If you’ve taken the PATH train recently, then you’ve probably noticed ads for NJIT@JerseyCity. With seemingly little on-campus promotion of the new location, many students are unaware that it exists or know little about its purpose.
Located a short train ride away near the Exchange Place PATH station, NJIT@JerseyCity is home to many of the university’s most cutting-edge programs. From a M.S. in Data Science to certificates in data visualization and big data essentials, the new campus is meant to equip professionals with skills essential to the increasingly technical workplace.
“We wanted a location that was the most accessible to NYC-NJ PATH commuters,” said Craig Gotsman, Dean of the Ying Wu College of Computing. “The most popular line is the one from WTC in NYC through Exchange Place to Newark. So our facility is next to the Exchange Place PATH station.”
With its programs targeted towards people already working in the industry, the satellite campus will deliver courses through early morning and evening courses that meet weekly. Students enrolled in the master’s degree program will do so part-time over two years; those pursuing certificates will do so part-time for one year, while accelerator programs will be daily in the evenings over five weeks.
“Part of the NJIT mission statement is ‘… in service to both its urban environment and the broader society of the city, state, nation and global community’, thus it definitely aims to serve beyond Newark.” said Gotsman. “There are plans to expand to other locations in NJ and beyond, but they have not yet been finalized.”
The new campus will not only be home to programs from the Ying Wu College of Computing, but will also include courses in the Martin Tuchman School of Management. A two-semester long graduate certificate in business analytics will serve as a feeder program for an MBA in analytics. It will cover topics including privacy and ethics, data security and data mining. This program will be flexible, running in-person, hybrid and online classes.
Dean Oya Tukel of the Management School said that the “Martin Tuchman School of Management is hoping to expand its graduate programs at the Jersey City facility to be accessible to the Jersey City businesses. We started with the graduate certificate in business analytics but have plans to offer other certificates such as Fintech that can be stacked up towards graduate degrees.”
In an official announcement for NJIT@JerseyCity, administrators indicated a vision for rapid expansion of the new campus. With 35 students enrolled this semester, NJIT anticipates enrollment to double next semester, and for the campus to have 500 students within three years.
This expansion marks one of the university’s most ambitious projects yet. Only time will tell whether this new investment will pay off, though the shift towards big data in recent years would make anyone optimistic.
