FAQs

The program admits approximately 5-8 students to the PhD Program each year. The admit rate is around 5%.

The Doctoral Program has the following established fields of study:

The Wagner doctoral program encourages students to take courses in other NYU schools and departments. In addition, many doctoral students invite non-Wagner and non-NYU professors to be on their dissertation committees.

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. 

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.

The best way to begin learning about the PhD Program is to browse the website, which contains complete information about the PhD Program's academic policies, admissions procedures, degree requirements, fields o

While you can apply without a master's degree, nearly all admitted students do have a graduate degree.

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.

No. Wagner PhD students are admitted for the fall semester only.
 

NYU Wagner's Office of Career Services (OCS) offers resources for students and alumni to develop appropriate strategies that lead to successful careers in academia, research and public service. OCS has partnered with the Doctoral Program

The application review process begins immediately following the December submission deadline. Decisions are typically sent by late March.

The application for admission is available in early September and can be submitted online.
 

Doctoral Program students typically finish the degree within 5 years. 

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.

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.

Successful completion of the doctoral degree requires 72 academic course credits with a B+ or better average, completion and passing of the Preliminary Qualifying Examination, completion and passing of two comprehensive exams, a third year research paper, and a completed dissertation.

No. The Wagner Doctoral Program does not admit part-time students. Students must attend full time through the first two years of the program. After students finish coursework and comprehensive exams, however, they may continue as part-time students.

Credit toward the degree for courses taken at other institutions may be awarded under certain conditions and must be approved by one's faculty advisor and the Director of the Doctoral Program.

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.

The Wagner PhD Program prepares students for careers in research. You should be confident that you are interested in pursuing such a career.

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.

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.

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