| 02/20/2024 |
Andre Butler submits proposal materials for new BS in Environmental Engineering at Tandon |
| 03/01/2024 |
CK emails Peter Voltz (Tandon liaison) to confirm Non-NYS Authorization form responses. |
| 03/01/2024 |
Peter Voltz confirms Non-NYS Authorization form responses, shares updated responses. |
| 03/05/2024 |
TW emails Tamara Nobles of NYSED asking: Can you please let me know if there are any content forms required for the registration of this new Engineering bachelor program? |
| 03/06/2024 |
Tamara Nobles (NYSED) responds to TW with addition form to submit along with proposal. |
| 03/06/2024 |
CK sends additional NYSED form to Peter Voltz to complete. |
| 03/13/2024 |
Andre Butler submits additional NYSED content form. |
| 03/29/2024 |
CK completes initial review, pings TW to review. |
| 04/23/2024 |
TW completes review, pings CK to discuss further. |
| 05/03/2024 |
CK & TW finish reviewing and finalizing feedback on proposal. CK sends feedback/guidance to Tandon: Dear Andre, Thank you for your patience while we reviewed the BS Environmental Engineering program proposal. I am writing to update you that we have completed our initial review. It's a strong proposal, but it does need some work before it's ready to go to NYSED. Please see below for a summary of our feedback, and see attached documents for specific in-line comments, suggested revisions, and clarifying questions. Once this proposal is finalized, it will serve as a good model for any other BS proposals Tandon might have coming down the pipeline in the near future. Summary of notes: General Academic Change form: We made a number of suggested revisions and comments requesting additional information in this document to clarify and/or streamline the narrative. Please accept or revise any suggested changes and address all comments. An additional comment I have is regarding the minor. Though it's not required to include in the proposal that there's currently an existing minor in Environmental Engineering (minors aren't registered with NYSED), it is occasionally mentioned in some places, and might provide helpful context in other places. If you do incorporate more detail referencing the minor, please note in the proposal whether you plan to keep the minor or if it will be retired once the BS is approved. External reviews: There were a few items in the external reviews that weren't fully addressed in the institutional response. Please review the comments and make the necessary updates. Syllabi: We reviewed over half of the submitted syllabi and have a few overall comments. Please review all submitted syllabi with an eye to the below guidance and make any updates before re-submitting: There was a lack of consistency both within syllabi and across syllabi as to how many semester weeks are in each course (and used to calculate the integrity of credit), and whether or not the finals week is counted in the total number of weeks. E.g., one course states 15 weeks in the integrity of credit language, but the course outline shows only 13 weeks, which does include finals week (CEUY 3013). Another course states 15 weeks under credit integrity, but the course outline shows 15 weeks of coursework plus another (unnumbered) line for the final exam, which would appear to total 16 weeks (CEUY 2253). Please note that the final exam/finals week should be included in the count of total weeks that's used to calculate the integrity of credit. It is not always clear in the syllabi that a course is a lab/has a lab component, making it difficult for us (and for the NYSED reviewer) to verify the integrity of credit according to Tandon's lab contact hour ratio (3:1). It would be helpful for you to include an addendum listing all courses for which syllabi were submitted, identifying their course type (e.g., lecture, lab, lecture + lab, etc.). We came across one course that didn't include adequate language on integrity of credit: CSUY 1113 Problem Solving and Programming I. The language in the syllabus doesn't indicate the number of minutes per week or total # of weeks. Please update that syllabus to include the required info, and make sure that all other syllabi include this info. Please let us know if you have any questions about the feedback provided. |
| 05/29/2024 |
ndre Butler submits revised documents: Hi, Carina. After reviewing my emails, I see that I forgot to acknowledge receipt of the first batch of documents from you, including OAPRA comments. Sorry about that. Spring 2024 has been something. We have carefully reviewed all suggestions and I'm including updated versions. Thanks for helping us along and let us know if you need anything. |
| 07/03/3034 |
CK completes review of updated proposal, pings TW to review. |
| 07/15/2024 |
Andre Butler emails CK requesting status update: Hi, Carina. I hope your summer is going well. I just wanted to reach out to ask if there was a quick update you could provide concerning our proposal? |
| 07/23/2024 |
Andre Butler seeks guidance on a potential small change to proposal: Good morning, Carina. I wanted to nudge the email below to the top of your pile, and I also want to ask a question. We are interested in potentially replacing the proposed 1-credit Statics for Environmental Engineers (CE-UY 2131) with a new 2 credit Statics course that is being implemented this fall, and will be taken by the civil engineering undergraduate students in the department. We are thinking of making this switch to keep our civil and environmental engineering students in the same course, and will alleviate the need to develop a new course with a new instructor. This switch would change the total number of credits from 128 to 129; the total number of credits of the civil engineering BS program is 129. So, the question is this: Would this change slow the process down, as the proposal moves from OAPRA to NYSED? If it might (AT ALL), we'll just wait to implement the change after the program is completely approved. Thanks for your insight. André |
| 07/23/2024 |
CK responds to Andre with guidance and status update: Hi André, Thanks for checking in. Apologies for the delayed response, I returned yesterday from being out of office for two weeks and am making my way through the backlog of emails. Thank you for bringing to our attention this potential change to the proposed curriculum. As it is a very minor change in the scheme of things, it would not delay the review process. We would need the syllabus for the new course, however. It would be ideal to include this change with the initial program registration so that it's captured as a part of the registered curriculum. I'm looping Pete Voltz into this email; as the NYSED liaison to OAPRA, he should be included on emails such as this. We will need to know that Pete is aware of this curriculum change to the proposed program and has given it the green light at the school level. We are close to completing our review of your revised proposal and plan to send you a fuller update by the end of the week. The proposal is in very good shape but we have some minor items to follow up on before packaging the proposal for NYSED submission. Warmly, Carina |
| 07/30/2024 |
CK & TW discussed remaining comments from TW feedback. |
| 07/31/2024 |
CK email to Andre Butler re: remaining items to clarify; Andre confirms receipt: Hi André and Pete, I hope you're having a good week. I'm checking in on a few remaining items to finalize for this proposal, which is very close to being ready for submission to NYSED. Confirming the amount of supplementary assignment hours per credit hour: The proposal indicates 45 hours/credit hour. The typical amount is 30 hours/credit hour. We understand that engineering programs may not align with the typical 30, but we want to confirm that 45 is correct before finalizing the proposal. Confirming recitation credit formula: There are two courses that include a weekly recitation class meeting: CE-UY 4092 Leadership, Business Principles, Policy and Ethics and EG-UY 1004 Intro to Engr and Design. It's not clear in those syllabi how the recitation figures into the credit hour calculation - is it calculated as a lecture (which is 15 hours per credit hour), as a lab (which is 45 hours per credit hour), or does it have a different formula? Whatever the formula is should be made clear in the syllabus, so that anyone looking at the syllabus can confirm that the number of credits assigned to the course aligns with the number of class meeting minutes/hours, according to the formula(s) being used. It's ok for engineering (or other programs) to have nonstandard formulas for calculating credit hours, it just needs to be stated what the formula is. It also appears that "recitation" may be used differently in these two courses, as the recitation portion of CE-UY 4092 appears to not have any credits assigned to it (since the amount of time spent in lecture adds up to the full 2 credits of the course), but the recitation portion of EG-UY 1004 does appear to have credits assigned. Again, it's a matter of articulating in each syllabus how the recitation portion is being calculated. Please update and send us those two syllabi. Please let us know if you're still planning to swap out the Statics course for a new Statics course and will be sending the new syllabus. Please let us know if you have any questions. |
| 08/01/2024 |
ndre responds to CK inquiries: Good afternoon Carina. I hope all is well as we tiptoe toward another weekend. What I usually say to engineering students is that they should be prepared to treat their course of study like a full-time job, that is, 40-60 hours per week. So, for a typical student with a load of 15 credits (approximately 15 hours of classroom instructional time), 45 hours of supplementary assignment hours is about right. I'm inclined to leave the 45 hours as is, then, unless you think it would be problematic for our NYSED approval. As for the syllabi, thanks for pointing out the lack of clarity in terms of recitations and course credit calculations. The syllabi are attached, but in summary, I've made the following edits: (1) EG-UY 1004 Integrity of Credit This 4-credit course will meet for a lecture with the instructor once per week for 80 minutes each, for thirteen weeks (1040 total minutes). Outside of lecture, students will also participate in a total of 13 weekly labs for 180 minutes each (2340 total minutes), and 13 weekly recitations for 90 minutes each (1170 total minutes). Credit is calculated as follows: Lecture: 1040 total minutes/750 mins per credit = 1.4 credits Lab: 2340 tot minutes/2250 mins per credit = 1.0 credits Recitation: 1170 tot minutes/750 mins per credit = 1.6 credits 4.0 credits (2) CE-UY 4092 Integrity of Credit Students will meet once per week (14 weeks total) for 110 minutes for a lecture on various leadership and ethics topics, as well as once per week (14 weeks total) for 110 minutes for a civil engineering topical review in preparation for the FE exam for this 2-credit course. Note that two credits are assigned to the lecture portion of the course, and zero credits are assigned to the FE exam review portion of the course (the recitation). Please let me know (as soon as you can) if those statements need to be tweaked further. Lastly, while we'd still like to make the change to the statics course, I haven't received the new syllabus yet from my colleague. If I don't receive it by tomorrow, I would like for the proposal to be submitted as is. I'm beginning to worry about timing. Thanks again. André |
| 08/06/2024 |
After reviewing syllabi updates, CK confirms to TAN that the proposal is ready to prep for submission, inquires re: status of replacement Statics course: Hi André, Aside from the pending Statics course, this proposal is ready to be prepared for submission to NYSED. We understand that, if you're aiming for a Fall 2025 launch, it would be ideal to get NYSED approval for this program sooner than later so that you can begin marketing and recruiting, so if you would prefer to not wait any longer for the new Statics course syllabus, then we can proceed with the proposal as-is. We would ask that you submit the change proposal for the new course by the end of the calendar year so that it can be implemented by the time the first cohort starts being admitted to the program (or shortly after any early admits to the program). Please let me know how you would like to proceed. Warmly, Carina |
| 08/06/2024 |
Andre confirms to submit proposal as-is and they will submit a change proposal later: Hi, Carina. This is great. PLEASE PROCEED. We will submit the change proposal as you suggest. Thanks! André |
| 08/07/2024 |
Andre submits new Statics syllabus; CK responds requesting that they add a missing element of the syllabus: Hi, Carina. Attached is the syllabus for the 2-credit course in statics. If our material has already been forwarded to NYSED for approval, then we'll handle this later. Feel free to consider it or pass it along, otherwise. Thanks. André ******************** Hi Andre, Thanks for sending this, it would be great to be able to include this as part of the full proposal. I started preparing the final package this afternoon but I can update it with the syllabus so it can potentially be submitted tomorrow. However, there's a section missing from this syllabus - the grade distribution. Can you add that and resend to me? Warmly, Carina |
| 08/08/2024 |
Andre submits revised Statics syllabus: Hi, Carina. Thanks for the heads up. Edited version with grade distribution is attached. |
| 08/15/2024 |
TW sends proposal to NYSED. |
| 10/09/2024 |
NYSED sends feedback/inquiries on submitted proposal: Hi Titilayo, Please see questions from the board below: CE-UY 2213 has a prerequisite of CE-UY 2131 (Spring 2) and CE-UY 4082 has a prerequisite of CE-UY 3183 (Fall 4). Neither prerequisite is listed as a course in the program. Please explain. How does the institution ensure that the 45 required Engineering credits are met if, in some cases, course(s) "will be waived based upon general academic, experiential background. For example, a student who has been working in the construction industry might not be asked to take introductory general engineering courses like EG-UY 1003 Introduction to Engineering and Design, or CE-UY 1002 Introduction to Civil Engineering. They would not be given credit for the course but would replace the required credits with additional technical electives." Provide more details on what that student's technical elective options would be. Lab space is a concern. The university acquired an adjacent building but the plans for its use are vague. Will this space be used solely to accommodate new faculty or will it include classrooms and labs? External reviewer Pennell also notes, "The office space and laboratory facilities may not be sufficient to accommodate the additional three faculty that are proposed." Is there an estimated timeline for when this building will be operational for the program? Is this strictly for a lab facility or will this be used for faculty as well. Please provide more details. NYU refers to a cementious materials lab at 325 Gold Street. Is this space part of the university campus? Is it a private lab that the program uses? Please provide more details. In response to the concern of the external reviewers about the lack of space especially for faculty the University states that they have secured a building next to the Tandon Center. Do the costs listed in Section 5, page 10 on the Physical Facilities line represent costs to modify the building to suit the program needs? Thank you, Tamara Tamara Nobles, MS Ed. Associate in Professional Education New York State Education Department Education Building, 2nd Floor, West Wing 89 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12234 Phone: (518) 486-2994 |
| 10/11/2024 |
CK completes draft guidance for school to respond to NYSED feedback, pings TW to review |
| 10/17/2024 |
CK sends NYSED feedback + OAPRA guidance to Tandon: Hi Pete, I hope you're doing well. We have heard back from NYSED re: the BS Environmental Engineering new program proposal. The Engineering Board has asked some clarifying questions that NYU must respond to in order for them to proceed with their review. When asking questions like these, NYSED is driving clarity on these items to ensure the program meets regulatory requirements. Please see this Google document for NYSED's questions and OAPRA’s guidance on answering them. Please add your responses/updates to this document in suggesting mode. You are welcome and encouraged to cite specific examples from any of the proposal materials (make sure to include section/question number/page number). You are also welcome to duplicate responses and/or refer to other responses, as some of the questions touch on the same issue (e.g., program/faculty space). Make sure that each question is answered fully. Please complete this by 11/7/24; let us know when you have completed it so we may review it and ask any follow-up questions if needed. If you have any questions while working on this, please reach out. Warmly, Carina |
| 10/28/2024 |
Andre Butler confirms that TAN has completed their response. CK confirms receipt. |
| 10/29/2024 |
CK completes review of TAN responses, pings TW to review: Tandon has completed their response to the NYSED feedback. See this Google document for the response. Their responses seem to sufficiently answer NYSED's inquiries. There is one item that gives me pause, but might be fine: Under #3 (re: lab space), the third bullet added by the school, they note: "it is anticipated that additional instructional laboratory space will be allotted." It would certainly be stronger to say "planned" rather than anticipated, but it sounds like such a plan may not be confirmed. Once you give the green light, I can finalize for you to send to NYSED. We talked a bit about updating the proposal to match the responses (to include in the submission to NYSED of the feedback responses), but I'm not sure to what extent I should do that. E.g., just update simple items such as the clarification of pre-requisites, or incorporate the narrative answers into the related narrative portions of the NYSED form? Thanks for any guidance on your preference for that. |
| 10/31/2024 |
CK drafts feedback response message to NYSED, TW sends |
| 11/21/2024 |
NYSED sends additional inquiry: Hi Titilayo, I have an addition question from the board, There are 6000, 7000 and 8000-level courses listed for elective options. Describe the circumstances in which students would take these courses. Are these graduate-level courses? How are undergraduate students able to take courses with graduate level course numbers? Thank you, Tamara |
| 11/21/2024 |
CK sends NYSED inquiry to Tandon to respond: Hi Pete and André, We have received an additional inquiry from NYSED on this proposal regarding the inclusion of 6-, 7-, and 8000 level courses as elective options, which they take to be graduate level courses. The inquiry from NYSED is: Are these graduate-level courses? Describe the circumstances in which undergraduate students are able to take courses with graduate level course numbers. Please prepare a brief response that fully answers the inquiry (1-3 sentences, but can be longer if needed). Though enrollment of undergrad students in grad level coursework is not prohibited, the NYSED standards around this practice is that it be strictly controlled by the institution (i.e., graduate courses are expected to be primarily for graduate students, with the degree of rigor expected in a graduate program; inclusion of undergrad students in these courses would be an exception, within defined parameters, such as only senior undergrad students, with instructor permission, by advisement only, etc.). Let us know if you have any questions in preparing your response. |
| 11/21/2024 |
Tandon shares response to NYSED inquiry: Hi, all. Thanks for the note, Carina. It appears that we are inching closer to approval (at least that's my optimistic take on things). As for the inquiry from NYSED, graduate civil and environmental engineering courses may be substituted for environmental engineering electives by undergraduate students with a cumulative GPA > 3.0 with the approval of both the undergraduate advisor and the environmental engineering program advisor. This language (as well as how the policy would be applied) is consistent with how the CUE department handles the environmental engineering minor. In fact, all minors within CUE have the same language. Inclusion of undergraduate students in graduate courses is closely controlled, in all cases. I hope that is sufficient. Let me know if more is required. Thanks. André |
| 11/22/2024 |
CK shares additional guidance following discussion with TW: Hi Pete and André, Thanks for your prompt response to this inquiry. I neglected to clarify an important detail when sharing NYSED's feedback. As you may already be aware from previous OAPRA guidance, our standard guidance on undergraduate students taking graduate level courses is that, though it is allowed, there are certain limitations in order to ensure that the graduate level courses remain rigorous and that undergraduate students who earn graduate level credits are not able to "double dip" on those credits if they go on to a graduate program, unless the programs and courses are part of a registered dual degree program. The limitations are: Any graduate level course that an undergraduate student takes must be in addition to fulfilling all undergraduate credit requirements. That is, for a 128 credit degree program, an undergraduate student that would like to take some graduate classes would need to complete their 128 credits at the undergraduate level, and any graduate coursework would be in addition to the 128 credits. Any graduate course that allows undergraduate students must be comprised primarily of graduate students; undergraduate students should make up no more than 25% of the students in a graduate level course. Any rationale for allowing undergraduate students in a graduate level course should note how this is being tracked. Given item 1 above, it seems the best course of action may be to remove the graduate level coursework from the elective options. If you have any further clarity/details around Tandon's practice of allowing undergraduate students in graduate level courses, that might support keeping these courses in the proposal, please do share that. |
| 11/22/2024 |
Pete and Andre respond to additional guidance with additional intel on Tandon practices: Hi Carina, Definitely, our students cannot double count courses for both graduate and undergraduate programs. They must meet all requirements for both. But, we have always allowed undergrads to take graduate courses and count them towards their undergraduate degree, provided they meet certain qualifications, like GPA requirements, for example. This has been true ever since I was an undergrad at Polytechnic. I have never heard that they cannot count graduate courses for their BS degree, provided they are not also used for the MS. Is this actually a NYSED policy? I've also never heard of the 25% requirement. But, that one I'm sure is always met for our graduate courses. Can you please point me to any statement of the first restriction from NYSED? Thanks, Pete ******************* Hi, Carina. I’m every bit as confused as Peter regarding item #1. If it really is NYU and/or NYSED policy then we will, of course, remove the graduate courses from the electives. I suspect that most Tandon programs fall short of this standard and don’t follow the guidance. André |
| 11/25/2024 |
CK shares additional guidance following discussion with TW; Andre confirms receipt: Hi Pete and André, Thank you both for sharing additional details about Tandon's practices around allowing undergraduate students to enroll in graduate level courses. I conferred further with Titilayo, and our guidance about awarding credit was a bit off. Pete - your additional comment that students cannot double count courses for both undergraduate and graduate programs gets to the heart of what we wanted to emphasize. On that point, we would say that, yes, undergraduate students can take graduate courses and the graduate credits can count towards an undergraduate degree, but undergraduate credits cannot count towards an graduate degree; any graduate courses taken by undergrad students cannot count towards a graduate program unless they are above and beyond the 128 (so, an undergrad student might take one 3-cr grad level course as a part of their 128-cr degree, which could count only toward their undergrad degree, and take an additional 3-cr grad level course beyond their 128-cr degree, the latter of which could be applied to a grad program). Re: the 25% ratio of undergrad to grad students in a graduate level course - this sounds like something you are already thinking about in practice of allowing undergrad students in grad level courses. 25% is the recommended maximum so as to maintain the level of rigor expected for grad level courses (the NYSED standard around this doesn't specify a ratio of undergrad to grad students in grad courses, but does emphasize that grad coursework should be at the grad level (and that institutions are responsible for regulating the allowance of undergrads in grad courses) - this is why they are inquiring about the inclusion of undergrad students in grad level courses). If Tandon's policies around allowing undergrad students into grad courses (e.g., the minimum GPA, not double counting the credits, etc.) appears in any published policies (online or in a student handbook), it might be helpful for us to see that so as to incorporate the language that students see in our response to NYSED. Otherwise, I believe we have what we need now to provide a response to NYSED, but will reach out if we need any additional clarity. |
| 11/25/2024 |
CK prepares draft response to NYSED, TW sends: Dear Tamara, Thank you for reaching out to clarify this detail. We are confirming that the 6-, 7-, and 8000 level courses are graduate level courses. NYU believes, in alignment with NYSED standards, that it is crucial for graduate level courses to be designed at a sufficient level of rigor for graduate programs (as distinct from the level of rigor in undergraduate coursework) and to preserve the rigor of those courses in scenarios such as this. Following is a description of the practices in place at Tandon School of Engineering to ensure that graduate courses maintain their level of rigor. Undergraduate students with a cumulative GPA greater than 3.0, and with the approval of both the student’s undergraduate advisor and the environmental engineering program advisor, are allowed to enroll in graduate level civil and environmental engineering courses for their environmental engineering electives. Inclusion of undergraduate students in graduate courses is closely monitored and controlled, in all cases, to ensure that the undergraduate student is prepared to participate at the graduate level, and to ensure that graduate courses are comprised of a majority of graduate students (with the ratio of undergraduates not to exceed 25%). |
| 02/04/2025 |
Andre seeks status update: Hi, Carina and Peter. I hope that both of you are enjoying 2025 so far. I just wanted to reach out to inquire about NYSED. Is there a way that we can nudge this along a bit, or is it best just to sit tight and let them do their work at their own pace? At this point, they've had our complete proposal for months (including a couple rounds of corrections/clarifications) and the wait is agonizing. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks. |
| 02/05/2025 |
CK responds to inquiry: Dear Andre, Thank you for checking in. We have not heard from NYSED since our last response to their feedback in late November. Holiday closures and/or the Engineering Board meeting schedule may have impacted their review timeline. We will check in with them for a status update. |
| 02/05/2025 |
TW contacts NYSED for status update: Dear Tamara, I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to follow up on the status of this Bachelor’s proposal as well that’s currently under review. Could you kindly provide an update on where it stands in the process? If there’s anything additional we need to provide or revise, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you. |
| 02/06/2025 |
NYSED response to request for status update: Hi Titilayo, I have not heard from the board, I will update you when I hear from them. Tamara |
| 02/19/2025 |
Andre seeks status update: Hey, Carina. I hate to pester you, but did you or your colleagues reach out to the state? If our proposal isn't approved by April 1, then we will miss our opportunity for the Fall 2026 Common Application. And if that happens, our program will be set back an additional year. Thanks for your help. |
| 02/19/2025 |
CK response to status update inquiry: Hi Andre, We did reach out to NYSED for an update. They confirmed receipt of our email but have not yet provided an update. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything. |
| 04/01/2025 |
TW follow up w/NYSED on proposal status: Hi Tamara, Thank you for the update. I know these processes can take time. In the meantime, if there's any additional information or documentation the board might need that I can provide, please don't hesitate to ask. Best, Titilayo |
| 04/02/2025 |
Hi Titilayo, The board has indicated that the equipment and services startup budget seems low. What equipment is included here? Does NYU already have most of the equipment needed? Thank you, Tamara |
| 04/08/2025 |
TW sends NYSED inquiry to Tandon: Good morning Andre, Thanks so much for your patience. I wanted to reach out since Carina is out of the office this week. The Engineering board has specifically noted that the startup budget allocated for equipment and services appears to be low and they are requesting clarification on the specific equipment included within this budget. To help us address this effectively, could you please provide a detailed breakdown of the equipment and services you've accounted for in the current startup budget? Additionally, please indicate which of these items NYU already possesses and which would require new purchases. If NYU has existing equipment that will be utilized, it would be helpful to understand how it will meet the program's needs and why the remaining budget is sufficient for any additional requirements. Please let me know if you have any questions. All the best, Titilayo |
| 04/08/2025 |
Andre Butler responds to TW guidance: Hi, Titilayo. Thanks for the information. Would it be possible for you to forward their correspondence to me? I want to be sure that I know EXACTLY what is being requested. I realize that, perhaps, your message to me conveyed 100% of the feedback they provided. If that's the case, please let me know. Thanks. André |
| 04/08/2025 |
TW responds to Andre B request: Andre, NYSED's exact follow-up question was: "The board has indicated that the equipment and services startup budget seems low. What equipment is included here? Does NYU already have most of the equipment needed?" I believe the guidance in my previous prompt is the best way to formulate your response. Thanks, Titilayo |
| 04/16/2025 |
Andre B sends equipment list & rationale: Hi, Titilayo and Carina. Thanks again for the update from NYSED. Attached is a spreadsheet highlighting major (and minor) purchases that our department has made over the last 5 years to support environmental engineering. Specifically, the equipment and supplies listed are housed in our environmental engineering laboratory space (RH 629) for our CE-UY 3223 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering and CE-UY 2213 Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics courses. In short, we don't need additional equipment to start up and run a successful BS program in Environmental Engineering. The amounts listed for Years 0 and 1 ($5000) and Years 2 and 3 ($2000) were only for internal and external marketing of our new program (print materials, etc.). I thought it best to include these amounts under 'Equipment and Services,' although I probably should've been more clear and specific. Please pass this on to NYSED. Thanks. André |
| 04/21/2025 |
CK finalizes response, TW sends to NYSED: Hi Tamara, Thank you again for your thoughtful attention to these program details. As NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering has been offering a Minor in environmental engineering for several years, they are already in possession of all of the equipment needed for the new program. To provide further clarity, the equipment and supplies necessary to support the BS program are housed in the Environmental Engineering laboratory space (RH 629) and are utilized in courses such as CE-UY 3223 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering and CE-UY 2214 Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics. Attached is a spreadsheet detailing the major equipment available. Specifically, this includes high-value items such as as the Hydrostatic Pressure in Liquids Experiment setup (3 units, totaling $12,420), Hydraulic Jet Forces Experiment setup (3 units, totaling $12,147), Hydraulic Test Bench Base (3 units, totaling $22,548), and Pressure Losses in Pipes Experiment setup (2 units, totaling $80,442), along with Hydrostatics Trainer (3 units, totaling $89,013). This equipment, with a total value of $312, 459, has been purchase over the last 5 years to support environmental engineering within the department, Additional equipment is not needed to start up and run a BS program in Environmental Engineering (the dollar amounts listed for Years 0 and 1 ($5000) and Years 2 and 3 ($2000) are for internal and external marketing of the new BS program (print materials, etc.)). We hope this clarifies the equipment resources available for the program. Please let us know if you require any additional information. Best regards, Titilayo |
| 05/21/2025 |
Tamara (NYSED) sends additional follow-up question: Hi Titilayo, Can you confirm that the technical electives would be an engineering prefix? Thanks, Tamara Nobles Associate in Professional Education Office of Professional Education Program Review New York State Education Department |
| 05/22/2025 |
CK sends NYSED inquiry to Pete V & Andre B at TAN: Hi André and Pete, We have received an additional inquiry from NYSED re: this proposal. They would like to confirm that the 2 engineering electives (two 3-credit courses) in the curriculum would have an engineering specific subject code prefix. Can you please: Confirm yes or no If yes, please provide a list of subject code prefixes for the kinds of courses that would fall under this elective category (e.g., CE-UY and any/or others), and a brief sentence or two re: how students are advised on selecting these electives If no, please please provide a list of subject code prefixes for the kinds of courses that would fall under this elective category, a rationale for why the subject codes for this elective category include non-engineering codes, and a brief sentence or two re: how students are advised on selecting these electives Please send us your response by next Thursday, 5/29 (or sooner if you are able; we will send your response on to NSYED as soon as you send it and we confirm that we don't need any additional info). |
| 05/22/2025 |
ndre & Pete respond to inquiry: Hi, Carina. Thanks for the update. We submitted a curriculum requirements form to NYSED that clearly lists those two courses as either "env or civil engineering electives." The allowed prefixes would be CE-UY and CE-GY. Please note to them that CE-GY courses are only available to 4th-year students (1) who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, (2) who meet all course prerequisites, and (3) with the provision that those courses CANNOT be double-counted if the student pursues a graduate degree at NYU. As far as advisement for the courses, students would meet with the program advisor prior to registration to make sure that the provisions listed above are met. Let me know as soon as you can if you need additional information. Although, at this point, I have very little hope that we will meet our June 1 deadline that would enable us to begin the program in fall 2026. André |
| 05/22/2025 |
CK finalizes response; TW sends to NYSED: Hi Tamara, Thank you for checking in on this detail. We can confirm that the technical electives (those identified in the proposal as engineering or civil engineering electives) would be selected from courses that have a CE-UY or CE-GY subject code prefix (please note that, as detailed in a previous response re: allowing undergraduate students to enroll in graduate level courses, CE-GY courses are only available to 4th-year students (1) who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, (2) who meet all course prerequisites, and (3) with the provision that those courses CANNOT be double-counted if the student pursues a graduate degree at NYU; in addition, inclusion of undergraduate students in graduate courses is closely monitored and controlled to ensure that the undergraduate student is prepared to participate at the graduate level, and to ensure that graduate courses are comprised of a majority of graduate students (with the ratio of undergraduates not to exceed 25%). Students meet with the program advisor during registration to make sure that these provisions are met. Please let us know if there is anything else you need clarity on before registering this program. The School of Engineering is hoping to launch this program in Fall 2026, so is hoping for registration approval to come by the first week of June. |
| 07/02/2025 |
NYSED approval email received; CK sends notifications to relevant university stakeholders. |