Columbia University
All dual-degree programs require that the student complete the general education requirements of Augustana University. A major must also be completed at Augustana, but it is possible for some departments to allow one or more courses to be transferred back from the engineering school in order to complete major requirements. These courses must be relevant to the Augustana major content area. Every effort is made to maintain a current list of course requirements on this page, but students are strongly encouraged to check with the partner institutions for the most up-to-date information.
Program Requirements
Unlike Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and South Dakota State University, Columbia does not offer guaranteed admission for applicants to their combined plan. Applicants who attend an affiliate institution, such as Augustana University, will be prioritized in the admissions process. Application review is a holistic process that evaluates a candidate’s preparation for Columbia Engineering’s curriculum, fit for Columbia University, character and recommendations, among other factors. In order to be competitive for admission, applicants should meet or exceed the recommendations outlined in the Curriculum Guide that was issued in the fall semester they began college. The current Curriculum Guides are shown below.
The following courses should be completed at Augustana University if you wish to participate in the combined plan engineering program with Columbia University.
In addition to the course requirements below, students must be enrolled full time at Augustana for the past three years and have an overall and pre-engineering GPA of 3.30 or higher, as calculated by Columbia. The grade for each science or engineering prerequisite class must be 3.0 or better on the first attempt. All Augustana degree and major requirements must be completed by the end of the spring semester of application to Columbia. Students need a favorable recommendation letter from the combined plan liaison, both a science and math instructor, as well as a certification of English proficiency as directed by the Columbia website.
Required Courses for all Tracks
- A minimum of 27 non-technical credit hours must be transferred to Columbia. Non-technical credit hours should help a student to learn perspectives and principles of the humanities and social sciences through discussion, debate and writing.
Requirements for Applied Physics
- Students may take a sequence of Chemistry or Biology courses instead CHEM 116 or BIOL 120, including the BIOL 233, BIOL 234, and BIOL 366 sequence.
Requirements for Applied Mathematics
- Students may take a sequence of Chemistry or Biology courses instead CHEM 116 or BIOL 120, including the BIOL 233, BIOL 234, and BIOL 366 sequence.
Requirements for Chemical Engineering
- Students may take the CHEM 116 and CHEM 117 sequence instead of CHEM 120 and CHEM 222.
Requirements for Computer Science
Requirements for Civil Engineering
- A geology course is also required, but this course may be taken at Columbia University.
Requirements for Biomedical Engineering
- CHEM 201 is a prerequisite for BIOL 234.
- Students may take the CHEM 116 and CHEM 117 sequence instead of CHEM 120 and CHEM 222.
Requirements for Computer Engineering
Requirements for Earth and Environmental Engineering
- Students may take the CHEM 116 and CHEM 117 sequence instead of CHEM 120 and CHEM 222.
- Courses in geology, climate and alternative energy resources are recommended but may be taken at Columbia University.
Requirements for Electrical Engineering
Requirements for Engineering Mechanics
Requirements Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Requirements for Materials Science and Engineering
- Students may take the CHEM 116 and CHEM 117 sequence instead of CHEM 120 and CHEM 222.
Requirements for Mechanical Engineering
- Students may take the BIOL 233, BIOL 234, and BIOL 366 sequence instead of PHYS 371.