FAQs: Doctoral Program
There are many research opportunities available to students through research centers affiliated with the Wagner School. All doctoral students are encouraged to seek research opportunities.
Upon entry into the program, all new students are assigned a faculty advisor who shares common research interests and will further help the student organize a study plan. When a student completes the requisite coursework and comprehensive exams, s/he will begin work on the dissertation under the guidance of a dissertation advisor.
Very few students are admitted to the Doctoral Program. The admissions process is designed to identify those applicants who are most likely to succeed in their studies and their careers and for whom there is a good match between their interests and those of the faculty. Decisions are not based on one single indicator.
Deferrals are rarely granted and are viewed on a case-by-case basis. You must email wagner.admissions@nyu.edu to receive a deferral request form.
Click here to learn more about deferrals.
PhD students who do not come with their own funding receive a four-year research apprenticeship (or equivalent), which carries full tuition remission, a stipend, student health insurance and a $1,000 start-up grant. No additional application materials are required for consideration.
A limited amount of housing is available. Apartments are available only to matriculated, full-time students. Both furnished and unfurnished apartments are available. Generally, university housing for couples is not available unless both will be matriculated at NYU.
An important feature of the Wagner Doctoral Program is the wide range of opportunities for students to obtain the skills and experience necessary to become effective teachers. There are opportunities for doctoral students to work with full-time faculty as tutors, teaching assistants and, eventually, as primary instructors in courses in the master's curriculum.
Doctoral Program students typically finish the degree within 5 years.
While you can apply without a master's degree, nearly all admitted students do have a graduate degree.
The program prepares graduates for careers at academic institutions, in think tanks, research firms, and research units of public, quasi-public and private organizations, as well as for other positions with substantial responsibilities for the supervision and administration of research.
The program admits approximately 5-8 students to the PhD Program each year. The admit rate is around 5%.
Yes, you are expected to have prior quantitative coursework and/or strong quantitative GRE scores. You must complete an econometrics/statistics course covering multiple regression prior to beginning the program. As part of the program, you will take advanced courses in both qualitative and quantitative methods.