The Registrar’s office provides academic services and information on registration throughout the year. Any student with a question or problem is invited to come to the Registrar’s office for assistance. Office hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can complete their initial registration through Albert, the University's Web registration system, at www.home.nyu.edu. Students can also use Albert to make later adjustments to their schedule.
Continuing Students
Students currently enrolled in NYU Shanghai register early for the following semester— in November for the spring term and in mid-April for the fall term. Students who are currently enrolled or on an official leave of absence receive notification of the date and time when they can register. Before registering, students plan a provisional schedule and put it in the "shopping cart" function of Albert. They also discuss their program and courses with their advisor, who then clears them for registration. At the appointed time or thereafter, students access Albert to finalize the course enrollment process. Students should complete registration by paying their tuition and fees. Online tuition statements and payment options are available through the Office of the Bursar.
New Students
Newly admitted students receive detailed registration information a few weeks prior to orientation. New students meet with an academic advisor during orientation to discuss their class schedule and other academic questions.
All full-time students must be in compliance with NYU Shanghai’s health insurance and immunization requirements. For preregistration immunization requirements, please see: http://shanghai.nyu.edu/campus-life/health-wellness/immunization. If a student fails to comply, the student will not be allowed to register for classes until he or she is in full compliance. If the student does not receive clearance to register before the registration deadline for the semester, he or she will not be able to register and take classes until the next semester that they are in compliance. This policy includes first semester freshmen entering NYU Shanghai.
The health insurance and immunization requirements of some study away sites and portal campuses may vary from those at NYU Shanghai. Students must be in compliance with those requirements during their semester abroad in order to be eligible for studying away at that site or campus.
Academic advising is the process through which NYU Shanghai provides the necessary resources for students to make good choices. The primary purpose of academic advising is to assist students as they develop meaningful educational plans compatible with their life goals. Although the NYU Shanghai curriculum is well defined, there will be opportunities, both within and beyond curricular constraints, for students to participate in courses and activities that support their academic and personal development. While the ultimate responsibility for making decisions about life and educational plans rest with each individual student, an academic advisor assists them by suggesting options and by discussing possible outcomes of the choices they make. Students can expect that their academic advisor will help them:
- define academic, career and life goals
- evaluate progress toward goals
- understand curricular requirements, provide guidance during course selection, and help them identify other meaningful educational experiences
- determine whether or not they need assistance with study skills (time management, organizing course information, stress management, etc.), and, if necessary, refer them to institutional and community support services
- monitor their progress as they move through the undergraduate program
Students are required to meet with their advisor at least once each semester to review their registration plan for the following semester and ensure that they are making normal progress towards their degree. Students will not be able to register until after this meeting. It is the individual student’s responsibility to make certain that he or she fulfills the requirements for graduation.
Advisors offer a wide range of services and programs designed to meet the needs of a diverse student body. The advisors serve as a basic source of information about the degree requirements, policies, and procedures of the Campus. Students are able to get advice as well as secure tutorial support. Academic workshops are sponsored to assist students in planning academic programs, choosing a major, and negotiating registration.
A freshman advising program provides individual advising for new students entering in September. Each student is assigned an advisor who can provide information and support during the transition to college and with whom the student meets throughout his or her first year to discuss academic as well as career and other issues. Students needing additional assistance may, throughout the year, make an individual appointment with the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs.
Advisors also meet individually with students who want to discuss concerns or questions they may be having about the University. The advisors serve as a liaison with other offices and can make referrals when appropriate. The advisor then is the best source for students to visit when they are unsure of where to go for help.
Office hours for advisors are maintained in the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs office and the web based Albert advising scheduling system.
Major Advisement
Students who have declared a major have a major advisor who can be consulted throughout the academic year about discipline specific issues, graduate study, and career opportunities.
The mission of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) is to assist students in developing the skills, strategies, and behaviors needed to perform as confident, independent, and active learners. The ARC offers a wide variety of free services including academic counseling in study skills and peer tutoring as well as supplemental instruction and study groups for select courses. =
ARC services are designed to help both students who are having academic difficulties and those who just want to improve their performance. It represents an important partnership between Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs and serves to link the academic and residential lives of students. Services offered by the Center include the following:
- Individual and group tutoring sessions for math, writing, and reading
- Core Curriculum study groups
- Examination review sessions
- Study skills assessment
- Workshops on academic effectiveness and time management
- Computer-assisted tutoring
One defining characteristic of the New York University educational experience is the opportunity students have to apply their classroom learning to real-life experiences in a variety of professional and community-service settings. Shanghai provides such opportunities in abundance, and NYU Shanghai takes full advantage of our location in one of the financial, cultural, scientific, and media capital of the world.
A recent survey by the University's Wasserman Center for Career Development showed that 83 percent of graduating seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences held a job or internship related to their field of interest during their undergraduate years. Many different types of opportunities are available to students; some are paid, some involve volunteerism on the part of a student, and some carry academic credit—and all of these can be valuable. For the purpose of securing and making the most of such opportunities, students should consider the following criteria as a guide.
Paid Internships
Chinese visa law does not allow international students to hold off-campus part-time jobs or paid internships.
Voluntary or Community Service
Certain organizations encourage students to work on a volunteer basis to gain experience and to provide needed assistance to the organization. This type of arrangement is common, for example, in government and not-for-profit organizations. Such internships are valued, sometimes even required, for admission to some professional schools, but the College awards no credit for them.
Credit-Bearing Internships
A few departments offer academic internships that directly advance a student's knowledge in the academic discipline and thus earn course credit. Such academic internships must be sponsored by an appropriate faculty member through an academic department and normally require close faculty supervision, significant research in addition to the practical work experience, a reporting of findings, and a formal assessment of the student's work. All such internships require permission of the department or program, and registration for them must be within the regular deadlines. Majors offering credit-bearing internships may restrict them to declared majors, since those students have the requisite background. Internship courses can be counted toward some majors but not toward others. Students should check with their major to see if they have this option.
Independent Study
In some majors, independent study that draws on the activity or environment of the internship may be a possibility. Like a credit-bearing internship, independent study requires a proposal by the student, careful guidance from a faculty member, and a body of work that can be evaluated for course credit.
Pre-Medical and Health Studies Program
NYU Shanghai Premedical and Health Studies program fully prepares students to apply to US medical schools in the health field. The health professions provide many challenging and rewarding opportunities.
In order to apply to health-related professional schools, students typically need to complete courses in introductory biology, chemistry, and physics. At NYU Shanghai, these subjects comprise Foundations of Science, which is a rigorous three-semester, integrated course that covers the fundamentals of basic science. NYU Shanghai transcripts clearly note biology, chemistry and physics as distinct parts of Foundations of Science. In addition to introductory science courses, professional medical schools often require two semesters of math, one of which must be calculus, two semesters of organic chemistry, and two semesters of English, including writing. It is also recommended that students take a course in statistics, biochemistry, sociology and psychology. Students are encouraged to gain some practical experience by volunteering in a clinical setting and to demonstrate a commitment to service and humanistic endeavors.
It is important to understand that pre-professional training does not require students to major in science or math. Students may elect to major in any discipline and complete the Premedical and Health Studies program in parallel. You should choose a disciplinary major that you will enjoy and in which you will excel. If you enjoy the sciences, choosing a major in those areas is the right decision for you. If, however, you have other interests or talents, you will demonstrate your versatility and increase your chances of excelling by pursuing a major in the humanities or social sciences along with the prehealth curriculum.
NYU Shanghai, like many American colleges and universities, does not offer a premedical, predental, or prehealth major. In fact, the best professional schools want, above all, students with a broad education who can think clearly, read critically, and write well.
Your advisor will help you to explore your options, advise you about programs and appropriate course selection, and help you to present the best possible application to professional schools. Students should be aware that it is extremely difficult for applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents to gain admission to medical school in the U.S. Other health professional schools in the U.S. have more hospitable admissions policies, such as schools of dentistry and M.D./Ph.D. programs.
The following are the basic set requirements most medical schools in the U.S. request; however, specific medical schools might have additional requirements or modifications to those listed here. You should consult with the premedical advisor for more information.
SUGGESTED COURSES FOR APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCHOOL
- CCSC-SH 101-114 Foundations of Science 1–6 (Note: This covers the pre-med requirements of one year of general biology, one year of general chemistry, one year of general physics, and one year of lab work in each of those areas.)
- CHEM-SH 201-250 Organic Chemistry 1 and 2
- MATH-SH 110-112 Calculus and Multivariate Calculus and Differential Equations
- Intro to Psychology
- A sociology course that surveys individual and social patterns of behavior and determinants of health
- Statistics
- Two (2) semesters of an upper level Expository Writing courses are recommended. These courses cannot be Creative Writing but need to focus on writing or interpreting advanced texts.
- One (1) semester of Biochemistry
Pre-Law Program
Prospective law students are free to choose from the wide variety of courses offered at NYU Shanghai. NYU endorses the position of the Association of American Law Schools that a single "best" preparation for law school cannot be recommended. As a result, there is no prescribed prelaw curriculum.
Purpose of Prelaw Study
While NYU Shanghai considers the prescription of particular courses unwise, it does advise taking courses that require extensive reading, research, and writing. The Core Curriculum is an excellent beginning for prelaw students, as it offers a rigorous and multidisciplinary foundation for advanced study in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The honors programs offered by some majors provide opportunities to do extensive written work during the junior and senior years. No matter what one majors in, law schools value a well-rounded liberal arts education, so students should choose their electives wisely. For example, the precision of methodology and thought required of students in mathematics, computer science, logic, and the natural sciences will aid in the development of analytic skills, while a background in the behavioral sciences and the humanities (such as politics, economics, history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology) will offer a deeper understanding of human institutions and values, as well as opportunities for critical thinking and writing.
Counseling and Behavioral Health Services (CBH) are available for all students and no appointment is necessary. Counseling services are free on a voluntary basis for any fullor part-time student enrolled in NYU Shanghai. When necessary, medication and outside referrals are available. All conversations are kept strictly confidential. CBH counseling staff members provide assistance in workshops, as well as in group and individual psychotherapy.
The social and emotional conflicts that occur in a person's life occasionally prevent him or her from functioning optimally. Concerns about interpersonal relationships, poor grades or other academic problems, feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, loneliness, sexual problems, eating disorders, substance abuse, and family and/or marriage conflicts are difficulties any individual might encounter. CBH counselors provide an atmosphere where personal concerns can be examined and discussed freely and confidentially.
New York University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities. It is the University’s policy that no qualified student with a disability be excluded from participating in any University program or activity, denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity.
The Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) determines qualified disability status and assists students in obtaining appropriate accommodations and services. CSD operates according to an Independent Living Philosophy and strives in its policies and practices to empower each student to become as independent as possible. Their services are designed to encourage independence, backed by a strong system of supports.
Any student who needs a reasonable accommodation based on a qualified disability is required to register with the CSD for assistance. They should contact the Director of the Academic Resource Center for assistance in registering.