The Global Network University

Universities exist for a simple yet profound reason: to create new knowledge through research and discovery and to pass on knowledge to the next generation. It is also the duty of every university to prepare its students to become engaged and contributing citizens. In the 21st century, this task takes on new meaning.

The great compression of our world—a consequence of the spread of technology and information, the interdependence of economies, the transnational nature of major human challenges, and an increasing embrace of diversity—will only accelerate. We already see evidence of the emergence of a set of global "idea capitals," magnets for talents and creativity. To help you become citizens of this world, you will have one of the greatest opportunities available to an NYU undergraduate—the chance to pursue international study.

Just as NYU's founders chose in 1831 to move education out of the ivy tower to be "in and of the city," NYU is now "in and of the world" in a way that defines and exemplifies something that has not existed before: a global network university.

Global Presence

No university has a greater global presence. NYU leads all universities in students studying abroad; over 40 percent of our undergraduates now study abroad, and each year the number increases. In September 2010, NYU opened NYU Abu Dhabi, an audacious step in higher education: the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus to be operated abroad by a major American research university, offering a complete NYU education to undergraduates outside of New York City and from around the world and creating another "portal campus" to gain access to this dynamic, global network university.

In 2013, the first 300 students (half from China and half from the rest of the world) will matriculate on NYU's newest degree-granting campus, in Shanghai. Students at NYU Shanghai will have a unique opportunity to reflect upon the role that great cities play in human progress, and upon the interdependent relationship between China and the rest of the world.

Our newest international study center recently opened in Washington, DC--the 11th of our international academic centers, which also include Accra, Ghana; Berlin; Buenos Aires; Florence; London; Madrid; Paris; Prague; and Tel Aviv. Even our curriculum is changing to reflect both the desire and the need for our students not only to attain an education but also to become world citizens: two new globally oriented undergraduate majors are being offered this year as NYU more fully integrates international study into its academic programs.

Under the umbrella of Arts and Science, the Global Liberal Studies Program merges our premier liberal studies curriculum with experiential learning and an intensive intellectual experience abroad. The Business and Political Economy Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business combines course work in business, politics, and economics with integrated study at NYU campuses in three of the world's most important global marketplaces—New York, London, and Shanghai.