New York University is among the nation's largest private universities. Founded in 1831, it awards degrees in a wide variety of fields, including the humanities, science, business, law, the fine arts, the performing arts, public administration, medicine, dentistry, education, and social work. Among the University's divisions is the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, a center for research and advanced training in mathematics and computer science. The Institute has long been a leader in mathematical analysis, applied mathematics, and scientific computation, with special emphasis on partial differential equations and their applications. In computer science, the Institute excels in theory, programming languages, computer graphics, and parallel computing. Mathematics and computer science are viewed as living parts of the stream of science, not as isolated specialties.

The Courant Institute comprises New York University's Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and a variety of sponsored research activities. The Director of the Courant Institute reports to the University's Provost and President and works closely with the other deans. The Institute has approximately 33 regular faculty in computer science and 49 in mathematics. Another 30 Ph.D. scientists are in postdoctoral or research positions. The Institute's sponsored research activities are divided fairly evenly between computer science and mathematics.

• New York University