The heart of NYU Wagner's programs is our faculty. An amalgam of full-time, clinical/research/visiting, and adjunct professors, they are outstanding teachers, expert researchers and committed practitioners.

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The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is home to research and policy centers, institutes, and initiatives that focus on solving urban problems and strengthening public policy and public service nationally and around the world.

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Ranked #6 in Public Affairs by U.S. News & World Report, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service educates the future leaders of public, nonprofit, healthcare and private sector organizations addressing the world's critical issues.

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Students arrive at NYU with the desire to serve the public. They leave with the skills and experience to bring about change. Combining coursework in management, finance and policy with cutting-edge research and work experience in urban communities, the NYU Wagner education will enable you to transform your personal commitment into public leadership.

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Whether in their first or last semester, students at NYU Wagner have many resources to help them navigate their way to graduation.

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NYU Wagner's Office of Career Services (OCS) provides students and alumni with the resources needed to build successful public service careers. Explore our resources for Job seekers and employers.

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Welcome to the Wagner Alumni WebPages, where you can find information about resources for alumni from the school, join the Wagner Alumni Listserv and much more.

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Read about news and ideas from NYU Wagner faculty and alumni and keep in touch with interesting and useful events at the school.

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Learning Outside the Classroom

We believe students need both rigorous academic study on the graduate level and relevant practical experience in organizations to succeed in public service careers. NYU Wagner is a place that values both theory and practice and offers multiple opportunities to integrate both.

Students enter Wagner with varying amounts of previous work experience, and Wagner's program and schedules allow for both full and part-time study. Wherever you are in your career path, we believe learning is a two-way street. What you learn in the classroom can help you make sense of what you are experiencing/have experienced at work and what you learn on the ground can inform and enrich class discussions.

Full-time, part-time, paid, unpaid: the experience, and what you do with it, is what counts.

Guiding Questions

For people recently out of college with less than two years' relevant experience:
  • How can I draw on whatever previous experience I have had (e.g. in undergraduate leadership roles, summer work, community service, work after college) to help me relate to ideas being discussed in the classroom? (e.g. how might my work as a summer camp counselor inform the discussion of human resource management, how might my volunteer work in a soup kitchen help me participate in a discussion about poverty alleviation in a policy class, how might my role as student group treasurer help me understand financial statements?)
  • As I look for an internship, what kinds of organizations are out there doing the kind of work I'm interested in? (e.g. what are the top 20 employers in my field, what agency is doing cutting-edge work?)
  • What kinds of roles are there in these organizations for people with my experience and skill set? (e.g. researcher, data analyst, program coordinator, executive assistant) Do these roles exist as internships, or as regular employment?
  • What do I want to learn through this work experience? (e.g. new skill sets, confirmation that this particular issue area or field is compelling, an opportunity to demonstrate competence of some sort)
  • Do I want to work while I am in school? If so, part-time or full-time?
  • How can I bring what I am learning at my internship or work into the classroom, and how can I apply what I am learning in the classroom to current challenges at work?
For people relatively early in their careers and working in their field of choice:
  • How can I apply what I am learning directly to the challenges I face at work? How can I bring my learnings from the field into the classroom in a way that will help me develop my own theories about what works?
  • If I am working and going to school at the same time, what "stretch" assignment can I take on? (e.g. if I am mostly in a staff role at headquarters, could I get some operational or field experience; if I have been in one unit and need a broader systems perspective, can I join a task force at work that would expose me to different perspectives/roles/systems/people?)
  • If I am not working while I go to school, what internships can I get that will help me set the next steps in my career trajectory? (e.g. does my internship best position me to work outside the New York region after graduation, as I plan to do?) What organizations will expose me to best practices? (e.g. excellent leadership models, strong professional networks)
For career shifters:
  • What skills and knowledge from my previous career or other relevant experience can I leverage as I shift to a different career?
  • How is the job/sector that I am moving from similar to the job/sector that I am moving to? How are they different? Are there common themes and experiences? (e.g. required financial statements in a private organization versus government)
  • How can I get experience in this new field of interest? (e.g. can I serve on a nonprofit board of directors, can I find or create an internship, even very short term, which gives me some exposure or experience?)
  • Do I need to think of a "bridge" job? (e.g. if I am trying to go from being a lawyer in a firm into healthcare administration, does it make the most sense to try to find work in the counsel's office of a hospital or healthcare system?)
  • How can I develop my capacity to integrate learning from both theory and practice?
For seasoned professionals already in their field of choice:
  • How can I maximize the opportunities to apply what I am learning in the classroom to challenges at work?
  • How can I identify one or two ongoing challenges for me in work settings (e.g. struggling with delegation, difficulty asking for or giving feedback) and then use the Wagner experience as a laboratory to take risks and learn?
  • How can I develop my capacity to integrate learning from both theory and practice?
  • How can I use school to broaden my horizon at work?
  • How can I think of next steps at work? (e.g. going from a local to a national platform on a policy issue, managing a much bigger operation, writing or speaking about what I know)

Resources

Next Steps

Whether you are clear about your career goals or juggling multiple possibilities, your next move should advance you in some direction you want to go. It can add to your repertoire of skills, it can build experience, it can confirm or eliminate possibilities, it can bring you into contact with people you need to know, it can credential you by association—and, of course, it can bring real meaning to your life and make a difference to others. You don't need to know everything about where you want to end up to get started.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work matters in many ways. It builds community, serves people, bridges divides, teaches, and broadens perspectives. Volunteer work can also be a great way to practice skills, enlarge networks and gain experience.

Guiding Questions: Volunteer Work

  • In addition to the rewards of service, what can I learn from my volunteer experience? (e.g. what can work in a food pantry teach me about service delivery, how can serving on the PTA help me understand the challenges of school reform?)
  • What professional skills do I have that can benefit a nonprofit organization?
  • Do I want my volunteer work to use the skills I have and be similar to the work I do on a daily basis or do I want it to be something completely different? (e.g. some people who are already good managers like being on an advisory board, while others might want to get the chance to do some direct work with clients)
  • Are there opportunities for "stretch" assignments in my volunteer work that would enhance my skill set? (e.g. serving on a fundraising committee, giving public presentations, conducting intake so I can hone my listening skills)
  • What commitment can I make and keep to a volunteer position? Do I prefer a series of one-shot assignments (e.g. New York Cares), a weeklong engagement like Alternative Spring Break, or am I able to make a more regular or longer-term commitment?

Resources: Volunteer Work

Next Steps: Volunteer Work

Decide how and when volunteer work is going to fit into your life over time. Be mindful of keeping the commitments you make here as other people will be depending on you.

Links


"Composing Your Career"