2013-2014 Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin (with addenda) 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
2013-2014 Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin (with addenda) [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Student Services



Wasserman Center for Career Development | Brooklyn

The Wasserman Center for Career Development | Brooklyn will connect you with leading companies that are searching for highly skilled, market-ready individuals prepared to take on the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Our offices help undergraduate and graduate students seek positions where their refined technical, analytical and communication skills can best be put to use.

Career Counseling and Career Development Seminars

Knowing how to conduct an internship or job search is key to landing the opportunity you want. Through one-on-one career counseling and group seminars, NYU School of Engineering students acquire effective job search skills designed to complement their successful in-classroom experiences. Writing an effective resume, preparing for a career fair and acing the interview are just some of the topics addressed by career center staff.

Internship Opportunities

Internships allow students to gain real-world experience, while giving employers a chance to identify future talent. Students are encouraged to participate in one or more internships before they graduate, demonstrating to employers NYU School of Engineering’s high standards of excellence. These professional experiences give students an edge over the competition and have the potential to turn into full-time opportunities following graduation.

NYU CareerNet, Career Fairs and On-Campus Recruiting

NYU School of Engineering students can connect to NYU CareerNet, our online internship and job search engine. Using this valuable database, students can submit a cover letter and resume directly to employers. Additionally, internship and job seekers can meet with hiring companies at career fairs and even arrange on-campus interviews with these employers. Participating companies range from small entrepreneurial start-ups to mid-sized businesses to internationally recognized major corporations.

Counseling and Wellness Services

Helping Students Achieve Maximum Potential

Counseling and Wellness Services offers free, confidential psychological services to all NYU School of Engineering students. College can be a stressful time, and students can face a range of difficulties that can interfere with their ability to succeed academically or function at their best. For example, many students struggle with concentration, test anxiety, sadness, lack of motivation and difficulties with family or friends that can interfere with their NYU School of Engineering experience. The Counseling and Wellness Services staff is available to meet with students and help resolve these issues. Staff members provide information and support to help students solve problems, achieve goals and feel better.

Students can make an appointment by calling (718) 260-3456 or stopping by the center at 232 Dibner.

Counseling and Wellness Services is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, the NYU Wellness Exchange operates a 24-hour hotline at 212-443-9999.

Throughout the year, Counseling and Wellness Services offers workshops on meditation, stress reduction, relationships and getting a good night’s sleep. Workshops are advertised on the Counseling and Wellness Services website, in the NYU School of Engineering calendar, and through campus e-mail blasts.

For more information about Counseling and Wellness Services and its services, visit our website.

Updated information on participation in NYU sponsored activities and services is available on the website.

Services for Students with Disabilities [Moses Center]

NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities. It is the University’s policy that no qualified student with a disability be excluded from participating in any University program or activity, denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity.

The mission of the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) is to facilitate equal access to programs and services for students with disabilities throughout the schools and divisions of New York University (NYU) and to foster independent decision making skills necessary for personal and academic success. Accommodations for students with disabilities do not include the waiving of academic course requirements.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) whether or not services are requested. Students can request services by meeting with Disability Specialist, Sonia Ajwani (sonia.ajwani@nyu.edu) and submitting supporting documentation. Visit the NYU Moses Center website for more details.

Advocacy and Compliance [Office of Student Affairs]

Student Advocacy

The Office of Student Affairs plays a vital role in supporting and encouraging students who are faced with challenging situations during their student careers. It is one of several places where students can get confidential help. As a student advocate, Judith Simonsen, Coordinator of Advocacy and Compliance, works with various other offices to help students solve problems and develop self-advocacy skills.

Absence Notification to Faculty

It is important for instructors to know when you are experiencing an issue that might interfere with your studies. However, it is also important that your personal matters be kept confidential. Therefore, the Office of Student Affairs is the office designated to receive documentation regarding private concerns. An official verification notice must be sent to instructors, but this notice does not share personal details. 

• Death in the family
• Medical conditions and illnesses

If illness or an accident causes you to miss a class (or classes) or an exam, you should do the following:

• Notify your Professor by email of your absence, the reason for it, and how long you think you may be away.
• Obtain medical documentation and when you are back on campus come to see Judith Simonsen in Dibner Hall Room LC 240C. Judith Simonsen can be reached by email at js6244@nyu.edu.

When you have missed an exam, or in the case of a prolonged absence, please check your paperwork before leaving your doctor’s office, and be sure it includes a diagnosis, and an estimate of the length of your absence. Without proper documentation Ms. Simonsen will not be able to intervene on your behalf.  

• Do not provide anyone except this office with a copy of your paperwork. If a professor requests a copy, refer them to Ms. Simonsen. This is to protect the confidentiality of your medical information

Student Religious Observance

View NYU’s policy regarding observing religious holidays here.

The School of Engineering’s policy requires students to provide Ms. Simonsen with written notification 15 days in advance of the days to be taken off, as well as the e-mail contact for your professors, so they can be given notice of the absence.

International Students and Scholars

Graduate and undergraduate international students come from more than 60 countries, make up 40 percent of the student body and are an integral part of the NYU School of Engineering community. All new international students and visiting scholars (researchers and faculty) are required to report with immigration documents, including I-20s, DS-2019s and passports, to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) immediately upon arrival. In addition, all new students and scholars must attend a mandatory orientation held at the start of every semester.

The office provides information and counseling regarding immigration compliance, travel, employment, acculturation, housing, health insurance and special events. International students, researchers and faculty may contact the office in person, by email, or by telephone, and are encouraged to attend on-site workshops offered at designated times during the academic year. All international students, research scholars and faculty are required to carry health insurance.

For additional information on admissions and academic requirements, please consult those sections dealing with undergraduate and graduate admissions and academic programs and policies.

Study Abroad

The opportunity to study abroad provides students a chance to experience life in countries rich in history, culture and accomplishment. Immersion experience in another culture strengthens understanding of the world and appreciation of international contribution to knowledge. It offers an opportunity to learn how to cope in international environment and communicate across barriers of language, custom, geography and politics. Skills developed during this experience add an invaluable dimension to the quality of a well-rounded education that ultimately enhances professional and personal endeavors in the developing global community.

Students may apply for short-term study, a semester, or a full academic year abroad. Students may select from one of 50 institutions around the world with which NYU School of Engineering has direct-exchange agreements, as well as NYU Study Abroad sites.

Participation in the study-abroad program is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate students are eligible after one year of academic study so long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA. While these are the minimum NYU School of Engineering requirements to participate in the program, host institutions will make their own determinations about admissibility.

Academic credits earned during study abroad are transferable to NYU School of Engineering and may be applied to degree requirements subject to school policies and the approval of the student’s major department. For additional information contact OISS.

Programs and Services for the First-Year Students

Freshman Programs

The School is committed to improving the persistence and performance of first-year students by helping them to acclimate to their intended academic discipline, its associative culture and student life at NYU School of Engineering. Achieving this goal requires diverse and dynamic collaborative efforts with constituencies across the campus community. These systemic partnerships yield a greater sense of cohesion to the programs and services for first-year students.

Programs and services in this area include first-year advisement, early alert and academic probation initiatives, first-year instructors meetings and parent outreach.

Academic Advising Center

The mission of the Academic Advisement Center (AAC) is to provide centralized advising for incoming, matriculated first-year students. The staff advises students on major requirements and School regulations and refers them to campus resources. In addition, academic advisers advocate for students with NYU School of Engineering offices and help students deal with issues. The ultimate goal of the AAC is to empower students to make informed decisions about their academic careers.

Early Alert and Academic Probation

Each semester requests are sent to first-year instructors asking for feedback on their students’ academic progress. Students at risk of not passing their course(s), based on their current progress, are notified of their academic status and encouraged to meet with their instructor(s) and academic adviser to remedy the situation. At these meetings, students have the opportunity to think critically about the behaviors contributing to their status, while being invited to take advantage of the various support services to help them maximize their academic experiences.

All first-year, first-time probationary students must register for and pass SL 1020 Academic Skills Seminar. The course consists of eight one-hour sessions, which meet once a week, and is taught on a pass/fail basis. The seminar helps students learn to become more academically successful. The “Academic Probation ” section of the catalog contains more information about this course.

First-Year Instructors

A meeting is held once a semester with a cross-section of the instructors teaching first-year courses and staff members from the academic support offices. These meetings inform participants of recent curriculum and instructional changes, academic policy updates and any modifications to the cadre of services offered by the academic support programs. In addition, these meetings act as a “pulse check” of the issues first-year students are encountering and how these challenges are expressed in academic and communal parts of the School.

Parent Outreach

Educating parents on the academic experiences of first-year students is a critical step in forming an effective partnership between the School and family members. Parents Meetings are hosted each semester, providing family members with an opportunity to speak directly with faculty, administrators and students about the majors and support services available to students.

New Student Orientation

NYU School of Engineering seeks to ease new students’ transition to their new educational environment with a variety of programs that orient and welcome new students every semester. These programs are housed under the New Student Orientation (NSO) umbrella, and are a result of the collaborative efforts between Student and Academic Affairs. NSO programming covers a broad array of topics that not only help students gain a better understanding of student life in academic and social spaces, but also signals to the School the arrival of the newest members to the community.

Residence Life & Housing Services

The Office of Residential Life and Housing Services exists to provide quality service and enhance student success in a safe and diverse living/learning community that fosters individual growth.

Our residence halls are an extension of the classroom; we seek to provide experiences that will help our residents develop into global citizen. We are committed to providing our students with an inclusive, healthy and welcoming home.

Campus housing is available for all students. NYU School of Engineering does not provide housing for students’ families. Inquiries about campus housing should be made to the Office of Residence Life and Housing Services at (718) 260-4160.

Campus Housing Facility

On the Brooklyn campus, the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Residence Hall is a 20-story building that houses more than 400 students in two-bedroom suites and two-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes. Each room has Internet and cable TV ports. This innovative building is wireless and includes student lounges, study rooms, laundry facilities, outdoor space and 24-hour security. Two full-time professional residence-life staff members work with graduate and undergraduate student resident assistants and security personnel.

The Clark Residence is connected to the St. George Residence - Weller Building and Studio Building - and occupies the site of the former St. George Hotel in one of New York City’s most desirable neighborhoods, Brooklyn Heights. Just one subway stop from lower Manhattan, the Clark Residence is within walking distance to NYU School of Engineering’s MetroTech campus, shopping, dining on Montague Street and a short walk to the Brooklyn Promenade, home to breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline.

Each single, double and triple fully-furnished room in the Clark Residence offers a TV, DVD player, high-speed internet, refrigerator, microwave and bathroom. The residence features lounges, a pool table, public computers, communal kitchens and a complimentary membership to the four-star Eastern Athletic Club.

Campus Housing Requirements

All students living on-campus are required to be full-time NYU School of Engineering students and Othmer residents are required to be on the School meal plan. For security purposes, all resident students are mandated to have a cell phone and sign-up for the Emergency Text Alert system (E2campus).

Student Affairs: Activities, Advocacy, Leadership

Office of Student Affairs

The Office of Student Affairs is concerned with the holistic education and development of all NYU School of Engineering students, inside and outside the classroom. The office helps students to assemble their educational, personal and professional development puzzle-from orientation to commencement. All of the departments within the office provide a variety of programs and support that enhance the first-year student transition, develop student leadership excellence, promote campus community citizenship, foster campus-wide diversity awareness and provide general student advocacy.

New Student Programs

NYU School of Engineering seeks to ease the transition for students into their new environment with a variety of programs designed to orient and welcome new students. These programs are generally held before the fall and spring semesters.

New Student Orientation (NSO)

Orientation is designed with a variety of offices throughout the School and student Orientation Leaders welcome all new students to the NYU School of Engineering community and introduce them to the various campus offices, programs and resources that lead to student success.

New Student Orientation introduces new students to the School of Engineering community and offers opportunities for incoming first-year and transfer students to complete their enrollment activities well before classes begin. Students will receive the information and tools needed to successfully acclimate to the NYU School of Engineering environment and become an active member of the academic community. Orientation programs are designed around the objectives of familiarizing students with their intended major; increasing understanding of the first-year curriculum and its connection to the academic discipline; and familiarizing new students with critical on-campus first-year support networks.

The overall goal is to create a sense of excitement and enthusiasm around the students’ majors, while demystifying preconceived notions about majors and college life. The program is coordinated by a team of administrators, faculty and students who welcome new students to the NYU School of Engineering community.

New Student Convocation

New Student Convocation is the first major academic program new students experience as members of the NYU School of Engineering community. At convocation, new students are inducted into the NYU School of Engineering academic community and are introduced to a variety of speakers and university administrators. The convocation is the official kick-off of the week-long orientation for all new students.

Orientation Leader Program

The Orientation Leader Program is comprised of upper-level, enthusiastic student volunteers who want to share their love of NYU School of Engineering with new students. Orientation Leaders (OLs) are selected during the spring semester and train to run new student orientation programs. More information about the OL Program can be found at http://engineering.nyu.edu/life/orientation/undergraduate/leader.

Office of Student Activities and Resource Center

Student Activities is a part of the Office of Student Affairs and is concerned with the holistic education and development of all NYU School of Engineering students, inside and outside the classroom. The department helps students to assemble their educational, personal and professional development puzzle-from orientation to commencement. Student Activities provides a variety of programs and support that enhance the first-year student transition, develop student leadership excellence, promote campus community citizenship, foster campus-wide diversity awareness and provide general student advocacy.

Student activities are an integral part of the educational process. Participation in student activities fosters the development of leadership and interpersonal skills. NYU School of Engineering believes that student activities broaden the academic experience. The School encourages every student to take part actively in co- and extracurricular student activities, which promote and produce a balanced educational experience. The School of Engineering website offers updated information on participation in NYU-sponsored activities and services.

Student Council

The NYU School of Engineering Student Council is elected by students to serve as their primary representatives, advocates, and liaisons to the entire student community. The Student Council is charged with:

• Serving as the officially designated representative of the undergraduate student body and to advocate to the administration (Board of Trustees) on behalf of the student body and, when requested, provide student representatives to committees
• Coordinating major campus events in coordination with the Office of Student Affairs and enhance the educational mission of NYU School of Engineering by providing social, cultural, educational, and developmental programs, events and services
• Gathering and expressing student opinions on how to improve student life and campus activities
• Ensuring that students are fully apprised of all information dealing with the impact to their undergraduate experience
• Responsibly and equitably distributing student activity fees and student organization funding
• Working with other student groups to program college-wide events designed to foster cohesiveness within the entire undergraduate population
• Assuring that all events, programs and services offered by student clubs, organizations, societies, and other groups are open to all members of the NYU School of Engineering community regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, sexual orientation, or age except as permitted by law
• Protecting the rights and responsibilities of the undergraduate student body and to work with other members of the NYU School of Engineering community to maintain and improve the quality of education and social experience received at NYU School of Engineering

For more information about Student Council, please go to: http://engineering.nyu.edu/life/studentactivities/student-council-programming.

Student Clubs and Organizations

There are more than 40 student clubs and organizations at NYU School of Engineering. Each group is responsible for fulfilling the purposes of the organization as set forth in its constitution, charter or business plan. Student organization documents are filed with the Office of Student Activities and the Student Council. New groups and organizations can be created by complying with the procedures set by the Student Council. Professional and technical societies are established in conjunction with various academic departments to enhance the curricula at NYU School of Engineering. These student chapters are branches of national parent organizations. In chapter meetings, members hear distinguished guest speakers, plan field trips, read professional papers and work on technical projects. As a part of the clubs and organization framework under the auspices of the Student Council, these chapters are funded, in part, by student activities fees.

NYU School of Engineering has student organizations to suit almost every interest, whether social, intellectual, religious, musical, cultural or athletic. Many of the organizations have long and distinguished histories.

For a listing of current student clubs and organizations, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu/life/clubs/student.

Student Advocacy

Student Advocacy

The Office of Student Affairs plays a vital role in supporting and encouraging students who are faced with challenging situations during their student careers. It is one of several places where students can get confidential help. As a student advocate, Judith Simonsen of the Office of Student Affairs works with various other offices to help students solve problems and develop self-advocacy skills.

Services for Students with Disabilities

NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering supports Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In this regard, it makes every effort to provide full and barrier-free program accessibility.

NYU School of Engineering is committed to assisting students with disabilities in developing the personal and academic skills necessary to participate fully in student programs. To that end, services are provided to students with disabilities based on individual needs. The School is particularly interested in helping students to become effective self-advocates.

Accommodations for students with disabilities do not include the waiving of academic course requirements.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the Office of Student Affairs with whether or not services are requested. Students can request services by meeting with Judith Simonsen and submitting supporting documentation. Visit our website for more details.

Absence Notification to Faculty

It is important for instructors to know when students are experiencing difficulty that might interfere with their studies. However, it is also important that student personal issues be kept confidential. Therefore, in the Office of Student Affairs, Judith Simonsen can receive documentation regarding private matters. Documentation is required for an official verification notice to be sent to instructors. The notice informs the instructor that necessary documentation has been received but does not disclose personal details. Notification can be provided for the following extenuating circumstances: death in the family, medical conditions and illnesses, other emergencies and situations, and representing the NYU School of Engineering at conferences.

Student Grievances and Complaints

The Office of Student Affairs is one of the offices where student grievances and complaints are heard and action is taken on behalf of students.

Student Misconduct and Academic Dishonesty

Incidents of student misconduct and academic dishonesty are reported to the Office of Student Affairs via Judith Simonsen for review and action according to the School Code of Conduct and other School policies.

The School Code of Conduct, edited and administered by the Office of Student Affairs, gives notice to the NYU School of Engineering community of prohibited behavior and outlines the procedures to be followed in the event of a breach of this code. This Code protects and promotes the academic enterprise and is indispensable in maintaining an academic environment conducive to teaching, learning and the development of individuals.

The School Code of Conduct is available to students and all members of the NYU School of Engineering community at http://engineering.nyu.edu/academics/code-of-conduct. For further information, contact the Office of Student Affairs at (718) 260-3046.