J-Term with NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi offers J-Term courses in many locations around the world. Many classes are open not only to NYU Abu Dhabi students but also to full-time NYU New York and NYU Shanghai undergraduates in their sophomore, junior, or senior year. These courses give students from the Abu Dhabi, New York, and Shanghai campuses the opportunity to study together and experience the rich diversity of the NYU Global Network. J-Term courses are taught by renowned scholars, writers, artists, journalists, and policy analysts who teach only during the January term as well as distinguished professors from NYU and NYUAD.

The NYUAD J-Term offers a distinctive and highly rigorous learning experience. Students take one course full-time for approximately three weeks. The courses are designed as immersive experiences; they intensify the student’s intellectual focus; reach beyond the classroom to incorporate experiential learning; and are often site-specific, connecting students to the place where they study.

Taking a single course during a J-Term gives students more time for concentrated reflection on a dedicated topic than is the case during the semester when students must split their time between several courses. The intensity of the shared experience also forges an unusually strong bond between the students and their professor. Although the J-Term is short, it has great impact because of its immersive character and linkage of theoretical and experiential learning. Many courses include day trips, group projects, one-on-one tutorials, and guest speakers to help deepen the students’ cultural and social interactions with the host community. Students joining J-Term courses should expect to devote a very significant amount of time outside of class to reading, writing, and research assignments.