Politics

The MA program, which offers both one- and two- year options, is an immersive experience in political inquiry that leads students to top doctoral programs and to careers in policy, government, activism, and NGOs. The selective Politics PhD program is home to award-winning students whose scholarship, public writing, and activism often go hand in hand. The department also has a joint Politics–Historical Studies PhD, which provides integrated training in social science and history.  

All students are encouraged to work with and take seminars led by faculty in other departments and programs, including formally affiliated faculty. We see critically engaged methodologies, including political theoretic, qualitative, historical, and interpretive approaches, as an important foundation for persuasive, creative, and informed research in politics. At the same time, we remain focused on the substance and study of political life, rather than pursuing methodology for its own sake.

Workshops and events bringing together the intellectual community of the department are an important and regular part of our academic life. They include the Politics Speaker Series, the Theory Collective, and the Global Politics Workshop. Department faculty also help lead key interdisciplinary institutes at The New School, including the India China Institute, the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, and the Graduate Institute for Design, Ethnography, and Social Thought. These centers provide important venues for students to engage with intellectual discourse around the university. The Union of Political Science Students helps organize graduate intellectual exchange and graduate student social life.

Distinguished visiting scholars regularly join our faculty to assist with dissertation supervision and other student work. Learn more about becoming a visiting scholar.