What Is the Columbia University Mathematics Department and What Does It Offer?
The Columbia University Mathematics Department is the mathematics faculty and academic unit housed in the Mathematics hall on Columbia's Morningside campus in New York. It offers an undergraduate program, a graduate PhD program, and a Master of Arts in Mathematical Finance, and it supports research across areas including algebraic geometry, geometry and analysis, mathematical physics, number theory, probability and financial mathematics, and topology. If you are a prospective student, a current student looking for course or tutoring information, or a researcher checking seminar schedules, the department's site is organized around those needs.
Where the department is and how to reach it
The department is located in the Mathematics hall on the Morningside campus of Columbia University in New York. The site's Quick Links and contact pages point to the main entry points:
- Contact Us
- Faculty Directory
- Calendar
- Seminar List
- Placement and Transfer Credit
- Calculus Classes
- Course and Exam Schedules
- Tutoring Services
If you need to reach a specific person rather than the department generally, the People section includes a Department Directory, an alphabetical faculty listing, faculty by rank, an alphabetical student listing, students by year, a staff directory, and a "Who Does What" page, plus office hours.
Research areas
Research activity in the department is organized around several broad areas listed on the site:
- Algebraic Geometry
- Geometry and Analysis
- Mathematical Physics
- Number Theory
- Probability and Financial Mathematics
- Topology
These labels matter if you are choosing a department for graduate study or looking for a seminar to attend: they indicate where faculty and student seminars cluster, and the site's seminar listings are the practical way to see what is running in a given term.
Degree and program options
The department's Programs section covers three main paths:
| Program | Level | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Program | Undergraduate | Programs → Undergraduate Program |
| Graduate PhD Program | Doctoral | Programs → Graduate PhD Program |
| MA in Mathematical Finance | Master's | Programs → MA in Mathematical Finance (separate Math Finance website) |
The MA in Mathematical Finance is run as its own program with a dedicated website, so admissions and curriculum details for that degree sit outside the main department pages. The PhD program is supported by Graduate Core Courses and Graduate Topics Courses, with course and exam schedules published separately.
Courses, placement, and tutoring
For students working through the course sequence, the site separates a few distinct tasks:
- Calculus courses: the Calculus Classes page covers placement information and sample syllabi for various levels of study. This is the page to check before registering if you are unsure which calculus level fits your background.
- Course and exam schedules: published under Courses, alongside an overview of Graduate Core Courses and Graduate Topics Courses.
- Placement and transfer credit: handled through its own Quick Link, relevant if you are bringing credit from another institution.
- Tutoring Services: listed both under Quick Links and Departmental Resources.
The site also lists a Mathematics Library, a Computer FAQ, Cantor Lounge, and Help Rooms as departmental resources.
Seminars, events, and calendars
The department runs numerous faculty and student seminars on a weekly basis throughout the academic year. To find them, the site provides:
- Calendar
- Weekly Seminars
- Department Colloquium
- Upcoming Conferences and Special Lectures
- Archived Seminars, Lectures, and Conferences
- Seminars at Nearby Institutions
- Academic Calendar
If you are outside Columbia and want to attend, the seminar list and calendar are the starting points; "Seminars at Nearby Institutions" is useful if your interests sit between departments or campuses.
Alumni, giving, and community
For people who have already passed through the department, there is an Alumni section with Information for Alumni, Events for Alumni, PhD Placement Data, and Recent Doctoral Theses. PhD Placement Data is worth checking if you are evaluating the doctoral program's outcomes. There is also a Giving page, and a Community Engagement section that includes the Association for Women in Mathematics.
Practical starting points by goal
- Prospective undergraduate: Programs → Undergraduate Program, then Calculus Classes for placement and Course and Exam Schedules.
- Prospective PhD applicant: Programs → Graduate PhD Program, plus PhD Placement Data and Recent Doctoral Theses to judge outcomes and research topics.
- Mathematical Finance applicant: go directly to the Math Finance website linked from the Mathematics of Finance section.
- Current student needing help: Tutoring Services, Help Rooms, Course and Exam Schedules, and Placement and Transfer Credit.
- Visitor or researcher: Calendar, Weekly Seminars, Department Colloquium, and the Faculty Directory.
- Alumnus: Alumni Information, Events for Alumni, and Giving.
One caveat: the site lists available faculty positions and reimbursement guidelines, but it does not publish tuition, fees, or program costs on these pages, so budget questions need to be directed to the relevant program rather than inferred from the department site.