may be
necessary to make up such basic
undergraduate courses as are essential
to graduate study in his or her new field
of interest.
In order to complete the
requirements for any graduate degree,
the student must plan a program with
the department of major interest and
then have it approved by the Office
of Graduate Student Services; the
program may be modified later with the
permission of the department and the
Assistant Dean. No more than one term
of course work or, in the case of parttime
students, no more than 15 points
of credit of course work, completed
before the program is approved,
may be counted toward the degree.
Students registered in the School
have a minimum requirement for each
Columbia degree of 30 points of credit
of course work completed at Columbia
University. The student must enroll for at
least 15 of these points while registered
as a matriculating student in a degree
program in the Engineering School. (See
also the section Special Nondegree
Students and the chapter Columbia
Video Network.) Students wishing to
change from the Ph.D. degree to the
Eng.Sc.D. degree must therefore enroll
for at least 15 points while registered in
the School. For residence requirements
for students registered in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences or those
wishing to change from the Eng.Sc.D.
degree to the Ph.D. degree, see the
bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences.
Students admitted to graduate
study are expected to enter upon
and continue their studies in each
succeeding regular term of the
academic year. Any such student who
fails to register for the following term will
be assumed to have withdrawn unless
a leave of absence has been granted by
the Office of Graduate Student Services.
While many candidates study on a
full-time basis, it is usually possible to
obtain all or a substantial part of the
credit requirement for the master’s,
professional, or Eng.Sc.D. degrees
through part-time study.
Under special conditions, and with
the prior approval of the department
of his or her major interest and of the
Assistant Dean, a student may be
permitted to take a required subject at
another school. However, credit for such
courses will not reduce the 30-point
minimum that must be taken
Competence in written and spoken
English is required of every degree
candidate. See English proficiency
requirements.
For graduation, a candidate for
any degree except a doctoral degree
must file an Application for Degree or
Certificate on the date specified in the
Academic Calendar. Candidates for a
doctoral degree must apply for the final
examination. If the degree is not earned
by the next regular time for the issuance
of diplomas subsequent to the date of
filing, the application must be renewed.
Degrees are awarded three times a
year—in October, February, and May.
The Master of Science
Degree
The Master of Science degree is offered
in many fields of engineering and
applied science upon the satisfactory
completion of a minimum of 30 points
of credit of approved graduate study
extending over at least one academic
year.
While a suitable Master of Science
program will necessarily emphasize
some specialization, the program
should be well balanced, including basic
subjects of broad importance as well as
theory and applications. The history of
modern economic, social, and political
institutions is important in engineering,
and this is recognized in the prescribed
undergraduate program of the School.
If the candidate’s undergraduate
education has been largely confined to
pure science and technology, a program
of general studies, totaling from 6 to 8
points, may be required. Supplementary
engineering 2011–2012