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Programs · Columbia College · 2026-2027

Political Science at Columbia College: what LionPlan checks

LionPlan is an unofficial student project. It is a companion to Stellic and Vergil, not a replacement, and it does not replace CSA advising. This page is live for Columbia College.

Tell us your school, your major, and what you have taken. A course card then shows what a class satisfies (“Satisfies Probability / Statistics”) and what it unlocks (“Opens up 7 more courses”), plus the section time and instructor rating.

The groups below are the ones LionPlan actually checks for this program. They were transcribed from the 2026-2027 Bulletin. Confirm them with your school before you register.

  1. Introductory Courses

    Choose N

    Choose 2 of: POLS UN2201, POLS UN2501, POLS UN2601, POLS UN2101, POLS UN1201, POLS UN1501, POLS UN1601, POLS UN1101.

    Two. The first four are the current Columbia courses; the last four are the pre-Fall-2025 numbers, which still count if you took them then. Columbia College and General Studies students must take these at Columbia, not at Barnard.

  2. Primary Subfield

    Attested

    You confirm this yourself. Minimum three courses in your declared primary subfield — American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Theory. Which subfield a course belongs to is set by the department's numbering scheme, but which subfield is yours is not something we can see.

  3. Secondary Subfield

    Attested

    You confirm this yourself. Minimum two courses in your declared secondary subfield.

    The Bulletin's table labels this row "Minor Subfield".

  4. Seminars

    Attested

    You confirm this yourself. Two 4-point 3000-level seminars, at least one in your primary subfield. The department numbers them POLS UN3911 (political theory), POLS UN3921 (American politics), POLS UN3951 and POLS UN3952 (comparative politics), POLS UN3961 and POLS UN3962 (international relations) — but which subfield is yours is not something we can see, so this one is yours to confirm. Entry requires the instructor's permission. Barnard colloquia do not count toward this, though they may count toward a subfield or the electives. Honors students take POLS UN3998–POLS UN3999 in place of this.

  5. Research Methods

    Choose N

    Choose 1 of: POLS UN3220, POLS UN3289, POLS UN3704, POLS UN3706, PSAM UN3707, POLS UN3720, POLS UN3768, POLS GU4710, POLS GU4712, POLS GU4716, POLS GU4720, POLS GU4722, POLS GU4724, POLS GU4726, POLS GU4762, POLS GU4764, POLS GU4792.

    One, from the department's published list. Must be completed by the end of junior year and may not be taken Pass/D/Fail.

  6. Political Science Electives

    N matching

    1 course matching POLS courses, not counting courses already used for another group in this program.

    Minimum one course, in any subfield. Introductory courses that fall outside your two subfields land here, and Barnard political science courses count. POLS UN3901 and POLS UN3902 Independent Research count only when taken for at least 3 points, which this rule cannot check — it counts courses, not credit.

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