Doctoral Degrees Without Borders

Written by
Graduate School Communications
Nov. 9, 2023

PhD candidates from nine northeast universities will soon be able to take engineering courses across campuses

Doctoral students at nine New Jersey and New York City area engineering programs, including Princeton, will soon be able to take courses at each other’s institutions without any additional tuition, as part of a new multi-school agreement announced today. 

The Inter-University Engineering Doctoral Consortium (IUEDC), led by NYU Tandon School of Engineering, encourages Ph.D. students to complement their primary program by taking courses of interest offered at different schools, providing access to specialty instruction and expertise that may not be available at their home universities. Students should be able to enroll in courses at other member institutions beginning in Fall 2024.

Dean Andrea Goldsmith, Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science, in blue jacket

Andrea J. Goldsmith, dean of the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science

“I am delighted for Princeton to join this consortium, which will foster new collaborations and learning experiences for engineering students and faculty across the entire region," said Andrea J. Goldsmith, dean of the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science. "At a time when U.S. leadership in science and technology has never been more important for our country’s economic prosperity and national security, this partnership will serve as a cornerstone for broad collaborations that will grow the regional innovation ecosystem. I look forward to seeing the impact this program will have on growing the number of high-tech jobs, companies, and workers in the New York/New Jersey corridor.”

In the announcement, Jelena Kovačević, NYU Tandon Dean, said, “As engineers, we have long known the importance of collaborating across departments and disciplines, in order to most effectively address the challenges facing our world. This consortium signals the collective dedication of the institutions to remove barriers to advanced learning and rigorous scholarship, helping unleash the full potential of all our students while enrolled and in their post-graduate pursuits.”

NYU Tandon began assembling the consortium earlier this year, taking cues from a similar arrangement between nine area universities. Peter Voltz, Vice Dean for Academics and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NYU Tandon, serves as the inaugural Consortium Coordinator. 

“Doctoral students are exceptionally focused and have often chosen their field of study in order to work with a specific faculty member,” said Voltz. “The consortium allows them to have access to a broader swath of courses across multiple universities.”

Together with NYU Tandon and Princeton, IUEDC participants are: 

  • The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering (New York,NY)
  • Columbia Engineering (New York, NY) 
  • Cornell Tech (New York, NY)
  • New York Institute of Technology College of Engineering and Computing Sciences (Old Westbury, NY, and New York, NY) 
  • Rutgers University School of Engineering  (Piscataway, NJ)
  • Stevens Institute of Technology Charles V. Schaefer Jr. School of  Engineering and Science (Hoboken, NJ)
  • Stony Brook University College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Stony Brook, NY)

To participate, students must have completed at least one year at their primary institution, must be in good academic standing and must get written approval from home and host institutions. Students will be responsible to their host institutions for any lab fees.