• Public and Urban Policy (PhD)

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  • Contact Us

    Admission Contact
    Merida Escandon Gasbarro
    72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor
    New York, NY 10011
    646.909.1108
    [email protected]

    Program Contact
    Public and Urban Policy PhD
    72 Fifth Avenue, room 707
    New York, NY 10011
    [email protected]
    212.229.5400 x1503

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  • The doctoral degree program in Public and Urban Policy is rooted in The New School's tradition of progressive scholarship in the social sciences. Scholarly research and thinking are brought to bear on pressing issues of policy, design, and local and global development. You are encouraged to explore a range of theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and critical research approaches as you expand and refine your focal area of study to meet ongoing and emerging policy challenges.

    • Degree Doctor of Philosophy
    • Credits 60
    • Format Full-time or part-time, on campus
    • Start Term Fall
    • Application Deadline January 15

    Program Highlights

    • Multidimensional and Dynamic

      Receive support and find inspiration for exploring alternative theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches enabling you to understand and explain policy dynamics.

    • Interdisciplinary Inquiry

      Enjoy the flexibility to pursue theory and research from various relevant disciplines to best address your individual research interests.

    • Join the Scholarly Conversation

      Faculty and students contribute to local, state, regional, national, and global policymaking to advance new learning and scholarly debate between academics and policymakers.

    • Flexibility for Working Students

      Study full-time or part-time on our campus in New York City, with many classes available in the evening.

    Funding and Scholarships

    There are three main ways that PhD students can fund their education: merit-based tuition scholarships that cover 25 to 75 percent of tuition and are awarded upon a student's admission to the program; Federal Financial Aid (federal loans for U.S. citizens and permanent residents); student employment such as research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and teaching fellowships, for which students can apply. There are also paid fellowships available to matriculated students, such as those of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility and the Urban Systems Lab. We strongly recommend that all students applying to a doctoral program also seek outside funding.  

    Career Paths

    The Public and Urban Policy PhD program prepares students for careers in the academy and professional practice. Our graduates pursue academic careers in teaching and research, as well as research and senior-level roles in think tanks, government, and nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations.

    Graduates hold academic positions at  the University of Illinois at Chicago; Brooklyn College; University at Buffalo; Ohio State University; Queens College; University of California, Davis; City University of New York; Loughborough University; and The New School. They serve as researchers and executives at major organizations such as the Center for Data Insights at MRDC, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Women's Policy, and the Center for American Progress.

  • The Public and Urban Policy doctoral program connects students with leading faculty across the university. You will have the opportunity to work with professors with a range of expertise and research approaches.

  • Having an interest in using a multidisciplinary research approach that crossed traditional theoretical, methodological, and geographic boundaries, the Public and Urban Policy PhD program offered a rich intellectual environment in which to learn from and work with talented and engaged public policy scholars. Engaging in original research and publishing with faculty prepared me for my current faculty position.

    Anne Visser, 2011 Alumna, currently an Associate Professor of Community and Regional Development at University of California, Davis

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Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.