Global Study at GLS

Liberal Studies Office of Global Programs

The Liberal Studies Office of Global Programs, located at 726 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10003, is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Liberal Studies team of global academic advisors is available for individual in-person meetings with students, email or video/chat meetings with students studying away from the New York City campus (ls.abroad@nyu.edu), and on-site meetings each semester with students studying at several of the global academic centers. The Global Programs staff serves as a resource to assist study away students with matters such as site selection, academic planning, application deadlines, pre-departure preparation, and more.

LS Core Global Study: Beyond the First Year

Sophomore Global Study

The LS Core offers students the opportunity to study away in the sophomore year. Students interested in sophomore study away opportunities should consult with an advisor no later than the spring semester of their first year to plan their academic program accordingly.

Fall Away Programs in Florence and Shanghai

LS Core students may choose to study away in the fall semester of their sophomore year at a site offering Liberal Studies core courses: NYU Florence, NYU London, and NYU Shanghai. Unique to Liberal Studies, this “Fall Away” academic program allows students to take their required LS Core courses at one of NYU’s global academic centers, to maximize their study away opportunities, and to explore new fields through electives in small and supportive class settings.

Fall in Florence

LS Core sophomores who spend their fall semester at NYU Florence participate in an intellectual and cultural community that explores the intersections of history and current affairs. Students take the required LS Core courses “Arts and Cultures of Modernity” and “Global Works and Society: Modernity” in a unique, paired format that completes these sequences in one semester. Students may also take appropriate introductory courses in Economics, Politics, and Psychology, or electives in other majors such as Art History and History. All students studying in Florence through NYU are required to take a course in Italian at the appropriate level. All LS Core sophomores at NYU Florence participate in field trips throughout Italy and in the high-level political, social, and cultural programs held on campus.

Fall in London

LS Core sophomores who spend their fall semester at NYU London immerse themselves in one of the world’s cultural and economic capitals. Students take one required LS Core course, “Global Works and Society: Modernity” and three electives. These electives often include courses in Economics, English, Politics, and Psychology. All LS Core sophomores at NYU London participate in field trips throughout England and in the high-level political, social, and cultural programs held on campus.

Fall in Shanghai

LS Core sophomores who spend their fall semester at NYU Shanghai experience China’s largest city while living at NYU’s third degree-granting campus. Students take the required LS Core courses “Arts and Cultures of Modernity” and “Global Works and Society: Modernity” in a unique, paired format that completes these sequences in one semester. Students may also take appropriate introductory courses in Economics, Journalism, and Chinese culture. All students studying in Shanghai through NYU are also required to take a course in Chinese at the appropriate level. LS Core sophomores at NYU Shanghai have the opportunity to participate in the dynamic student life programming at the NYU Shanghai campus and with the NGO, corporate, and creative organizations in the city.

Additional Sophomore Study Away Opportunities

Besides the opportunities at NYU Florence, NYU London, and NYU Shanghai, LS Core students are permitted to study away at any of NYU’s global academic centers for one semester of their sophomore year as long as they meet certain conditions, as well as make the appropriate academic plans as outlined below.

As with other NYU students who wish to study abroad, LS Core students will need to participate in the regular application process through the NYU Office of Global Programs by the appropriate deadlines. For details visit Studying Abroad. In addition, requirements for transition during the junior year should be carefully mapped out with an advisor. On top of the first-year core curriculum, LS Core students are expected to complete “Arts and Cultures of Modernity,” “Global Works and Society: Modernity,” and at least one of their math and science requirements prior to transition to their bachelor’s degree school. However, with the exception of NYU Florence, NYU London, and NYU Shanghai, NYU global academic centers do not offer LS Core courses. In order to study away at a site not offering those required courses, students must submit a petition to the LS Office of Global Programs and receive approval to take “Arts and Cultures of Modernity” and “Global Works and Society: Modernity” simultaneously during the semester when they are planning to be in New York.

Petition Process

In March of their first year, LS Core students interested in sophomore study abroad at any away site must submit a petition for permission to:

Study away for a semester in the sophomore year
Take “Arts and Cultures of Modernity” and “Global Works and Society: Modernity” in the same semester while in New York

Prior to submitting the petition, students should speak with their academic advisor to discuss their study away plans, selecting the optimal time for overseas study given major, minor, or school requirements, and which site is most appropriate given their academic, professional, and personal goals.

Completed petition forms should be submitted online to the LS Office of Global Programs. Forms are available on the LS Website.

Other Opportunities for Global Study

In addition to the academic programs outlined above, students in the LS Core may participate in NYU Summer Study Abroad programs and J-term study abroad courses. For more information on these opportunities, visit Summer Study Away and Academics, respectively. LS students who are members of the Dean’s Circle University Scholars program may have the opportunity to travel internationally as part of the program. Some LS course offerings also incorporate organized group travel experiences abroad.

After transitioning from the LS Core to their bachelor’s degree school, juniors and seniors may choose to study at one of many NYU global academic centers. A full list of available global academic centers and details about each can be found at Studying Abroad or see the Global Academic Centers section of the Bulletin.

First Year Global Study

NYU encourages every undergraduate to have a study away experience. Both the LS Core and Global Liberal Studies offer first-year students an array of opportunities to study outside of New York City at NYU’s global academic centers.

Eligibility Requirements for First Year Study in Europe

Passports valid for six months beyond the end date of the academic year will be required for all LS Core and Global Liberal Studies students who wish to study at a first year site in Europe.

In addition, the majority of students attending a first year program in Europe will be required to secure a student visa valid for the dates of the program. Tourist visas are not acceptable for the purposes of study.

Finally, all students attending a first-year program in Europe must be eighteen years of age on or before the date of travel to their first-year global site for the purposes of study.

First Year in Florence

LS Core and GLS students who spend their first year at NYU Florence participate in an intellectual community steeped in the extraordinary cultural resources of Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and which takes advantage of the city’s strategic position within Italy and Europe. Students will take required LS courses in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as Italian language. Students also participate in an array of co-curricular lectures and activities that make the Florence campus a dynamic center for scholarly exchange and global policy discussions.

First Year in London

LS Core and GLS students who spend their first year at NYU London pursue an academic program that integrates liberal arts education with the city’s centuries-old historic landmarks and its contemporary cultural resources. Students take required LS courses in the humanities, arts, and sciences.

First Year in Madrid

LS Core and GLS students who spend their first year at NYU Madrid will participate in a rich cultural experience in one of Europe’s liveliest capital cities. Students will take required LS courses in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as Spanish language. While leveraging the city’s vast cultural resources, the academic program will immerse students in a community as engaged with pressing social and economic issues as it is with artistic production and science.

First Year in Washington, DC

LS Core and GLS students who spend their first year at NYU Washington, DC take advantage of their location in a cosmopolitan city that is also the seat of the United States government. Students begin their LS curriculum with direct access to national museums and libraries, as well as opportunities to connect with political and cultural leaders.

For more information about global programs for LS first years, visit Global Academic Centers.

For details about all the NYU global sites, visit Studying Abroad or see the Global Academic Centers section of the Bulletin.

Global Liberal Studies First Year Global Study

GLS students may choose to begin their program at NYU Florence, London, Madrid, or Washington, DC. During the first year, all GLS students examine the world’s major cultural traditions and the ways in which they are connected through six core curriculum courses (“Writing as Exploration” and “Writing as Critical Inquiry”; “Arts and Cultures across Antiquity” and “Arts and Cultures towards the Crossroads”; “Global Works and Society: Antiquity” and “Global Works and Society in a Changing World”) that are offered at all the first-year global academic sites. Two additional courses will fit into the first-year program of study and vary depending on site: for example, language classes or courses taught in the local language in Madrid and Florence; content courses focusing on British history, politics, literature, culture, or economics in London; courses concerning American economics, politics, or environmental policy in Washington, DC.

Liberal Studies Core First Year Global Study

Eligible LS Core students may choose to begin their program at NYU Florence, London, Madrid, or Washington, DC. Students examine the world’s major cultural traditions and the ways in which they are connected through six core curriculum courses (“Writing as Exploration” and “Writing as Critical Inquiry”; “Arts and Cultures Across Antiquity” and “Arts and Cultures Toward the Crossroads”; “Global Works and Society: Antiquity” and “Global Works and Society in a Changing World”) that are offered at all the first-year global academic sites. Two additional courses will fit into the first-year program of study and vary depending on the site: for example, language classes or courses taught in the local language in Madrid and Florence; content courses focusing on British history, politics, literature, culture, or economics in London; and courses concerning American economics, politics, or environmental policy in Washington, DC.

Students in these global programs live and learn at NYU global academic centers, which offer NYU courses in NYU-managed academic facilities, a full-time staff, LS faculty, and faculty hired locally and approved by LS in New York. The centers also guarantee student housing assignments.

LS Core students may be selected by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for a particular global study location, if they indicate on their admissions application that they would be open to or would prefer to begin at a first-year global site.

At the completion of their first year away, students who began at one of NYU’s global academic centers matriculate as sophomores in the LS Core at the New York City campus, where they will continue the LS Core curriculum in preparation for enrolling as juniors in one of NYU’s liberal arts bachelor’s degree programs.

GLS Global Study: Beyond the First Year

Global Liberal Studies (GLS) students have multiple opportunities to study outside of New York City following the first year. All GLS students are expected to spend their junior year outside of the United States. The GLS programs abroad fit in seamlessly with the academic program at Washington Square so that course requirements are met in time for graduation in four years.

GLS Residency Requirement

GLS students are required to spend the fall and spring semesters of both the sophomore year and the senior year in residence on Washington Square in New York.

Sophomore Global Study

Under exceptional circumstances, GLS students may receive permission to study away during the fall of their sophomore year. Students interested in this opportunity should consult with their academic advisor as early as possible. Please see “GLS Residency Requirement,” above.

Junior Year Global Study

The junior year of required international study is a unique feature of the GLS B.A. The sites available in a given year are carefully selected to coordinate with every aspect of a student’s four-year course of study. Current junior year global academic sites are listed below; see nyu.edu/studyabroad or the Global Academic Centers section of the Bulletin for descriptions of each site.

NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Accra
NYU Berlin
NYU Buenos Aires
NYU Florence
NYU Madrid
NYU Paris
NYU Shanghai
NYU Tel Aviv

The junior year abroad requires a full immersion year at the specific site. Students are expected to spend both semesters of their junior year at one site.

Junior Year Global Site Selection

The Junior Year Global Site Preference form is intended to match GLS students with the most rewarding and appropriate global site in the junior year based on multiple factors, including academic goals, experiential learning interests, language proficiency, senior thesis intentions, and more. This Junior Year Global Site Preference form is due to the LS Office of Global Programs at the beginning of the spring semester of the student’s first year.

In addition to ranking their site preferences, students must also submit a brief proposal that outlines how their preferred site suits their academic, professional, and personal goals. Students may find the Study Abroad Website — especially the Academic Courses tab on each site’s page — useful in indicating their preferences. Students will also have access to members of the GLS advising staff for discussion about the site placement, in addition to regular information sessions, to help students make the most informed choice for global study.

Site placements are communicated to students by mid-March of the first year, in time for registration for the sophomore fall semester. Students will be matched with the site that will best help them to achieve their educational goals and should note that their top choice(s) of site are not guaranteed (and, in fact, may not be the most appropriate site, given their goals).

In addition, students will need to submit a study away application for the academic year through the Global Programs office as outlined on the NYU Study Away Applications website. Even though students will have been given academic approval to study at a particular location for the junior year, enrollment at that location for the junior year is contingent on submitting an application and fulfilling the eligibility requirements outlined on the Global Programs website.

Note: Transfer students admitted to GLS after the Preference Form deadline are asked to submit the form as soon as possible. Students will be matched with the most appropriate junior year site on a space available basis.

Petitions for Change of Site, Study at a Non-GLS Site, or Study in New York

Students must submit the Junior Year Site Preference Form to the LS Office of Global Programs by the posted deadline at the beginning of the spring semester in the first year, in order to be matched with one of the available GLS global academic centers. The matching of student to junior year site should be considered final once conveyed to the student in mid-March. However, students with outstanding academic, medical, or other issues may choose to submit a petition to study at a non-GLS site (London only), to switch from one GLS Academic Center to another, or to spend the junior year in New York. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students are eligible to petition to stay in New York for health or wellness reasons at any time. However, switches after the initial matching process occurs are not guaranteed. In addition, students are only permitted one petition for a site switch. The last date a student can submit a petition to switch sites is February 1 of the sophomore year.

A sound academic rationale for the switch must be prepared and must include intended (or completed) coursework relating to the proposed site, language proficiency, completed global study (for those students who have already spent the first year abroad), the research they are planning to conduct at the new site, and any other information useful for the review of the petition.

GLS Requirements for Eligibility to Participate in the Junior Year Abroad

A required junior year abroad at one of NYU’s global academic centers is both a hallmark of the GLS degree and a requirement for graduation. As a condition for overseas study, students enrolled in GLS must meet certain minimum program requirements—as outlined below—and must maintain those requirements to be permitted to spend the full year at one of these global academic centers and graduate with the degree. Questions about program requirements for global study can be addressed to gls.abroad@nyu.edu.

Academic Requirements

In addition to completing the elementary level of language (or its equivalent) of their junior year site, students must have earned 64 credits with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA prior to departure for junior year study abroad.

Students must also have successfully completed the following courses to be permitted to study overseas:

“Arts and Cultures across Antiquity” and “Arts and Cultures towards the Crossroads”
“Global Works and Society: Antiquity” and “Global Works and Society in a Changing World”
Global Writing Seminar (or equivalent)
Sophomore Seminar: Approaches
Sophomore Seminar: Global Topics
Advanced GLS elective [Advanced Writing Studio, “Global Works and Society: Modernity,” “Arts and Cultures of Modernity,” or an additional Global Topics]
Completion of, at a minimum, Elementary II level in the language of junior year site with a grade of C or better (or equivalent)

Students are not permitted to depart for the junior year abroad with an “Incomplete” on their transcript. Any student who plans on taking an incomplete in the semester prior to study away should sign an Incomplete Grade Agreement Form with their faculty member. Remaining work required to post a grade for the course should be received no later than August 15 prior to study away. If the incomplete grade is not resolved by the deadline, the student will be considered ineligible for study away, and responsible for any costs associated with the cancellation.

In addition, students are strongly advised to have completed Global Cultures and at least one science or quantitative course (or the equivalent) prior to departure for the junior year.

To spend the full year away, students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA to continue at their global study site. Students must be registered as a full-time student, as well as take the following courses while abroad:

City As Text (fall)
Experiential Learning (spring)
Junior Independent Research Seminar (online; spring)
Courses in the language of the site (either content or language instruction; fall and spring) Advanced Global Topics (from an approved list of options; either fall or spring)

During junior year, students must continue to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree in order to spend the full year abroad.

Immigration and Travel Requirements

To be permitted to study at one of NYU’s global academic centers, students must comply with local laws to be legally permitted to study at the site. Depending on students’ immigration status, citizenship, and junior year site of study, this generally entails securing a visa prior to departure. (N.B. exceptions include EU citizens studying at any of NYU’s sites in Europe, Chinese citizens studying at NYU Shanghai, and students that have residency or citizenship in the country of their junior year site.) Students should refer to the Office of Global Services (OGS) for more information about requirements. In particular, OGS Outbound Services provides valuable help with visa-related matters for NYU students studying outside the U.S., including visa assistance, global health insurance, travel registrations, and more (ogs.outbound@nyu.edu).

In addition to their responsibility for the visa (or equivalent acceptable immigration status for study at the site), students must also follow Global Programs (global.admissions@nyu.edu) guidelines on other requirements necessary for overseas study.

Students will be responsible for their own travel to and from the site at the beginning and end of each semester. Most of NYU’s global academic centers do not provide lodging between the fall and spring semester for students. Those students not planning on traveling between mandatory check-out and check-in dates will be responsible for their own lodging.

Disciplinary Requirements

Given its unique nature, the success of a global campus community requires that its members cultivate a significant degree of mutual respect, consideration, and concern for the well-being of others as well as uphold a high level of personal integrity and maturity. Students whose behavior has been determined through the University student conduct process to have been disruptive to the University community and/or antithetical to these qualities may be precluded from participation in the study away experience.

Accordingly, information concerning a student’s conduct is made available to LS and the LS Office of Global Programs. Students who have been placed on University disciplinary probation or on deferred suspension from University housing are ineligible to participate in the study away program during the period of their probation and/or deferred status. Students who have been suspended, withdrawn, or dismissed from the University and those who have been dismissed or suspended from University housing are permanently ineligible to participate in the study away programs at NYU, including the required GLS junior year abroad.

In cases where a student’s disciplinary status changes due to conduct during the course of the junior year away, the student may face ineligibility to continue studying at their respective global site. See the Academic Policies and Procedures chapter of this Bulletin for more information.

University Leave Policy and Global Study

Students who have been on leave from the University must return to the New York City campus and successfully complete the spring academic semester of full-time coursework prior to study away for the GLS junior year abroad through NYU. In certain circumstances, it may be possible to petition to spend the semester after a student’s leave at a global site. Students returning from leave should discuss their options with their advisor.