New York University

Gallatin School of Individualized Study

What is a Gallatin concentration?

Gallatin students develop a unique area of concentration based on their own academic and professional interests and goals. The student works closely with a faculty adviser to determine which educational opportunities will best advance learning and prepare the student for graduate school and a career. The concentration is interdisciplinary and is comprised of Gallatin courses as well as courses taken throughout the university. Please click here for examples of areas of concentration.

If a student is planning to attend graduate or professional school, he or she may choose to complete the course work required of a particular major, but with his or her specific goals in mind. For example, a student with a strong interest in psychology can take all of the courses required to enter a graduate program in psychology, while designing a unique concentration, such as the psychology of creativity. Whereas at other schools, students may become limited by the fulfilling the requirements of a major, Gallatin students are active participants in the creation of knowledge and learning.

Does Gallatin have requirements?

Although Gallatin students do have flexibility in designing their programs, all students must complete a required Liberal Arts Core.

The liberal arts core provides the foundation which enables our students to think critically, communicate effectively, and integrate their work by studying the traditional great books and other significant texts.

Do Gallatin students take courses in Gallatin only? May they take classes in the other schools of NYU?

Gallatin is one of seven undergraduate schools at NYU. While our students take classes at Gallatin, which form the core of our liberal arts program, the majority of their course work is taken in the various other NYU schools and departments. This is one of the unique features of the Gallatin program.

So, are all NYU courses available to Gallatin students?

Most of the courses at NYU are open to Gallatin students, although there are some restrictions. All classes in the College of Arts and Science are open to Gallatin students, who have taken the appropriate prerequisites, as are most of the classes in the other schools of NYU. The Tisch School of the Arts offers a comprehensive Open Arts Curriculum, through which a variety of Tisch courses are open to non-Tisch students. Many of our students take advantage of these course offerings. Some Tisch courses in film production, photography, and dramatic writing have limited enrollment and preference is given to their majors. Still, our students often do get into these classes, and some choose to take these courses during the summer, when they are more accessible. Most courses in the departments of drama, dance and design at Tisch are open to their majors only. Many Gallatin students have an interest in the arts and they are able to pursue these interests through a combination of courses in the Tisch Open Arts Curriculum, Gallatin’s own arts workshops, courses in the Steinhardt School, private lessons, and internships.

I understand that advising is very important to the Gallatin student. How are advisors selected?

We assign all freshmen a Gallatin professor so that the student can become accustomed to Gallatin’s approach to interdisciplinary learning. At the end of the freshman year, we ask students to describe their academic interests and they may then be reassigned to a faculty advisor who shares those specific interests. That advisor may be a Gallatin professor or a professor in another NYU department. For example, if a student is interested in business and politics, the advisor might be a professor in the Stern School of Business; if a student is interested in art history and language, the advisor might be a faculty member in the art history department; if the student’s interests are pre-med and liberal arts, the student would work with a pre-med advisor.

My son/daughter has many different academic interests. Would Gallatin be a good choice?

Yes, Gallatin is an ideal school for the student with many interests. As our students may take courses from the various NYU schools, they may pick and choose their course work from many different departments. Gallatin is essentially a liberal arts college so that all of our students receive a firm foundation in significant texts and the history of ideas through their Gallatin courses. They then supplement this foundation with courses in nearly any department of the University.

May Gallatin students study abroad?

Yes, and many do. We encourage our students to study abroad in one of the many NYU sites including Florence, Paris, Madrid, London, Prague, Ghana, and the Goethe Institute in Germany. Gallatin students may also elect to pursue a non-NYU study abroad, which should always be approved in advance.

Students may also study abroad in the summer and Gallatin offers two summer study abroad courses: Gallatin Humanities Seminar in Italy (Florence) and Provence and Mediterranean Culture.

Do Gallatin students continue their education in graduate school?

Absolutely. Many Gallatin students have gone on to graduate and professional studies at schools such as the graduate schools Columbia, Yale, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Princeton, Oxford, University of Chicago, London School of Economics, Tufts, USC, Georgetown, and, of course, New York University. The areas they pursue are as diverse as our student body. Our students attend law school, medical school, MBA programs, and Ph.D. programs in areas such as clinical psychology, English, Middle Eastern Studies, economics, and neuroscience, among many others. Our students have been honored to receive such prestigious fellowships and awards, including as the Fulbright Scholarship, the Henry Luce Scholarship, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, Clark Fellowship, and the National Science Foundation Scholarship.

Do Gallatin students reside in a specific residence hall or are they mixed with students from the other NYU schools?

Gallatin students live in a variety of residence halls throughout NYU’s campus. Living with students from all of the other schools within NYU allows them the opportunity to get to know people with many different interests.

Do Gallatin students feel a sense of community?

Gallatin is essentially a small college within the larger university and many of our students feel an especially strong sense of community within Gallatin. Because ours is not a traditional campus, we encourage our students to get involved in interests outside of the classroom. In addition to hundreds of university-wide student organizations, students may participate in one or more of the many Gallatin-based student clubs; Gallatin also offers special programming and activities for first-year students, transfers, commuters, and seniors.

Gallatin’s small class size also contributes to a shared sense of community. Students get to know their Gallatin professors and each other very well in Gallatin’s interdisciplinary seminars, arts workshops, writing courses and community learning projects.

You are located in New York City. How is security at NYU?

New York University is committed to the safety of all if its students. Greenwich Village, home to NYU, has historically been one of the lowest-crime neighborhoods of New York City. The University provides extensive security coverage in all of its residence halls, classroom buildings and facilities and a comprehensive safety program that includes training, protection, and education. NYU Protection and Transportation Services Department provides a force of 220 uniformed officers who are on duty at campus facilities and patrol 24 hours a day. Residence halls have 24-hour security or doormen. The trolley and escort van service provides safe transport to residence hall locations and off-campus University facilities.

Do I have access to my student’s records?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal regulation, limits access to academic records to a student only, unless the student provides written permission for NYU or Gallatin to release such information. Please see our FERPA Fact Sheet for Parents and Guardians for more information.