General Admission Contact
The New School for Social Research
Office of Admission
72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor
New York, NY 10011
212.229.5600 or 800.523.5411
SocialResearchAdmit@newschool.edu
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public and Urban Policy is conferred for completion of 60 graduate credits and approval of a written dissertation or three academic papers that advance knowledge in the field. The 60 credits normally consist of up to 30 credits earned in the student's master's degree program and at least 30 credits taken in residence in the PhD program.
Students must take seven core courses. A full-time graduate student takes at least nine credits (three courses) each semester. You can study part-time but must take a minimum of six credits (two courses) per semester to receive financial aid.
Students should refer to the official New School Academic Catalog to confirm degree completion requirements and should review their academic progress regularly with their faculty advisors.
| Core Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| NPUP 7005 Political Economy and Public Policy Analysis I | 3 |
| NPUP 7000 Political Economy and Public Policy Analysis II | 3 |
| NPUP 7003 Doctoral Research Seminar | 3 |
| NPUP 7010 Critical Praxis 1 | 3 |
| Required Courses | |
| Two research methods courses | 6 |
| Four electives by advisement | 12 |
| Credits earned in the student’s master’s degree program | 30 |
| Total | 60 |
Students must complete one course in quantitative methods and one in qualitative methods, chosen in consultation with their advisor.
Students complete any three doctoral-level elective courses approved by their advisor. Electives can include courses offered by other divisions of the university.
The student’s PhD candidacy will begin after successful portfolio review. The student’s portfolio consists of academic papers and other artifacts that provide evidence of student accomplishment, intellectual orientation, and research direction. Each student will have a three-person portfolio committee that will evaluate their portfolio. Students who pass the portfolio review earn the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree and are eligible to proceed to the dissertation stage. Students must complete 60 credits before they are eligible for portfolio review.
A dissertation proposal is developed in consultation with the student's faculty advisor and dissertation committee. A Public and Urban Policy doctoral dissertation can take the form of either a single book-length manuscript or a set of three papers (normally 40-70 pages each, including figures, tables, endnotes, and references). In either format, the dissertation must present original material that advances knowledge about important public policy problems. Oral defense of students' dissertation proposal and oral defense of dissertation are also required.
Of the 60 credits required for the PhD, a maximum of 30 credits can be transferred from another university’s master's program, provided the courses are deemed relevant to Milano's PhD Public and Urban Policy program. A maximum of 36 credits can be transferred from New School master's program, and a maximum of 42 credits can be transferred from a different PhD program. Students who wish to transfer credits earned at a graduate school outside of the United States must provide a course-by-course evaluation of their international transcripts prepared by a NACES-approved evaluation service. The evaluation must be received before courses can be reviewed for transfer of credits.
Students can use elective courses toward completing one of the university’s graduate minors. Graduate minors are officially recorded on students' transcripts.
The New School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.