Aug 12, 2015 04:30 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New York University is teaming up with 2U, Inc. to launch multiple online graduate degree programs, school officials announced last week.

The first three online programs include graduate programs in speech pathology, counseling and guidance, and an advanced clinical doctoral degree in occupational therapy. The partnership represents NYU Steinhardt School's first online degree programs.

"This is an exciting partnership for us. NYU's Steinhardt School was the first school of pedagogy in the U.S. For the past 125 years, questions of how to teach, how to learn, and how to deliver education have been central to our thinking," Dominic Brewer, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt, said in a statement. "For most of that time, learning was face-to-face. With technology providing so many new ways to connect students and educators, another question arises - how to draw on our expertise to employ new technologies while preserving the qualities we most value in the classroom. Our agreement with 2U allows us to achieve that by leaving all the academic decision-making -- curriculum and course content, admissions, and student assessment -- in the hands of our faculty."

The academic programs Steinhardt offer are ranked among the nation's best and are focused on researching and serving the pressing needs of children, families, and communities in a world of dynamic change, particularly in urban areas. The Steinhardt School spans a wide range of disciplines: education, health, media, and the performing and visual arts.

"We see this partnership - which has had and will continue to have departmental and faculty involvement -- as a model for embracing digital learning," Brewer said.

2U will provide its cloud-based software-as-a-service technology to NYU Steinhardt to provide qualified online students access to the same high-quality education as their on-campus counterparts without the financial burden and stress of relocating, while also encouraging students to learn and work in their local communities.

 "We look forward to developing a wide range of programs with NYU that deliver meaningful outcomes for students while expanding access to educational experiences far beyond the local reach of the university campus," Chip Paucek, CEO and co-founder of 2U, Inc., said in a statement.

Classes on 2U's platform -- which are small and typically capped at 15 students -- use a combination of synchronous and independent online learning. Certain degree programs also include field placements in the students' own communities and short-duration on-campus learning.

The classes are expected to being in 2016 and early 2017.

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