Overview
At NYU Berlin students experience a cosmopolitan city that holds a complex and crucial place in modern European history. Youthful, artistic, and hip, Berlin has traveled a path that led from the defining cultural avant-garde of the Weimar Republic to the devastation of World War II, from a divided city symbolizing the Cold War to today’s reunified and renewed capital.
The program at NYU Berlin is designed for students in the social sciences and humanities who want to earn credit in their majors - including sociology, history, politics, studio art, and European studies - while having a transformative experience abroad. Courses are taught in English, and German language courses are offered at all levels. Day trips and guided excursions in and around Berlin are included in the program.
Academics
The program at NYU Berlin is designed for students who want to earn credit in their major - including studio art, art history, European studies, German cultural studies, metropolitan studies, politics, and sociology. All liberal arts courses are taught in English. Students take three to four courses, including a course in German. Although knowledge of German is not required (all courses are taught in English), students are required to take a German language course at their appropriate skill levels. The academic center is a restored historic building situated on Helmholtz Square in the beautiful residential neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg that houses classrooms, art studios, a computer lab, a student lounge, and a group meeting space.
Student Life
NYU Berlin is a comparatively small program with only a handful of staff members. Because of an exchange program, the program uses the academic buildings of Humboldt University. Since university in Germany is free, they don’t have facilities like computer labs, gyms and lounges. There is an office (and lounge) for International students in the Humboldt main building and NYU students have access to the libraries in Berlin.
Housing
All students are required to live in NYU-arranged housing. Each NYU Berlin student will live in their own studio apartment, located in a primarily residential neighborhood in central Berlin called Schoneberg. The apartments are mixed in with apartments privately leased to German and other international tenants.
The apartments are a short walk to a few subway lines making the commute to classes at the academic center about 20-25 minutes by public transport.
Location
Berlin's innumerable cultural attractions range from contemporary art galleries to historic sites. Students visit the remaining memorial section of the wall that divided East from West Berlin and the impressive glass dome of the Reichstag, which is the seat of the German parliament. There are three major opera houses, several of the world's best symphony orchestras, dozens of magnificent museums, a great zoo, three large universities, various academies of art and music, over 50 theatres, hundreds of movie houses, and many, many cafés, pubs, galleries, clubs, and discos. Numerous restaurants and outdoor markets reflect the city's growing ethnic mix. NYU Berlin students are introduced to the rich cultural resources the city has to offer, including museums and castles, film screenings, guest lectures, and dramatic and musical performances. Students may enjoy walking tours of the city and boat tours on the River Spree. Excursions include day trips to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the GDR Archives, the historic palace city of Potsdam, and the nearby Babelsberg film studios.
