February 7, 2022
Following a summer term in New York at NYU Stern, MS students continued their graduate studies at NYU Shanghai this fall. They expanded their knowledge and skills in the classroom; gained hands-on experience through the beginning stages of capstone projects; engaged with alumni, employers, and business leaders through alumni events, career sessions, guest lectures and company visits; and deepened connections with their peers by participating in a wide range of social activities organized by both student cohort leaders and program leadership.
Coursework
Students completed 10.5 credits of advanced coursework in the fall semester; to learn more about the curriculum, see here. Students also started working on their capstone projects, applying their knowledge from coursework to address real-life business cases with real world corporate clients. Guided by the capstone director, they formed small groups based on their interests and skills, and had initial meetings with their capstone clients; the projects will continue through the spring semester.
Guest Speakers and Company Visits
To enhance classroom learning and provide exposure to industry leaders and local business culture, faculty members invited several guest speakers into the classroom and organized in-person company visits. Students engaged with field experts working at organizations such as Alibaba Group, Dingdong Limited, ANT Group, McKinsey, CICC Investment Bank, Unilever, Bytedance, and PingAn Tech, and visited companies in different sectors including technology innovation centers such as Microsoft Innovation Lab, design firms like IDEO, and the gallery Base Camp.
Steven Chang, Senior Advisor at McKinsey and MS advisory board member, giving a lecture on Web 3.0 and Metaverse, the new frontiers in business and marketing.
Jason Lu, VP of Public Service at ANT Group, discussing blockchain, privacy computing, and risk control with students.
MSOMS students visiting Memory Cafe, where seniors with cognitive impairment work as volunteers.
MSMRS and MSDABC students visiting Microsoft Innovation Lab, where they experienced AR/VR applications and learned about electronic shelf labeling.
Career Development
This fall, the NYU Shanghai Career Development Center (CDC) continued its wide range of programming and one-on-one advising to support students in their job search and to help them develop individual career plans based on their own interests and aspirations. Events included the distinguished industry speaker series and career preparation series, empowering students to explore career pathways and develop job competencies in industries like technology, finance, consulting, internet, and consumer goods. They also facilitated on-campus recruitment sessions where students had the opportunity to connect with employers such as L’Oreal, Disney, JP Morgan, and China Merchant Bank.
Alumni Engagement
In October, the MS programs launched the inaugural Alumni Council, composed of 12 alumni from the MSDABC & MSQF Classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 who are seeking to foster a stronger alumni community through regular event planning, feedback, and engagement. The council will meet several times throughout the year to brainstorm, collaborate, and plan programming for the alumni community.
On November 11, current students and alumni joined together for a virtual Alumni Panel & Networking Mixer that aimed to provide an opportunity for current students to connect with alumni. The event kicked off with a panel discussion moderated by two of the student cohort leaders [Lucas (MSQF, Class of 2023) and Alice (MSMRS Class of 2023)] and featured four alumni [Cassie (MSDABC Class of 2020), Luna (MSDABC Class of 2021), Reid (MSQF Class of 2021), and Zhenyu (MSQF Class of 2021)]. The alumni highlighted how the program helped them develop personally and professionally, and they shared insights and advice about internships, career recruitment, interview techniques, and more. In the second half of the event, students and alumni had a more casual discussion in breakout rooms to get to know each other and to dive deeper into topics including time management, interview preparation, and industry trends.
Social Events
The MS program staff and student cohort leaders hosted a variety of social events for students in the fall semester. These events included holiday celebrations such as a pumpkin carving event in celebration of Halloween, Thanksgiving dinner, athletic activities such as Frisbee, and peer gatherings such as a cohort dinner organized by the cohort leaders.
MSDABC students carving pumpkins during the Halloween event hosted by program staff.
MS students playing frisbee.
MSMRS students, Biyan and Yumeng, playing Ma Jiang at the Halloween party organized by cohort leaders.
MSOMS students having dinner at Cages.
Looking Ahead
Following the winter break in December, students will take a three-week intensive January term course before starting the spring semester at NYU Shanghai’s new 114,000 square-meter campus in Pudong’s Qiantan neighborhood. The entire NYU Shanghai community of students, staff and faculty are looking forward to the next chapter at the new campus and continuing to engage in learning opportunities both in and outside of the classroom.