Columbia University Archives: Course Descriptions

In-Person Resources

Sometimes, when you are applying for graduate school or the patent bar, the institution requires a description of the courses you completed as a student at Columbia. This information is not included in your transcript, which is maintained by the Office of the Registrar. In these instances, the University Archives can provide you with the tools to find course descriptions and other curricular information.

The Bulletins of Information or Announcements contain the course information for each school or division. You can request to access a school or division's paper volumes at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) Reading Room using the Columbia University Bulletins finding aid.

How to request a Bulletin:

In order to use the University Archives collections at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML), visitors are required to register their own Special Collections Research Account before their visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request the materials directly from the Columbia University Bulletins finding aid.

• Find the school you are interested in.
• Click on the check box on the right for the volume(s) for the academic year(s) you would like to review.
• Scroll back to the top of the container list and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top.

This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form. This collection is stored onsite and can be made available on the same day. Materials will be paged when you sign into the Reading Room.

There are additional schools, divisions and programs not included in this collection. This finding aid was created to facilitate access to the most requested volumes and also includes links to either the archived websites or the downloadable files for online access. If you cannot find the volume for the school or program you are interested in, please contact the University Archives at uarchives@columbia.edu.

For more information on how to register and how to request materials, please see the Research & Access section of our website. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact uarchives@columbia.edu.