New York City universities ramp up entry to computer science and cybersecurity careers

BROOKLYN, New York, Thursday, April 23, 2020 – Amidst a career-disrupting economy, four New York City graduate schools have signed onto a groundbreaking intensive online program that quickly and inexpensively prepares students without computer science backgrounds to enter master’s degree programs in high-demand fields of cybersecurity, data science, and computer science.

Until now, the NYU Tandon Bridge program permitted those with non-traditional backgrounds to enter New York University Tandon School of Engineering’s rigorous master’s degree programs. Starting with the 2020 summer semester, The City College of New York, The City University of New York School of Professional Studies, Pace University Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, and Yeshiva University Katz School of Science and Health will also accept students who successfully complete the certificate program and meet their individual admissions criteria for these fields of study.

NYU Tandon will significantly expand capacity in the pioneering online program to accommodate students who hope to enroll in these New York City schools. In response to the economic upheaval and work-from-home expansion, it has extended the application deadline for classes that will begin July 6.

The $1,850 tuition represents a 90% discount from the tuition and fees that holders of baccalaureate degrees would pay for the three preparatory courses at NYU Tandon, and the time spent is dramatically reduced, as well: Instead of a typical year of study, students can choose either a 17-week or 24-week online immersion.

“With a tech economy employing 291,000 and an anticipated shortfall of 10,000 cybersecurity professionals within a decade, New York City will continue to need the elite technical graduates of our schools’ master’s degree programs,” said Professor Nasir Memon, NYU Tandon vice dean for academics and student affairs. “Applicants from a wide range of backgrounds — music, literature, political science, psychology, and more – seek out Bridge to change their career paths or to upgrade their technology skills. Our new academic partners will give Bridge certificate holders even more options to succeed in high-demand fields. We welcome the enthusiasm with which New York City’s graduate schools have embraced the opportunity to grow our city’s talent pool and encourage other schools to join our collaboration.”

Launched in 2016, the NYU Tandon Bridge program has already led 160 students into master’s degree at NYU Tandon. It also provides a rare and effective on-ramp for women, who are historically underrepresented in computer science. Since its founding, women have comprised 35% of Bridge graduates. By contrast, only about 18% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science are awarded to women nationally, according to the American Society for Engineering Education.

Thus far, every NYU Tandon Bridge graduate found a job after completing a master’s degree, including ones who became a chief information officer at a government agency, a machine learning engineer at a major technology firm, and a computer science and engineering professor at NYU Tandon.

“Our agreement with the NYU Tandon School of Engineering will raise awareness among its STEM prep graduates that the CUNY School of Professional Studies offers a highly ranked, rigorous technical and quantitative graduate degree in Data Science,” said Arthur O’Connor, academic director at CUNY SPS. “By featuring our online M.S. in Data Science degree program as an alternative to more expensive graduate degree programs, NYU Tandon is helping students access a highly affordable, online option to attain the knowledge and skills that remain in such high demand in the job marketplace.”

“This collaboration will help us to serve the ever-growing pool of ambitious people in our country who aspire to careers in the technology industry through admitting to Pace’s graduate programs in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, and Information Technology,” said Li-Chiou Chen, professor of information technology and executive director of cybersecurity programs at the Pace University Seidenberg School.

“This groundbreaking consortium will create a pipeline of next-generation science and technology innovators and tech entrepreneurs. Working together, we will ensure a bright future for the best and brightest students in the region,” said Paul Russo, University vice provost and dean of the Katz School of Science and Health at Yeshiva University. “The Katz School Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence graduates will be an integral part of New York's high-tech hub, and like all of our other faculty and students, they’ll help to make our City smarter, safer, and healthier.”

At NYU Tandon, the Bridge leads to master’s degree programs in Applied Urban Science and Informatics, Bioinformatics, Computer Engineering or Science, and Cybersecurity, as well as to the pioneering online cybersecurity program called NYU Cyber Fellows. Programs accepting NYU Tandon Bridge certificate holders will vary among the other participating schools, and include Cybersecurity at City College, Data Science at CUNY SPS, Cybersecurity and three other programs at Pace University, and Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity at Yeshiva University Katz School.

For more information or to apply, visit NYU Tandon Bridge. A webinar explaining all NYU’s cybersecurity programs will be held Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. EDT; Register here.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, one of the country’s foremost private research universities, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.