Teachers College at Columbia University Reviews

"I have enrolled in courses for eight consecutive semesters at TC. Every single time, the system has crashed causing a lot of anxiety, stress, and wasted time spent clicking the refresh button on my browser. This nearly caused me to fail to graduate on time. It also precluded taking a number of my preferred classes! Of the classes I did succeed in taking, about half of them contained obscenely large student numbers, making class discussions tiresome and unhelpful. The lectures for about half of my classes were exceedingly dry and little thought was paid to how the material we discussed was applicable to our program of study. There were also some amazing classes that I took, but getting into these classes was incredibly challenging and sometimes impossible due to stingy offerings and a dilapidated registration system. All of this has made one thing very clear to me. TC administrators are much more interested in getting as much money as they can out of their students than they are in providing a high-quality education. My recommendation: Save your money and attend a public university for an equally high-quality education at a fraction of the cost. The main thing I can say that was uniquely positive about TC has been my cohort. You will be hard-pressed to find a more ideal selection of future therapists and researchers. Sadly, I think this is much more due to TC's admission practices than its training.Read Less"

"I have to agree with the negative reviews. The program offers some nice classes and professors. but Teachers College is a degree mill. It is disorganized, no individual support, and not well regarded. I did not really find TC offered much in the way of opportunities or connections to Columbia. Don't get me wrong. The program is perfectly fine if you want to get in and get out with your degree. You will surely get a good education and it will be more than enough to pass a licensing exam. If you are deciding between places, it is not worth it at all for the name and ridiculously high price.Read Less"

"I love Columbia Teachers College and my program in Psychological Counseling with a focus in Mental Health Counseling! The only challenging part about going back to school has been affording it, because going to a private school in New York City is not cheap! However, I know it will be worth it in the long run and I feel so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by such terrific teaching staff and brilliant students at Columbia TC!"

"The program faculty are very encouraging and helpful. All the faculty wish to see you succeed. Financial aid is very lacking and limited."

"Depending on your needs, there can be a lack of support from both the department and the school - especially considering what is asked of the students during the program. Overall, the courses are challenging, but not perhaps as challenging as would be expected from this institution. The program is also not designed to accommodate students that come in all ready meeting or exceeding certain program requirements - the program does not know how to meet students where they are (i.e. taking into account individual life experiences beyond traditional academia schedules). I also find, for myself, that the program is a good way to identify if a doctoral program is right for you. I never intended to go right into a doctoral program, but the nature of a Master's program (even one that leads to licensure) is still professionally limiting. This program also tends to focus heavily on certain populations, while glazing over others, and completely omitting some from incorporative class discussion. One can make the best of this program, if well prepared to do so, and hopefully some of the changes coming to the program, faculty, and support staff will make big changes soon.Read Less"

"The Masters in Psychological Counseling at Teachers College, Columbia University has an excellent faculty with remarkable credentials, research experience, and largely, instructional expertise. The program's emphasis on multicultural competence in the fields of mental health and school counseling is one of its most impressive aspects. While many programs boast a couple of courses focused on multiculturalism and diversity, Teachers College weaves these themes into each and every course, which produces, in my estimation, a much better rounded, multiculturally competent practitioner. The experiential courses, in particular, are magnificent, including Group Therapy, Foundations in Psychological Counseling, and the Racial Cultural Counseling Laboratory. As far as cons go, the program does not do much to support their students financially. I will also say that most professors know very little about what is required to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York since most of them are PhD-level psychologists. Incoming students should attend as many panels and workshops in regards to licensure as they can in both their first and second years to ensure that they are up to speed on that process.Read Less"