New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Cornell today announced that applications for admission are being accepted for the "beta" class of computer science students at CornellNYC Tech, the new world-class applied sciences campus in New York City.

This first class of full-time students will begin in January 2013 to pursue a one-year Cornell Master of Engineering degree in computer science. Applications for the small and highly selective beta class are due Oct. 1. The program will be housed at the campus's temporary location in Chelsea, in space generously donated by Google. In 2017, the campus will move to its permanent home on Roosevelt Island.

Information about the program and the application procedure for prospective students is available online.

"If you want to live in the best city of the world, the new capital of engineering talent, and the future home of the technology industry, you should apply now to CornellNYC Tech," said Bloomberg. "There's simply no better place to further your education and launch your career than New York City. Getting in won't be easy, but if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."

"We're calling this the 'beta' class because these students will help shape the future of this new educational institution," said Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the tech campus. "Candidates for the beta class must be future tech leaders, with not only the highest academic credentials but also strong entrepreneurial interests, leadership skills and a passion for community engagement."

"This master's program combines Cornell's longstanding strength in computer science with deep entrepreneurial, real-world experience and engagement," said Joe Halpern, chair of Cornell's Department of Computer Science.

"The launch of the new tech campus is causing tremendous excitement in New York City's tech community," said Thatcher Bell, managing director at DFJ Gotham Ventures, a venture capital firm in New York City. "Technologists across the city are eager to collaborate with denizens of the new campus and opportunities abound for engineering and science graduates."

The new tech campus is offering a distinctive model of graduate tech education that fuses educational excellence with real-world commercial applications and technology entrepreneurship, rooted in the latest academic research. Students, faculty and industry experts will learn and work together to launch ideas and create new ventures that have global impact. The campus will attract the best and brightest in technology, immerse them in an entrepreneurial culture with deep ties to the local business community and spur the creation of new companies and new industries in New York City.

The one-year (two-semester) Cornell M.Eng. program in computer science is particularly suited to students with a strong undergraduate education in computer science or a closely related field, who seek advanced credentials for employment in industry or for deeper technological expertise to fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams. The program is intensive and requires a substantial project co-supervised by a faculty member and an industry mentor, with a written report rather than a formal research thesis.

Courses will be conducted Mondays through Thursdays, with Fridays used for interdisciplinary workshops (e.g., design and technology, social entrepreneurship, leadership skills, etc.). Additional events (e.g., "hackathons") will be scheduled throughout the year. In addition to the formal curriculum, the program will provide numerous opportunities for engagement with industry, practitioners and community members; each student will work closely with a mentor from a company, nonprofit or early stage investor in addition to having an academic adviser.

Following the launch of the beta degree program, additional one-year Cornell professional master's degree programs are planned in the fields of electrical and computer engineering, information science, and operations research and information engineering, as well as an accelerated and tech-oriented one-year MBA. Planning is also under way for an innovative new two-year Master of Science dual degree offered by Cornell and its academic partner, the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology. This new program will be a centerpiece of the campus, combining depth in information technology fields with domain expertise in one of the three interdisciplinary focal areas or "hubs": connective media, healthier life or the built environment. All degrees will reflect the mission of the campus, of technical excellence with a focus on collaborative projects, industry mentors and entrepreneurship/business related coursework.

The launch of the application process for the beta class is another major milestone for the campus, a new world-class graduate education and research campus being created by Cornell and the Technion, after being chosen as the winner of New York City's Applied Sciences competition last December. The tech campus is rapidly rolling out new academic programs, recruiting star faculty, developing a distinctive new model of tech entrepreneurship and designing its permanent campus on Roosevelt Island.