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Our history
Over the school’s 90+ year history, we’ve constantly grown and evolved to cater to the needs of our student population.
1940s
DGE opens a War Training Center in response to the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers. To help explain wartime changes in the tax code, DGE holds the first NYU Institute on Federal Taxation, which has since become an annual event. With the end of World War II, the GI Bill enables returning veterans to attend college, and enrollment soars.
1950s
DGE holds a three-day conference on nuclear technology to address the need for a more educated citizenry. It also develops the first NYU course ever to be televised, Today’s English, which leads to Sunrise Semester, the Emmy Award-winning NYU/CBS co-production, that airs on CBS from 1957 through 1982. DGE is renamed the Division of General Education and Extension Services (DGEES). Enrollment surpasses any other individual school at NYU.
1960s
DGEES is at the forefront of issues in a decade marked by social and political upheaval. Associate degree programs are offered for the first time, and a four-year, part-time study program is developed for students age 21 and over. This program eventually evolves into the Paul McGhee Division. The school is renamed the School of Continuing Education (SCE).
1970s
SCE launches the Institute for Paralegal Studies; new diploma programs in real estate, data processing, and systems analysis; and the ground-breaking, two-year General Studies Program, which prepares students for transfer to a four-year college or university. The Midtown Center opens at 11 West 42nd Street—headquarters for the Real Estate Institute—which continues to thrive today as the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.
1980s
SCE deepens its involvement with New York’s leading industries and with the professional, creative, and public sectors that define the city’s role in the world. The school greatly increases practitioner-taught course offerings in IT, publishing, construction, and hospitality. The Master of Science in Real Estate is launched, eventually growing to become the largest program of its kind in the country.
1990s
SCE continues to lead in the exploration of virtual and internet-based learning with the creation of The Virtual College. Five new master’s programs are added including: Hospitality Industry Studies, Tourism and Travel Management, Publishing, Direct Marketing Communications, and Management and Systems. SCE is renamed the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS) in recognition of its increased focus on professional programs.
2000s
The decade opens with the inauguration of the Downtown Center in the historic Woolworth Building, home to the school’s Center for Global Affairs. It concludes with the unanimous approval by the NYU Board of Trustees for SCPS to acquire and to renovate a permanent, flagship home at 7 East 12th Street, an occasion which coincides fortuitously with the school’s 75th anniversary.
Today
NYU-SPS continues to grow as an essential resource for learners of all ages. Increasing numbers of international students populate its classrooms. Study abroad options abound for those individuals who wish to broaden their horizons globally. Online credit and non-credit offerings continue to expand as the school positions itself as a leader in executive education and distance learning.
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