Courses Outside Wagner

You may take an NYU course outside of Wagner if the other school will allow you to register for it and if the course is pre-approved by Wagner faculty, or if you obtain Wagner faculty approval through the process outlined below. 

Policies

  • You may not take non-Wagner courses in your first term.  
  • Undergraduate courses and foreign language courses cannot count toward any Wagner degree.
  • Course credits vary across schools (not all award 1.5 or 3 credits)
  • The number of credits assigned to the course by the NYU school offering it will be the number of credits applied toward your Wagner degree.
  • You will be financially responsible for the number of credits assigned to the course at the Wagner tuition rate. 
  • If you receive a final grade lower than "C-" in any course (regardless of host school), it cannot be counted toward your Wagner degree.
  • Courses must award a standard grade; "Pass" ("P") grades cannot count toward your Wagner degree.
  • Wagner students are subject to NYU Wagner's add/drop and refund policies.

Timeline

  • Cross-registration timelines vary by school. See school-based guidelines on the menu at left.
  • Before registering, the course must be approved by Wagner faculty.  If the course is not pre-approved (see STEP 1), submit a petition for faculty review (see STEP 2). It can take up to 4 weeks for petitions to be reviewed.
  • Spring 2025 Timeline:
    • 3 weeks before the class begins or by January 6 at 5:00pm (whichever is sooner): Deadline to request to take non pre-approved registration requests to Wagner Student Services.
    • Either 1 week before the class begins or by January 17 at 5pm (whichever is sooner): Deadline to request to take pre-approved non-Wagner courses.

Cross-Registration instructions

  • You can use the Law School and Stern course pages to find graduate offerings in these divisions. You can find courses in NYU's other graduate schools in the Albert course search.
  • Prepare a concise memo that covers:
    • Your reason(s) for wanting to take the course, including demonstration that Wagner does not teach a similar course;
    • How the course is relevant to public service;
    • How the course fits with your public service academic and career goals;
    • A list of the course prerequisites (if any) and how you have met them. If the non-Wagner school has an explicit prerequisite or proficiency policy (for example, Stern), you must outline how you have met that school's requirements.
  • Obtain the most up-to-date course syllabus available.
  • Submit your memo along with a copy of the course syllabus through the Non-Wagner Course Petition Form (requires log-in with NYU Net ID and password). 
  • If you are requesting approval for more than one non-Wagner course, or would like to have a first choice and a back-up option reviewed, submit a separate form for each course, all on the same date. 
  • Faculty will determine whether the course is relevant to your Wagner degree program, and your Student Services Program Advisor will communicate that decision within 4 to 6 weeks of petition submission. Decisions rendered are final.
  • If your petition is approved, move to STEP 3.
     

Review and follow the registration procedure for the relevant school. See school-based guidelines on the menu at left.