Global University

NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of NYU’s global network of degree granting campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity.

The first of its kind, this global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. Designed to draw the most talented and creative students and faculty from around the world, it enables those students and faculty to circulate throughout the network while retaining access to the University's  intellectual community and resources.

NYU Abu Dhabi’s international composition, rigorous academic program, innovative research capacity, and location at the crossroads of the Arab world creates valuable opportunities for faculty and students across the global network to engage in academic dialogue in the Middle East and beyond. 

Global Academic Centers

NYU's global academic centers complement the three portal campuses, allowing students to study away for a semester or longer at a site of their choice. Each site offers a range of courses, permitting students to complete core requirements — as well as co-curricular activities to explore the region, meet local students and figures, and use new language skills — and is characterized by a distinct academic identity.

NYU Accra, for example emphasizes global public health and economic development, while NYU Berlin focuses on art and the humanities, and NYU Prague centers on music as well as global media and transitional government. The global academic centers are:

Students are encouraged to spend up to two semesters during their four years at NYU Abu Dhabi studying abroad at sites where students from NYUAD, NYU Shanghai, and NYU New York study together and experience the rich social diversity of NYU's global network.

Global Education

Global education at NYU Abu Dhabi is realized through a careful sequence of interrelated academic and intercultural experiences that provide students with intellectually rigorous, research-­focused learning environments that complement and extend their coursework. This global orientation reflects the international diversity of the student body and the cosmopolitan character of Abu Dhabi.

J-Term Study

In addition to semesters away, students may spend one January Term (J-Term) session abroad, taking an intensive two-week course at one of the NYU global academic centers. Regional academic seminars embedded in courses taught in Abu Dhabi are also offered, during which students — led by faculty and local experts — experience the diverse places and people of the UAE and the broader Middle East, connect their academic studies with on-the-ground exploration of the region, and deepen their knowledge through first-hand experiences of the societies and issues they are studying at NYUAD.