Advanced standing will be granted to students who, upon entrance to the Graduate School, have completed the requirements for either an appropriate Master’s degree, conferred by a regionally accredited institution or the international equivalent or, sometimes, an appropriate professional degree, at Columbia or elsewhere. The faculty must judge that the previous degree is the academic equivalent of the Columbia M.A. and so advances the student by one year toward the M.Phil. On this basis, a maximum of two Residence Units may be applied to credit toward the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Usually work is accepted for credit when (a) it has contributed directly and substantially to the fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees and (b) it meets departmental standards. Students granted advanced standing under the foregoing provisions are not eligible to receive the M.A. degree from Columbia and may have their package of fellowship support adjusted accordingly.

Advanced standing is granted solely by the faculty and the Dean. Once granted, it will not be revoked.

Departments reserve the right to establish degree requirements for all students in their programs. Therefore, students awarded advanced standing are not necessarily exempt from all requirements demanded of M.A. candidates. Students admitted from institutions outside of Columbia who have not completed an appropriate M.A. degree program or the equivalent, or an appropriate professional degree, are not eligible for two Residence Units of advanced standing but may, in the judgment of the department and the Graduate School, be eligible for up to one Residence Unit of advanced standing.

Students who are currently registered or who have been registered in other graduate divisions of Columbia, may offer courses for advanced standing or transfer credit. Up to 30 points and two Residence Units may be offered in fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Up to 15 points and 1 Residence Unit may be offered in fulfillment of the M.A. degree. All courses must be graduate courses (4000 level and above) which have not been offered toward another degree. No course used to satisfy one degree may be used again in fulfillment of another degree at Columbia. This is commonly known as “double dipping.” Columbia undergraduate students may be granted advanced standing or transfer credit for courses taken in excess of the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The student must submit a letter from the Dean of his or her division stating that these courses are graduate courses (4000 level and above) and have not been used to fulfill the requirements for the bachelor’s degree (double dipping). Under no circumstances whatsoever may undergraduate level courses (3000 level and below) be offered in fulfillment of a master’s or doctoral degree.

Those registered as post-graduate special students in the School of Continuing Education may be eligible to earn, subject to faculty approval, up to one Residence Unit of advanced standing toward the M.A. for the satisfactory completion of at least 15 points of graduate courses (4000 level and above).

For Ph.D. Students

During the first semester in which a student registers, the Admissions Office will submit the names of those students who are eligible for advanced standing for the faculty of the respective department to consider. After an academic review, the faculty will determine whether or not to grant advanced standing, either in full (2 Residence Units) or in part (up to 1 Residence Unit). Students for whom the faculty have granted full advanced standing will not be eligible to receive an M.A. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. After advanced standing is granted, it will not be revoked. Those granted partial advanced standing, or who are denied advanced standing, will be eligible for the master’s degree upon satisfactory completion of the M.A. requirements as determined by the faculty.

For Master's Students

Students registered in non-sequential master’s degree programs (see section on Free-Standing M.A. Programs for definition of non-sequential), may be eligible for partial advanced standing with the approval of the faculty for graduate level course work (4000 level and above) taken in other divisions of the University only. No advanced standing is granted toward the Master of Arts degree to students who have taken courses outside Columbia University.