Politics (PhD)

Program Description

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students to conduct research, to teach, or to work in applied settings at the best institutions in the United States and abroad. To achieve this goal, the program specifies the distribution of courses, the substance and timing of requirements, the forms of faculty supervision, and the criteria for advancement within the program.

Dual Degree

The Politics Department offers a dual degree with the NYU School of Law: Politics PhD/Law JD.

See Politics for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See Politics for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program. 

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of 72 credits (18 courses). Students are required to take one core course in each of at least three substantive subfields. To further guard against excessive specialization, students must take at least three courses (12 credits) in each of at least two fields. Course credits transferred from another institution may count toward the fulfillment of this requirement. The fields presently recognized by the department include:

1. Political philosophy and theory
2. Political methodology
3. American politics
4. Political economy
5. Comparative politics
6. International relations

In consultation with their adviser, students may petition the director of graduate studies (DGS) to create a field of their own making. Such a field may be interdisciplinary. Doctoral students are required to maintain a 3.5 grade point average.

Additional Program Requirements

2nd Year Paper

Students who enter the program without an MA degree must present a written 2nd year paper by no later than the beginning of their second year. The specific requirements for the paper depend on the field, but the general rule is that it should have the format of an article in this field. The topic of the 2nd year paper should be chosen in consultation with faculty members. On completion, the paper is submitted for reading by two faculty members chosen by the director of graduate studies (DGS), no later than within two months after submission. The paper can receive a high pass, a low pass, or a failing grade. If the paper does not receive a unanimous high pass, the student may revise and resubmit it by no later than the beginning of the fourth semester of residence. If the paper receives a low pass and the student maintains at least a 3.0 grade point average, the student is granted the MA degree but must leave the program. If the paper receives a failing grade or if the student’s grade point average is below 3.0, no degree is granted. If the revised paper receives different grades from the two readers, the DGS appoints a third reader and the expanded committee will decide the grade. 2nd year paper and grade record are satisfactory is considered to have advanced toward the PhD

Communication Requirement

Doctoral students must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. The Graduate School of Arts and Science determines which languages qualify, but another language can be substituted on recommendation of the student’s adviser and the director of graduate studies and with approval of the language coordinator. A student whose native language is not English should consult the director of graduate studies regarding fulfillment of the communications requirement.

Qualifying Examination

No later than the end of the fifth semester in residence (third semester for students who receive an MA waiver), students must complete the PhD qualifying examination, which consists of the submission of a 3rd year paper and the oral defense of an annotated syllabus. The 3rd year paper is a research paper of publishable quality, satisfying all formal requirements for an article in a given field. Before writing the paper, students should submit a brief proposal to at least two faculty members, who become “readers” on approving this proposal. The topic (but not necessarily the field) of the 3rd year paper must differ from that of the 2nd year paper, and the two papers must be read by at least four different readers. The work on the 3rd year paper can be and should be assisted by faculty. Readers evaluate this paper within two months of submission. The readers have the option of accepting the paper, suggesting revisions, or rejecting the paper. If invited to do so, the student may revise the paper and resubmit it within six months. If the revision is not accepted by both readers, the student is considered to have failed this requirement.

Original Annotated Syllabus

Students must also submit an original annotated syllabus for a graduate introduction to a field. This syllabus should attest to the understanding of the structure of the field, as well as to the knowledge of the primary and secondary literature. This syllabus is presented at an oral hearing to two faculty members, who then pass or fail the syllabus and its defense. Students who successfully complete both of these requirements qualify as candidates for the PhD degree. Students who do not satisfy both requirements by the end of the third year (second year for students who receive an MA waiver) are required by the department to leave the program, save for exceptional circumstances.

Dissertation

After completing the qualifying examination, students must present a PhD dissertation proposal. The proposal ordinarily should be presented before the end of the third year in residence (second year for students who receive an MA waiver). Students who do not present a proposal within one calendar year of passing their qualifying examination must petition the DGS to be allowed to do so. Before beginning to work on the PhD dissertation, students must form a thesis committee, comprising at least three faculty members (the committee chair and two members), of whom at least two must be members of the department. Students should consult with the committee while preparing the proposal and working on the thesis. The proposal should specify the problem to be researched, summarize the current state of knowledge, describe research procedures, and identify the bodies of relevant information. It should be no more than 15 single-spaced pages, plus a bibliography. The dissertation committee must approve the proposal. When all members are satisfied with the proposal, the committee meets with the student in an advisory hearing. Acceptance of the proposal signals that the student has satisfied all the requirements for the PhD degree other than the dissertation.

The dissertation must constitute a substantial body of original research of publishable quality. Except by the expressed permission of the chair of the department, the dissertation should not exceed 100,000 words. Once members of the committee approve the dissertation, an oral defense is scheduled. After the student’s thesis director approves the dissertation and the dissertation committee agrees that it is ready for defense, a final oral defense is scheduled before a panel of five faculty members appointed by the chair of the department or the director of graduate studies. The GSAS regulates the procedures for this defense. The department expects students to complete the dissertation and its defense within four years after finishing course requirements.

General Program Information

When entering the program, students should declare their intended field, which can be changed at any time in consultation with the student’s adviser. A student specializing in any recognized field may have to satisfy course requirements established by faculty in this field. Admission to some advanced courses may be conditional on students having taken prerequisites or having an equivalent background. In all cases, students must consult their adviser to plan a comprehensive program of courses and inform their adviser of any changes. There are no limits on courses taken in other departments or other university members of the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (see the Admission, Registration and Degree Requirements section of this bulletin for details) other than those specified by GSAS. Students are encouraged to develop knowledge and acquire methodological skills in sister disciplines.

MA Waiver

Students entering with an MA degree from an equivalent institution may petition for a waiver of up to one year of course requirements (equivalent of 24 credits). For this purpose, a copy of the MA thesis must be submitted to the director of graduate studies (DGS) when the student enters the program. The DGS appoints two faculty members as readers to decide whether the thesis is equivalent in standards and quality to the department’s requirements. If the MA thesis is approved, the student submits the waiver petition to the DGS at the end of the first year of residence. In consultation with the readers, the DGS decides whether or not to waive residence requirements on the basis of the MA thesis and the grade record of the student during the first year at New York University. Please note that if a student is granted a waiver of 24 credits, he or she is required to waive one year of academic funding.

Sample Plan of Study

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course.  All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

Learning Outcomes

The primary learning goal of the PhD Program in the Department of Politics is to train students to conduct valuable political science research. The meaning of “valuable” will depend on the context. If the student is placed in a tenure-track position in a political science department “valuable” is equivalent to publishable research that add to the discipline’s knowledge of political phenomena. If the student is placed in a policy position in the government international organization, non-governmental organization or think tank valuable will mean research that improves policy.

Additionally, graduates will:

1. Develop a deep familiarity with political science literature so that they can build off existing research in developing and answering important research questions. 
2. Acquire a set of methodological skills in quantitative and mixed method data collection and analysis and in game theory so that they can produce and consume political science research at the cutting edge of the field.
3. Develop a set of professional skills (primarily writing, presentation, and teaching skills) to allow them to communicate their research and expertise to wider academic, policy, and student communities.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.