Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Introduction to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development offers a broad array of degrees and programs, all designed to advance the education, health, and well-being of people and communities around the world. Our integration of education, communication, health, and the arts into a single college makes us unique in the nation and offers unrivaled opportunities for inquiry, research, and exploration.

Opened in 1890 as the School of Pedagogy, a milestone in American education, NYU was the first major university to establish a graduate school for teacher preparation, placing the School at equal rank with other professional schools, such as law and medicine.

Our School has a long history of innovation, inclusion, and impact. Our faculty have created new fields of study—including the first media ecology, educational theatre, and food studies programs—that have transformed higher education. Our students, faculty, and graduates are directly improving and enriching people’s lives through research, teaching, and service, applying their creativity and knowledge where they are needed most. 

Since we first opened our doors, we have strived to be an inclusive and welcoming place to different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. From its earliest years, NYU Steinhardt recognized the importance of equity and belonging, and included women among its first doctoral graduates and African Americans in its student body and faculty in the early 20th century.

At the graduate level, the School prepares aspiring and current professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enter or advance their careers in physical and psychological health, the arts, culture, and media in addition to teacher education and leadership. We offer specialized professional and scholarly education, including several online graduate programs, within the context of one of the country’s premier centers for scholarly and creative inquiry, applied research, and field-based practice. Our graduate students find a warm and supportive environment in which they can explore new ideas and practices with faculty and student colleagues. They work with researchers, scholars, and teachers who are committed to academic excellence as well as ethical and values-driven leadership. They learn in the expansive environment of a great research university and use the urban neighborhoods of New York City and NYU’s vast, global network as their laboratory. They embrace the challenges of our complex and interconnected world to build bridges and connect people around the globe.

The School’s undergraduate division offers 20 majors and more than two dozen minors in the fields noted above. The School also offers the advantages of a medium-sized college, with personal advisement and many small classes. Academic programs combine the best career preparation with the finest liberal arts education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences to help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills and understand the world through a variety of perspectives and points of view. Undergraduate academic programs connect theory to applied learning experiences, build communities within and beyond our classrooms, and nurture the human spirit. Students study in the expansive environment of a top-tier research university and use as their laboratories the urban neighborhoods of New York City and, through NYU’s many global sites, cities around the world. Baccalaureate degree graduates are equipped with the knowledge, insight, and experience necessary to address the challenges they will face in the United States and abroad.

Welcome to NYU Steinhardt. We are proud to have you be part of our tradition of excellence and our commitment to improving people’s lives throughout the lifespan.