2U, Inc., an education technology company that partners with top colleges and universities to bring their degree programmes and credit-bearing courses online, announced that it is partnering with NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development to launch multiple online graduate degree programmes. The first three online programmes – expected to begin classes in 2016 and early 2017, pending approval by the appropriate university and accrediting bodies – include graduate programmes in speech pathology, counseling and guidance, and an advanced clinical doctoral degree in occupational therapy.

The partnership represents the Steinhardt School’s first online degree programmes (other NYU schools offer online programmes). NYU Steinhardt expects to announce additional technology-based programmes in teacher education and other disciplines. The School will also lead a university-wide effort using data from these courses and others to conduct research on effective online learning.

“This is an exciting partnership for us. NYU’s Steinhardt School was the first school of pedagogy in the US. For the past 125 years, questions of how to teach, how to learn, and how to deliver education have been central to our thinking,” said Dominic Brewer, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt. “For most of that time, learning was face-to-face. With technology providing so many new ways to connect students and educators, another question arises – how to draw on our expertise to employ new technologies while preserving the qualities we most value in the classroom. Our agreement with 2U allows us to achieve that by leaving all the academic decision-making – curriculum and course content, admissions, and student assessment – in the hands of our faculty.”

NYU Steinhardt’s academic programmes are ranked among the nation’s best and are focused on researching and serving the pressing needs of children, families, and communities in a world of dynamic change, particularly in urban areas. The Steinhardt School spans a wide range of disciplines: education, health, media, and the performing and visual arts.

“We see this partnership – which has had and will continue to have departmental and faculty involvement – as a model for embracing digital learning,” Brewer said.

“We look forward to developing a wide range of programmes with NYU that deliver meaningful outcomes for students while expanding access to educational experiences far beyond the local reach of the university campus,” said Chip Paucek, CEO and co-founder of 2U, Inc.

2U will provide its cloud-based software-as-a-service technology to NYU Steinhardt to provide qualified online students access to the same high-quality education as their on-campus counterparts without the financial burden and stress of relocating, while also encouraging students to learn and work in their local communities. Classes on 2U’s platform – which are small and typically capped at 15 students – use a combination of synchronous and independent online learning. Certain degree programmes also include field placements in the students’ own communities and short-duration on-campus learning.

Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media, and psychology.