Applications for the Shape of Two Cities: New York/Paris program are reviewed on a rolling basis, and are now open for admission for the 2024-25 academic year.
Learn more about the application process
The Shape of Two Cities: New York/Paris Program is for undergraduate students and recent college and university graduates. Each of the program’s three tracks (Architecture, Urban Studies, or Historic Preservation) introduce the fields of architecture, planning and preservation; encourage their exploration in the contexts of history, theory and practice; and identify and analyze their interrelationships, especially in regard to the making of cities.
The program’s unique format—one semester in New York and one semester in Paris— immerses participants in the rich physical and intellectual urban environments of New York and Paris and prepare students for graduate school of professional pursuits in these fields. Students will gain a fundamental understanding of each city through coursework, site visits, and simply by living like a local in each city.
Instruction draws on the resources of Columbia University and its faculty, and the architectural communities of New York and Paris. During the first semester, students live and study in New York and enjoy the resources of Columbia University and GSAPP. The second semester is spent in Paris at Reid Hall, Columbia University’s center for French studies located in the heart of the Montparnasse district.
