Visiting Scholars

Visiting Scholars, Visiting Student Interns, and Officers of Research

The Chazen Visiting Scholar Program at Columbia Business School provides support for CBS faculty who seek to host international doctoral candidates, faculty members, and business practitioners at Columbia to further their research and scholarship. A visiting appointment is a non-stipendiary position lasting a period of between one month and one year, with an option to extend for up to one additional year. The visiting scholar will receive Columbia University library access and borrowing privileges, a temporary Columbia University ID card and email address, and the option to audit up to two open courses per semester.

Please note: students seeking bachelor's or master's degrees are not eligible.

Visitors must be sponsored by a faculty member at the Business School, who will serve as the scholar's academic adviser and provide guidance on the progress of the visitor's research. The faculty adviser should specialize in the same area as the prospective visitor.

The Visiting Scholar designation is a courtesy designation that Columbia University offers to those who want to use University resources for their own purposes. The Visiting Scholar designation does not signify a formal affiliation with the University, and therefore, one should not represent themselves as having an affiliation with Columbia on their CVs, bios, etc. Additionally, if one needs a visa to enter the U.S., the purpose of the visit needs to match the visa status: visiting scholars should be in J status (unless they have another visa status other than a tourist visa) that best represents their primary purpose for being in the U.S. Columbia will sponsor J-1 visas for visiting scholars. Please also refer to the ISSO website for any questions. Effective 2014, in compliance with University policies, visitors may be granted one of three designations by the University. The designation is dependent on whether the visitor and faculty sponsor intend to collaborate on research that may/will result in a co-authored paper and/or publication.

Which Type of Visiting Scholar are You?

  • Visiting Scholars: visitors who perform their own, independent research(only for practitioners)
  • Visiting Student Intern: visitors who are performing collaborative research with a faculty member and do not hold a PhD
  • Officer of Research: visitors who are performing collaborative research with a faculty member and already hold a PhD

Visitors who only conduct independent research must be designated "Visiting Scholars."

If you are not sure which affiliation best fits your visit, please see the following document for more details: Guidelines for Affiliation.

Pre-approval will be needed from the Dean's Office; this takes at least 6-8 weeks to process.

 

Which Materials Should You Submit?

  • CV
  • Detailed research proposal including sponsoring professor's name and exact dates of visit, i.e. October 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023
  • Upload the ID page of your passport and name it <firstname.lastname.passport> here
  • As per the U.S. Department of State regulations, J-1 Exchange Visitors must possess sufficient English Language proficiency to ensure success in the academic program and to ensure one’s well-being, health, and safety while here. If you are from a country where the official language is not English, please upload at least one of the following and name it <firstname.lastname.englishproficiency>:
    • Results of a recognized English Language test
    • Official diploma from an institution where English is the language of instruction
    • Evidence of previous successful J-1 exchange programs (DS-2019 or a letter from the previous J-1 visa sponsor)
    • If you cannot submit either of the above choices, please contact Ryan Hata <[email protected]> in order to set up a Zoom interview, so we can ensure that your language abilities are advanced enough to successfully communicate with folks at Columbia Business School.
  • CV
  • Proof of minimum annual salary of $58,656 in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (Confirmation of FLSA Minimum —Template)
  • Letter to Dean Maglaras to request appointment at CBS to be filled out by faculty member (Visiting Research Scholar Request to Appoint)
  • Upload the ID page of your passport and name it <firstname.lastname.passport> here
  • As per the U.S. Department of State regulations, J-1 Exchange Visitors must possess sufficient English Language proficiency to ensure success in the academic program and to ensure one’s well-being, health, and safety while here. If you are from a country where the official language is not English, please upload at least one of the following and name it <firstname.lastname.englishproficiency>:
    • Results of a recognized English Language test
    • Official diploma from an institution where English is the language of instruction
    • Evidence of previous successful J-1 exchange programs (DS-2019 or a letter from the previous J-1 visa sponsor)
    • If you cannot submit either of the above choices, please contact Ryan Hata <[email protected]> in order to set up a Zoom interview, so we can ensure that your language abilities are advanced enough to successfully communicate with folks at Columbia Business School.
  • CV
  • Upload the ID page of your passport and name it <firstname.lastname.passport> here
  • Visiting Student Intern Intake Form (download here)
    • Proof of enrollment (official transcript from current institution, or a letter from an academic adviser, the Registrar’s Office, or other official from the student’s home university attesting to student status)
    • Proof of funding: At least 51 percent must be from the home institution in the form of salary, grants, or scholarships. (Please see valid funding documents at this link)
    • “Inventions Agreement for Visiting Personnel Using Columbia University Research Facilities” (available from the “Visiting Student Interns” section at this link
  • As per the U.S. Department of State regulations, J-1 Exchange Visitors must possess sufficient English Language proficiency to ensure success in the academic program and to ensure one’s well-being, health, and safety while here. If you are from a country where the official language is not English, please upload at least one of the following and name it <firstname.lastname.englishproficiency>:
    • Results of a recognized English Language test
    • Official diploma from an institution where English is the language of instruction
    • Evidence of previous successful J-1 exchange programs (DS-2019 or a letter from the previous J-1 visa sponsor)
    • If you cannot submit either of the above choices, please contact Ryan Hata <[email protected]> in order to set up a Zoom interview, so we can ensure that your language abilities are advanced enough to successfully communicate with folks at Columbia Business School.

Where Should I Send My Materials?

Submit all materials to this form.

Application Deadlines

In order to streamline the appointment process, the Business School has instituted three deadlines for future visitors.

  • February 1st for visitors starting between May 1 and August 31
  • May 1st for visitors starting between September 1 and December 31
  • September 1st for visitors starting between January 1 and April 30

All materials listed above should be submitted before the specified deadline to be considered for a future visit at Columbia.

Requests that come to the School after these deadlines will not be considered without approval by the Senior Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs upon the priority recommendation of the division chair. Minimizing such off-cycle requests will help the School to process all requests more quickly and allocate space resources as equitably as possible.

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