The World in a University: Gain a Global Perspective at NYU

In some NYU programs study away isn’t just an additional option but an essential requirement. For example, in the Liberal Studies Core, first- and second-year students develop critical thinking skills through interdisciplinary study. That’s why studying abroad is an essential element of the curriculum. What’s more, all students may choose to spend their first year away at one of four NYU sites. After their second year in the core program, students have the option to select from over 100 majors at other NYU schools or declare a Global Liberal Studies major.

Kate Lan is a Secondary Education major with a teaching specialization in English at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She studied away in London as part of Liberal Studies’ First Year Away program. There, she immersed herself in the literature she loves, right where it was created.

“I was able to see a lot of the places where literature really exploded into the world,” she says. Since transferring to Steinhardt to complete her degree and certification, she’s on track to pursue a career teaching English. Kate hopes to encourage the next generation of students to broaden their perspectives through the study of literature and culture. As she puts it, “The world needs individualized voices in literature and different forms of expression so we can better understand different cultures.”

For Liberal Studies students who wish to continue their exploration of world cultures, the Global Liberal Studies program offers a four-year degree program. Global Liberal Studies majors declare a concentration on a specific global theme in their sophomore year. They then spend their entire junior year away from their home campus, conducting research and examining important texts and artifacts in the very places those cultural objects originated.

At the Stern School of Business, Business and Political Economy (BPE) majors specialize in the study of business in a global context. Students spend two semesters studying away to experience living and learning in the centers of world finance. And starting with the Class of 2027, all Stern undergraduate students will be required to complete a global study away experience. Stern students can fulfill this requirement through the BPE major or simply through a semester away. They can also take part in a short-term immersion program like Stern Around the World: Mexico. During spring break where students go to Mexico City for a weeklong field intensive as part of their study of international real estate development.

Media, Culture, and Communication majors at Steinhardt have the option to apply to the Global Media Scholars (GMS) program, in which students explore media and technology in a worldwide context. Students in this program are immersed in the study of media at either NYU Paris or NYU Prague for one semester, then choose NYU Buenos Aires or NYU Shanghai for another semester. Additionally, GMS students also complete a capstone project and a January Term abroad. They then graduate with a concentration in global and transcultural communication.

For students interested in short-term international study options, NYU offers myriad opportunities to earn credit without committing to a full semester or year away. All students may enroll in January Term (J Term) courses—intensive, three-week classes that offer a full semester’s worth of credit. What’s more, many J Term courses are taught entirely abroad, allowing students to explore a subject in depth while also exploring another culture.

Some J Term courses travel to sites outside the NYU global network. For example, in the Tisch J Term course Postcards from Cuba, students go to the Caribbean island to explore the history of travel writing and photography through their own lens as travelers. Similarly, in the School of Professional Studies course Global Cities: Nairobi, students majoring in Real Estate explore the development of the Kenyan capital.

Through the College of Arts and Science (CAS), students may enroll in six-week summer intensives. These intensives immerse students in a foreign culture while enriching their academic experience. Options include Dublin, where students are based at the legendary Trinity College. Students can also experience the vibrant contemporary arts and music scene in Recife, Brazil. And in Athens, CAS summer students explore Greek culture or undertake on-site archeological study.

“NYU in Athens reshaped my future concentration,” says Molly Koch. “From our very first visit to the Acropolis to my presentation of the archaeological site of Mycenae to my friends and professors, I realized that archaeology must be part of my education.” When they returned to NYU in the fall, Molly transferred from Liberal Studies to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. There, they designed a concentration in classical archaeology.