At NYU Shanghai, learning is personalized, cross-disciplinary, and shaped by a global perspective. Undergraduate students build a solid foundation of academic and professional skills, empowering them to become innovators and citizens of the world.
By the Numbers
Core Curriculum
NYU Shanghai’s liberal arts education develops critical thinking skills, builds character, and lays a foundation for future success. In their first two years, undergraduates explore six core curriculum modules and engage with cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary perspectives on the world we live in.
Social and Cultural Foundations
including Global Perspectives on Society and Perspectives on the Humanities
Writing
including Writing as Inquiry
Language
Including Chinese language or English for Academic Purposes
Math
Including one Math course or placing into Calculus
Science
Including Experimental Discovery and Science, Technology, and Society
Algorithmic Thinking
Including one Algorithmic Thinking course
From Our Students
Because NYU Shanghai lets us explore and fail, you slowly overcome the fear factor. This broadened perspective has made me bolder about venturing into other unfamiliar territory.
I’ve been able to study social science, psychology, and interactive media arts while taking Chinese classes. I heard many different perspectives that I wouldn’t have heard if I had stayed back in the US.
Design Your Major
Undergraduates spend the first two years building core competencies before selecting a major. Want to forge your own path? Pursue a double major, add a minor, or design a personalized course of study based on your academic and professional interests. Undergraduates have the option to pursue a double major or combine a major with minors. Students may take equivalent courses at study away locations to fulfill NYU Shanghai minor requirements or pursue cross-school minors.
Make the World Your Major
Students at NYU Shanghai learn not only from books but also from their experience of the world. Students are required to study away for at least one semester within NYU’s global network, which includes the New York and Abu Dhabi campuses and 13 global academic centers. Study Away programs allow students to access globally integrated curriculums, faculty, research, and student services. NYU Shanghai also hosts students from NYU’s other two campuses, who come to Shanghai to anchor their studies or engage in volunteer activities to gain a deeper understanding of China.
Part of education is experiencing the city where you live and study. Studying away in Berlin, I really feel this. In our courses, we learn a lot about the city’s history, culture, and art to better understand the city’s past and present. We visit museums and exhibitions, and especially in our German language class, we learn about local culture. It makes me feel like I am really living here, not just a visitor.
My semester in Abu Dhabi was absolutely the highlight. There are multiple opportunities every week to explore and learn about the UAE and the fascinating culture of the Gulf region. There is just something special about the academic focus and drive of Abu Dhabi as a campus, which pushes you to not only work hard but also to appreciate the incredible people and opportunities that students are exposed to in the region. Even with an amazing year abroad at our global campuses, returning to Shanghai was so effortless. It truly felt like I was coming home.
While studying away in New York, I walked in front of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in DC, and I could only imagine the decisions being made inside. I would like to see something like this in Nepal, like a physical building, where people are meeting to make decisions about [international] relations. Having experienced these types of cross-cultural and transnational connections at NYU Shanghai, I have aspirations to contribute to these relationships at a broader level.”
I do enjoy learning languages and had heard that Chinese was one of the hardest! If I was going to learn it eventually, it was best to build a foundation now. So I think these were prime motivators to study at NYU Shanghai. I feel like the community here has really made it a good experience. The study away trips, [learning] Chinese calligraphy, the events that they have here. I’m always trying to be involved, and I can always do them with others rather than by myself. I think if you take every day as a new blessing, a new opportunity to have new interactions, you can really make your study away time memorable.