See our Admissions FAQs for important information about the admissions process.
What Master's degrees do you offer?
The Department of Politics at New York University offers a Master's Degree in Political Science with the following concentrations:
We also offer a Master's Degree in Political Campaign Management. It is a distinct program where students apply for admission directly to the PCM program rather than to the Department of Politics.
What does it mean to have an MA in Politics from NYU?
We expect that most MA’s will apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in some applied setting. While this setting varies by field, many students go on to work in NGO’s, IGO’s or policy research organizations (either private or governmental). Relatively few students go on for a Ph.D., and we do not view the program as primarily preparing students for a Ph.D. Thus our MA program stresses applied knowledge, with the ideal course taking the new knowledge generated by our faculty (and their colleagues world wide) and distilling it so that it will be useful in an applied setting. Courses vary in the balance of theoretical and applied material covered; it is expected that knowledge gained in the more theoretically oriented courses will then be used in the more applied courses. We also provide the appropriate skills necessary to work in an applied setting. For some people these skills are statistical or game theoretic; for others they might involve more in-depth study of a specific area (including, say, the history of that area). Some of these skills can be acquired in departmental courses; others can be acquired in the two free electives allowed in the program. The simplest example of the skills approach is that the MA game theory classes teach students how to use game theory insights to successfully deal with bargaining situations that occur in actual international conflicts, rather than to prove general theorems in game theory.
Preparation for applied work involves a variety of different types of courses. In addition to the skills courses, students are expected to learn the general ideas of a particular field through the required core courses, the relevant underlying theoretical ideas through more advanced graduate courses, and the more specific skills in specialized MA courses. The majority of MA courses are taught by regular departmental faculty. However, in order to better train people for applied work, some instructors are brought in who both have the appropriate political science education but also currently work in applied settings. These instructors typically hold a Ph.D. in political science but work full-time in some applied setting. New York City is ideal to find such instructors.
Taking courses outside the Department
The MA is an MA in Politics, and so the preponderance of courses should be in politics. Hence students must take at least 24 points (usually 6 courses) given by the Politics Department. It should be noted that the department crosslists various courses, primarily in politics and area studies. These count towards the six required courses in the department.
Students should carefully examine the possibilities for taking two graduate courses outside the Department but at NYU (assuming they have not transferred any credit). Such courses can enrich the MA. For example, students with area interests should consider graduate courses taught in the appropriate area studies program. Others will be well served by graduate courses in Economics or History or other relevant courses. Students should discuss these options with their advisor.
Since the cross-listing process is cumbersome, and it may be the case that courses exist which should be, but are not, crosslisted, the Department may allow students (with the consent of their advisor) to count NYU graduate courses in politics taught in other departments towards the 6 departmental course (24 point) requirement if the course meets the normal departmental standards for crosslisting. The decision about whether to count such courses is made by the DGS in consultation with the departmental MA committee. Any petition to count such a course must include the course syllabus and other relevant information about the course and instructor. No more than one such course can be counted towards the total of six required departmental courses. Courses counted in this way may NOT be counted towards the 4 courses (16 points) required in the major field, nor can they count as a core course.
What are the requirements for a Master's degree?
The requirements for a Master's degree are 32 credits, fulfillment of the language requirement, and approval of a Master's project. In addition, 24 of these credits must be taken within the Politics Department, including 16 in the student's major field (including the core course in that field) and a second core course in another Politics field.
What is the "Masters Project"?
The Masters Project is a seminar paper length project which may take three guises. It may be a stand alone paper, it may grow out of a course paper or it may grow out of a (non-credit) internship project at an appropriate venue. The latter choice is often the most appropriate for students who intend to use the MA to secure a position in an applied setting.
However the project is done, it is advised by the relevant faculty member. Where appropriate, and with the approval of the DGS and the Departmental Masters Committee, students may choose an advisor outside the Department so long as they are members of the NYU faculty.
The Director of MA programs runs a series of workshops on what is an MA project. This will help students get started. The workshop will also be valuable for students who are actually in the writing process, since questions and issues will arise throughout the process. This workshop is in addition to, not in place of, the normal advising process. In addition to this resource, students may find it helpful to take the various MA courses in research design or quantitative analysis. Various regularly offered courses deal with both qualitative and quantitative research relevant both to the MA project and future endeavors of NYU MA's.
Placement
The director of MA programs holds workshops related to helping MA students deal with placement.
Can I transfer credits from another institution?
Admitted students can transfer up to 9 credits into the masters program. Eligible courses must have a grade of "B" or better and must be relevant to political science. Transferred courses cannot substitute for departmental core courses.
