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  • Admissions Events

  • Contact Us

    Admission Contact
    Anne Lanza
    72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor
    New York, NY 10011
    646.909.3921
    [email protected]

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

  • Curriculum

    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 CoursesCredits
    NPUP 7005 Political Economy and Public Policy Analysis I3
    NPUP 7000 Political Economy and Public Policy Analysis II 3
    NPUP 7003 Doctoral Research Seminar3
    NPUP 7010 Critical Praxis 13
    NPUP 7011 Critical Praxis 23
    Required Courses
    Two research methods courses6
    Three electives9
    Credits earned in the student’s master’s degree program30
    Total60

    Research Methods Courses

    Students must complete one course in quantitative methods and one in qualitative methods, chosen in consultation with their advisor.

    Electives

    Students complete any three doctoral-level elective courses approved by their advisor. Electives can include courses offered by other divisions of the university.

    Portfolio Review

    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.

    Dissertation

    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.

    Transfer Credits

    Of the 60 credits required for the PhD, a maximum of 30 credits can be transferred from another University’s Masters program, provided the courses are deemed relevant to the Milano Public and Urban Policy PhD program. A maximum of 36 credits can be transferred from a New School’s Masters 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.

    Graduate Minors

    Students can use elective courses toward completing one of the university’s graduate minors. Graduate minors are officially recorded on students' transcripts.

  • Take The Next Step

Submit your application

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.

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