The Schaefer School's mission is to address the challenges facing engineering and science now and into the future while remaining true to the vision of the founders of Stevens as one of the first dedicated engineering schools in the nation. The Schaefer School offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees with a variety of certificates in various engineering and scientific disciplines for full-time students and part-time professionals. The goal of most doctoral work is to develop technologies and processes that provide social benefit in society's security, energy, environmental, medicine, and health care challenges. Stevens Institute of Technology had a dual degree program in engineering with New York University until New York University started its own engineering school in 2008 by acquiring another reputed school of engineering, which is located in New York City.