International Affairs (MA/MS)

The New School is a progressive university in New York City where scholars, artists, and designers come together to challenge convention and create positive change. Founded in 1919, the university consists of Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, and numerous renowned graduate programs. The New School’s rigorous, multidimensional approach to education gives students the academic freedom to shape their unique, individual paths of study for a complex and rapidly changing world.

About

The field of international affairs is changing. Our approaches in and outside of the classroom must change as well. Gain the theoretical and practical tools you need to engage with the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

Named one of the top international affairs programs by the Foreign Policy Association, the Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs is distinctive in the New School tradition: critical, engaged, and truly global.

The SGPIA Difference

International Affairs at The New School stands out from conventional programs for its unique blend of pedagogical and scholarly commitments:

• A critical and global perspective on international problems
• Engaged, field-based learning through our International Field Programs, our Practicum in International Affairs, and other offerings
• Multidisciplinary social research drawing on the traditions of The New School for Social Research
• Small classes, accessible faculty, and a flexible curriculum that allows students to tailor their studies to their interests and goals

World-class faculty

International Affairs faculty are leading scholars from around the world, with backgrounds ranging from anthropology, sociology, and political science to media and economics. The program also draws on the wide range of leading experts and professionals in New York, who bring to the classroom recent international experience with a range of issues and professional fields.

FIield-based learning

The Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs is committed to immersive, long-term, field-based learning. In addition to providing a range of opportunities for internships and practicums, the program offers two intensive summer programs that are open to students in the MA and MS programs, as well as students from other New School programs and other universities:

• Our signature International Field Program, with research and internship opportunities at sites around the world
• The seven-week United Nations Summer Study, an immersive program based at UN headquarters

Connecting to New York

International Affairs students at The New School take full advantage of New York City's incomparable resources in the international affairs field. The city's extraordinary range of international NGOs, intergovernmental institutions, and global companies—from the United Nations to Human Rights Watch to major media organizations—provide unique opportunities for student research, internships, and practicums. Our practice-based coursework connects students with these organizations through projects that launch student careers, and SGPIA faculty members working in these organizations provide students with direct access to the most pressing contemporary issues in the field.

Program highlights

• In the MA degree: select a concentration in Cities and Urbanization, Conflict and Security, Development and Global Justice, Governance, and Rights, or Media and Culture.
• In the MS degree: customize your advanced curriculum by choosing from 15+ modules in specific subjects, tools, and analytical methods.
• Address global problems using innovative tools such as geographic information systems, media research and advocacy, and participatory design and assessment.
• Get the option to spend nine weeks studying and researching abroad through our one-of-a-kind International Field Program.
• Access major international organizations in the heart of NYC, including the opportunity to join the immersive seven-week UN Summer Program.

A dynamic curriculum

In the Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs, we are constantly adapting our curriculum to respond to the most pressing current issues such as social and economic rights, urban and community development, new media and technology, environmental justice, migration and refugees, international law, conflict, and peacebuilding.

The New School offers two master's degree options in International Affairs:

• Master of Arts in International Affairs, a traditional, 42-credit degree with a structured core curriculum and five concentrations that allow students to specialize in a particular area of international affairs
• Master of Science in International Affairs, a 30-credit degree that enables experienced professionals to acquire a unique combination of substantive knowledge and practical tools through our innovative modular approach

Careers

Current students can make connections with more than 1,400 SGPIA alumni working around the world. Alumni work in public and government service, international organizations, NGOs and nonprofits, academia, the media, and the private sector. The Career Services office offers ongoing support for current and former students.