A Heritage of Excellence, A Bold Vision for the Future

Founded in 1890 as the School of Pedagogy, NYU Steinhardt was the first school of its kind in the United States. For the first time, theory and practice, research and teaching, were joined within a school of education. Teachers and administrators could pursue advancement in their fields, learning and researching practices that would ultimately reshape education. Initially offering both a master’s and a doctoral degree in pedagogy to its inaugural class of 214 students, Steinhardt today offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 7,000 students. Throughout its remarkable evolution, Steinhardt has maintained a singular focus: to research and serve the pressing needs of children, families, schools, and communities in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

From the outset, NYU Steinhardt recognized the importance of diversity and innovation. Among its first doctoral candidates were 16 women, and, throughout the first half of the 20th century, prominent African Americans joined the School’s faculty. When the country needed workers at the turn of the 20th century, the School responded with vocational and business education. When the nation worried about the health of its youth, Steinhardt prepared health professionals in the emerging fields of physical and health education.

Recognizing the transformative power of the arts, Steinhardt wove the arts into its curricula, inviting world-class artists, musicians, actors, and dancers to teach and perform at the School—and education benefited. The media arose as powerful educative forces in the latter part of the 20th century, and the study of communication and new technologies became part of the School. Today, NYU Steinhardt continues to innovate, bringing the expertise of its faculty, the knowledge of its alumni, and the energy of its students to bear on society’s most critical needs.

Without good questions, one does not get good answers. Without interdisciplinary collaboration and learning from practice, society’s most pressing questions will remain unanswered.