Academic Policies

Students offered admission to the Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program will have their first two years of study at City University of Hong Kong automatically validated, and will receive up to the maximum 60 allowable transfer credits toward the 124 credit minimum required for the Columbia undergraduate degree upon enrollment.  Students who have additional college or university-level coursework will also receive an Entrance Credit Report (ECR), which will be shared with them before their arrival in New York. Please review the School of General Studies website for additional details and policies related to non-CityUHK transfer credits.

The School of General Studies allows students to transfer up to 6 credits of professional studies coursework toward their GS degrees. Professional studies include both pre-professional and professional courses in law, business, or journalism, as well as any other course that is clearly professional in its orientation. Any professional courses that correspond to an undergraduate course with a Columbia Arts & Sciences department (such as those offered within the Business Management Concentration) are excluded from the 6-credit limit.  rse at Columbia. 

Credit towards the Columbia BA degree

Credits from City University of Hong Kong do not automatically transfer toward the Columbia major, although they may satisfy Core requirements or be counted as electives. Transfer credits toward the major are accepted at the discretion of the individual academic department and are not guaranteed by the block transfer credit process. The Director of Undergraduate Studies in each department is authorized to accept up to 12 GS-approved transfer credits toward the major. Some departments accept fewer than 12 credits; students must check individual departmental policies concerning transfer credits and are advised to consult with their GS academic advisor for more information.

Credit towards the CityUHK BA degree

Credits from Columbia University serve to fulfill major requirements at CityUHK, and transcripts must be submitted to the student’s College at CityUHK at the end of each semester for transfer evaluation.  Prior to their arrival in New York, Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students are given course maps that detail the courses at Columbia University that can be used to fulfill major requirements at CityUHK.  While course maps can be used as a guideline in preparing for registration each semester, students are advised to confirm with their academic advisors to confirm that courses taken at Columbia University will fulfill CityUHK major requirements.

CityUHK

Students at CityUHK must be studying within one of the following majors in order to be eligible to apply for admission to the Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program:

• Business Decision Analytics (Decision Analytics Stream only)
• Business Economics
• Computational Finance and Financial Technology
• Computer Science
• Computing Mathematics
• Global Business
• International Relations and Global Affairs
• Linguistics and Language Applications
• Management
• Physics
• Psychology
• Public Affairs and Management (Public Affairs and Governance Stream only)
   

Columbia

At Columbia University, students within the program will follow the major that matches their CityUHK major:

• Computer Science
• East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Economics
• Linguistics
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology 

Credit Towards the Columbia Core Curriculum

While enrolled at the School of General Studies at Columbia University, Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students will complete the Columbia Core Curriculum, complementing the CityUHK Gateway Education requirements. As with CityUHK’s GE courses, the GS core requirements provide the foundation for a traditional liberal arts education, assuring that students develop critical skills in writing and quantitative reasoning while exposing them to a range of knowledge and disciplines. Joint Program students will consult with their GS academic advisors to determine how transfer credits will be used to fulfill Columbia Core Curriculum requirements. Any Core requirements not fulfilled by CityUHK coursework must be completed on the Columbia University campus.

• Art Humanities: All Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students must complete this course at Columbia.
• Contemporary Civilization/Social Sciences (two courses): Many courses within Area 2 of the CityUHK Gateway Education requirements may be applied toward this requirement. For example, the following CityUHK course may count toward the requirement:
  • GE2258 - Introduction to Economics
  • GE1205 - Green Economics
  • GE1209 - Identity and Citizenship in a Globalized World
• Global Core (two courses): Courses taken at CityUHK that focus on non-western civilizations may be applied toward this requirement. For example, the following CityUHK course has previously counted toward the requirement:
  • GE1501 Chinese Civilization – History and Philosophy
• Foreign Language (four courses or the equivalent): This requirement is typically fulfilled through previously acquired language fluency, any language other than the English. The language can be demonstrated or achieved at CityUHK for consideration.
• Literature/Humanities (two courses, one of which must be taken at Columbia): Many courses within Area 1 of the CityUHK Gateway Education requirements may be applied toward this requirement. For example, the following CityUHK course may count toward the requirement:
• Music Humanities: All Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students must complete this course at Columbia.
• Quantitative Reasoning (one course or the equivalent): Many courses within Area 3 of the CityUHK Gateway Education requirements may be applied toward this requirement. For example, the following CityUHK courses have previously counted toward the requirement:
  • MA1006 Calculus and Linear Algebra for Business
  • MA1200 Calculus and Basic Linear Algebra I
    • Many MA courses above MA1200 are also eligible to be considered toward this requirement
  • CB2200 Business Statistics
  • CS1102 Introduction to Computer Studies
• Science (three courses or the equivalent): Many courses within Area 3 of the CityUHK Gateway Education may be applied toward this requirement. For example, the following CityUHK courses have previously counted toward the requirement:
  • AP1201 General Physics I (re-coded to PHY1201 General Physics I starting from Semester A 2018-19)
    • Many AP courses above 1201 (or PHY courses above 1201 starting from Semester A 2018-19) are also eligible to be considered toward this requirement
  • BCH1100 Chemistry
  • GE1301 Climate Change and Extreme Weather
  • GE2305 Astronomy – the Sky and Us
• University Writing: All Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students must complete this course at Columbia.