BA/MA Program

The Committee on Global Thought accepts applications for its BA/MA program, which is available only to current Columbia undergraduates (enrolled at Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of General Studies, or Barnard College), who want to add an MA in Global Thought to their achievements at Columbia University. BA/MA applicants must apply and receive a deferred admission decision to the MA program during their junior or senior year. Students admitted under the BA/MA option may then undertake graduate-level coursework while still undergraduates; that coursework will be later applied to fulfill degree requirements for an MA program after they have graduated from their undergraduate school and enrolled officially at GSAS. Only graduate-level courses taken in excess of the 124-credit requirement for the Columbia or Barnard bachelor’s degree can be applied to the MA in Global Thought.

Students interested in the BA/MA option must contact the Graduate Program Director to determine an appropriate selection of graduate courses during their remaining undergraduate semesters. The MA in Global Thought program is interdisciplinary, flexible, and dynamic, building on the core curriculum in global governance, global political economy, and global culture and politics. Students pursue electives in their fields of interest and undertake independent research working with CGT and other Columbia faculty.

Visit the GSAS BA/MA page for more information on BA/MA policies, processes, application deadlines, and the BA/MA application link.

Consult the Global Thought MA Application Checklist here for details about application requirements. Note that standard application deadlines differ from the deadlines for the BA/MA program, so be sure to check the GSAS BA/MA page for appropriate deadlines and the link to apply.